In the tissues of a susceptible host tubercle bacilli are rapidly phagocytized by polymorphonuclear leucocytes at first and later by ceils of the reticuloendothelial system; i.e., the alveolar phagocytes in the lung and macrophages proper in other tissues (1-3). There is no doubt that the tubercle bacillus retains its vitality and ability to multiply during its residence in leucocytes and macrophages (4), but information is not available on the metabolic state of the bacilli after phagocytosis. The intracellular environment could affect the bacilli in several ways: the phagocytic enzymes could alter the physical and chemical integrity of the bacillus resulting in its destruction, or the intracellular environment could merely modify metabolic pathways or rates. For a study of the metabolic fate of tubercle bacilli within phagocytes, techniques had to be developed which would allow one to differentiate between the metabolic activities of the host cell and of the parasite. The use of tubercle bacilli labeled with radioactive carbon has been helpful in such studies. However, it was necessary first to have specific information on the metabolism of the phagocytes under the conditions employed in these experiments, since the phagocyte constitutes the environment of the engulfed parasite.In this paper experiments on the energy-yielding metabolism of polymorphonuclear leucocytes 1 and monocytes 2 will be reported, and some of the