Abstract In 17 patients, with fetal death in utero, abortion or labor was successfully induced by the intra-amniotic injection of hypertonic saline. Although those patients with one exception were “unfavorable” for induction (closed, hard, uneffaced cervix, and little or no spontaneous activity), they were delivered in 2.7 hours on the average after an average induction-onset interval of 13 hours. All patients were delivered uneventfully; there was no need of additional therapy. Six patients were induced by an increase of their uterine volume, using isotonic saline, they were all delivered uneventfully in 9.5 hours, on the average, after a 12.5 hour latent period. In six patients labor was induced by massive prolonged oxytocin therapy, but in only one progressed to successful delivery. The remaining 5 did not progress until labor was induced successfully by saline. Four patients received massive systemic gestagen treatment, there was a marked reduction in uterine activity in all patients, but the saline-induced evolution in uterine activity and clinical progress was only delayed in two. In all the patients the working capacity of the uterus was intact, irrespective of the duration of fetal death or the extent of spontaneous activity. This working capacity was readily displayed when after saline treatment it evolved in a characteristic fashion. Local activity changed through mixed local and partially propagating activity to a terminal phase of propagating activity. Propagating activity preceded the clinical onset of labor. The theoretical and practical significance of these observations are discussed.