Rib caries is rather an infrequent disease but it is by no means a rare condition. There are many faces of its pathogenesis, presenting sympotms and radologic findings but few references are encountered even in prestreptomycin era in Western World (and almost none in Korea!) Authors present 54 cases of rib caries, confirmed between 1968 at Seoul National University Hospital and analyze clinical and radiological findings of 30 cases whose medical charts and roentgen pictures are available. The results are as follows: 1. Male exeeds female in ratio of 1.5 : 1 and the 3rd decade is the predilection age, followed by the 2nd decade. Presenting symptoms are swelling mass, pain or tendeness, pus disharge or sinus formation in order of frequency. Duration is ranging from 5 days to 3 years but mostly between 1 month and 6 months. Right hemithorax is a more prevalent site than left in ratio of 2 : 1. 2. 14 cases (47%) show bone lesion-osteolytic (11 cases) on shaft (9 cases) of a single rib (9). Minority comprises multiple ribs involvement, osteoblatic or mixed bone change and costochondral or costovertebral involvement. Soft tissue swelling is seen in 17 cases (57%) and pleural changes 10 cases (33%). 4 cases yield no positive findings. 3. Pulmonary tuberculosis is present in 12 cases (40%), 8 of which are minimal active and 4 inactive. No spinal or other bone and joint tuberculosis and genitourinary tuberculosis are associated in entire series.