The present study was designed to elucidate the reactions of cranial membranous bone to bone wax. In ten young rabbits, twenty parietal bone defects were created by drilling, the edges of which were partly extended using rongeur forceps to enable investigation of eventual thermal effects. Half of the marginal bone surrounding the lesions was covered by bone wax, the remainder serving as control. The animals were sacrificed 1 and 7 weeks after surgery, and block specimens prepared for light microscopy. Merely slight tissue reactions to the bone wax were discerned. Bony regeneration occurred mainly from the dura mater and the pericranium, but also from the bony rim. Reskeletalization was markedly impaired by the presence of bone wax. Heat generated by drilling caused reduced bone formation despite constant irrigation peroperatively. Clinical consequences are discussed.