It is shown that it is possible to interpret the muon absorption rate in liquid hydrogen in terms of the basic (pn mu nu ) interaction. The main problem is to calculate the rate for the process: (p- mu -p) yields n+ nu +p in terms of muon absorption in atoms. The discussion applies to solid as well as liquid hydrogen, but it is confined to the case of isotopically pure (H/sup 1/)/sub 2/. Many of these assumptions may be tested by measuring the total hydrogen absorption rate over a rarge of hydrogen densities. (B.O.G.)