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-In 2 previous papers, Heberden's nodes were described, the incidence of their occurrence in the general population was presented, and evidence was offered leading to the conclusion that this condition is hereditary. It is our purpose at the present time to offer additional data and to subject the material to modern methods of statistical and genetic analysis in order to discover the probable mechanism of inheritance of this form of joint disease.Heberden's nodes are enlargements of the terminal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, due to hypertrophic arthritis (1). A survey of a cross-section of the general population showed that the condition sometimes occurs as a result of direct trauma to the fingers. Enquiry served to distinguish such nodes from another type arising spontaneously, the so-called idiopathic Heberden's nodes which are the subject of the subsequent discussion. The incidence of idiopathic Heberden's nodes was found to be higher in white people than in Negroes, it was higher in women than it was in men, and it increased markedly with age.The second study (2) based upon 68 families demonstrated that the mothers of affected women showed the condition twice and the sisters 3 times as commonly as the women in the general population. In a control series, the sisters of unaffected women were involved as frequently as the population in general.