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Six severely disturbed schizophrenic women were subjected to a new method for the rehabilitation of chronic psychotics. The authors believe that the traditional forms of occupational therapy are of little value and 'that [they] offer media which are not in keeping with the regressed state of many of these patients'. In this experiment the first 'medium of activity' to which the patients were exposed was dry soil; later water was added to the soil. Gradually other media such as noisemakers, jump ropes, finger paints, cocoa powder, more attractive clothes, rubber dolls, make-up, music, crayons, and finally water-soluble paints, were added as the patient showed increasing responsiveness to these media. At first this responsiveness was indicated by increased interest in the dirt or mud and by the giving up of urinary incontinence or fecal soiling. The authors report progressive decrease in the autistic behavior of most of the patients and a gradually increasing awareness of persons about them and some increase in socialization during the six months of the experiment. Compared to the results of treatment with the control group of patients, these women showed definite improvement, and a follow-up study eight months after the end of the experiment showed that in three of the six women the change in behavior persisted. The authors believe