Histiocytic medullary reticulosis (HMR) is a rare, malignant disorder with unsatisfactory response to various chemotherapeutic agents that have been used up to the present time. The purpose of this communication is to describe the first patient with this disease in whom an immediate, complete remission was obtained using only adriamycin. Four months after institution of this treatment, a staging laparotomy and splenectomy revealed residual disease in the spleen only. Adriamycin was continued as the sole agent, to the full calculated dose, followed by maintenance therapy consisting of cyclophosphamide. The patient continues to be in complete remission 35 months after diagnosis was established.