Disorders of the respiratory tract account for about 13 percent of overall mortality in Switzerland, for about 50 percent of all hospital admissions and for about 7 percent of the nursing days. Cases of obstructive respiratory disease, pneumonia and carcinoma of the lung predominate. Morbidity regarding newly discovered cases of tuberculos is still 0.5 percent and 40 percent of the population are still positive reactors. BCG vaccination of newborns and of all tuberculin-negative schoolchildren is the approved prophylactic procedure. Periodic mass radiography of adults on a voluntary basis, aimed at the early diagnosis of pulmonary disorders, shows an incidence of 0.4/1 000 and of 0.3/1 000 for new cases of tuberculosis and lung cancer respectively. Cases of chronic obstructive respiratory disease who require hospitalization for above-average length and are frequently on sick leave present special sociomedical problems.