Is the object of this paper to show that the practice of radiology in a small community is stimulating, satisfying, and profitable. I t is particularly directed to the young radiologist who contemplates establishing himself in some large, overcrowded, highly competitive city because he feels that the opportunities for a stimulating practice in a small community are too limited. It is also directed to our radiological colleagues in the larger medical centers, who sometimes question the experience and opportunities for service available to the radiologist in the small community. It is, in short, a statistical report of the type and amount of work that has been available to the author in his community. McAlester, in southeastern Oklahoma, is typical of many small towns in the Southwest. It boasts a population of 20,000, but its medical and hospital facilities serve over 125,000 people in the adjacent sparsely populated counties. There are 23 physicians in McAlester and 12 physicians in the counties which utilize its services. The two local hospitals have 60 beds each. There is but one radiologist—the author—in this area, who has complete charge of radiology in the two hospitals and at the McAlester Clinic,2 in addition to carrying on a private practice. All the diagnostic work done in McAlester is performed in these four separate x-ray departments. All x-ray irradiation therapy is performed in the author's office. From June 1, 1951, to June 1, 1952, 5,340 diagnostic x-ray examinations were made in McAlester. A total of 1,023 x-ray studies were made of the gastrointestinal tract, 747 by means of barium administered orally and 276 by barium enema. Gastrointestinal work has offered some difficulties in view of the fact that these studies are carried out in the four separate departments, and all are a part of the morning's work. Encephalography, myelography, and angiocardiography have not been performed, patients requiring such studies being referred to specialists in the larger cities nearby. All x-ray studies for acute abdominal conditions receive prompt interpretation, regardless of the time of day. Table I outlines the amount and type of diagnostic roentgenology performed in each of the four x-ray departments in McAlester under the author's supervision for the last fiscal year. No attempt has been made to record the total number of superficial and deep x-ray and radium treatments administered in the past years. Nor is there a record of the number of patients treated for benign skin conditions, inflammatory lesions, lymphoid hyperplasia and lymphadenopathy, arthritic pain, herpes zoster, menopausal bleeding, etc. An attempt has been made, however, to keep an accurate count of all patients treated for malignant disease. Skin carcinomas are the most prevalent form of malignant growth encountered in the Southwest.