Antibiotics, regional anaesthesia, and improved surgical facilities have made the repair of tendon injuries easier and more attractive than previously. The results of this study indicate that crushing fractures and vascular insufficiency are still problems of great magnitude. It is incumbent upon the surgeon to recognize that the therapeutic advances in the past decade have not appreciably altered tissue reaction to trauma, and that the success of primary repair depends on proper evaluation of these factors as well as upon surgical skill. I have attempted to delineate the areas where primary repair is still a worth-while venture.