A comparison was made between two groups of severely burned patients, one group being treated with large volumes of saline solutions mainly by mouth, the other group being treated with colloids, dextrose, and water with little sodium by vein. The treatment was intended especially to relieve the mortality due to shock during the first 48 hours, after which time there was no further difference in the treatment of the two groups. All accessory therapy was identical in the two groups, and since they were made up by strict alternation when admitted they were comparable as to age, sex, severity of burn, and other significant factors. Among 110 children so studied, no significant difference was found between the two groups as to 48-hour mortality or ultimate total mortality. The same was true for 83 adults. The patients receiving the saline solution retained the fluid better, as indicated by records of body weight, and vomited less than those who received the colloid treatment. Both groups fared much better than did 133 patients treated by other methods during the three years that preceded this study. Copyright, 1956, by American Medical Association