The task given to me was try to address how radiation damage limits the information that we can extract from a sample in the electron microscope and to somehow i11ucidate what is known about the mechanism of the damage itself. I am afraid that the tasks are more formidable than I first realized, and I shall not (in this paper) be able to come to definitive conclusions. However, the attempt will be made to tie together various observations and bits of knowledge from different areas which may not be familiar to the general practitioner of electron microscopy.The area of radiation damage in electron microscopy tends to be somewhat descriptive. After all, it is really not the main item on the microscopist's agenda, but rather happens to be the unfortunate consequence of the act of viewing the sample. One can liken the electron microscopist to someone who is ill. It is not too important why or how the illness occurred, but rather, how to remedy it.