The author studied the histopathologic changes according to a single or a split dose and the time after irradiation on the acinar cells of rat parotid gland. 99 Sprague Dawley rats, weighing about l20gm, were divided into control and 3 experimental groups. In experimental groups, GroupⅠ and Ⅱ were delivered a single dose of l5Gy, 18Gy and Group Ⅲ and Ⅳ were delivered two equal split doses of 9Gy, 10.5Gy for a 4 hours interval, respectively. The experimental groups were delivered by a cobalt-60 teletherapy unit with a dose rate of 222cGy/min, source-skin distance of 50㎝, depth of l㎝ and a field size of l2×5㎝. The animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 hours, 1, 3, 7 days after irradiation and examined by light and electron microscopy. The results were as follows: 1. As the radiation dose increased and the acinar cells delivered a single dose exposure were more damaged, and the change of acinar cells appeared faster than those of a split dose exposure. 2. The histopathologic change of acinar cells appeared at 1 hour after irradiation. The recovery from damaged acinar cells appeared at 1 day after irradiation and there was a tendency that the recovery from damage of a split dose exposure was somewhat later than that of a single dose exposure. 3. Light microscope showed atrophic change of acinar cells and nucleus, degeneration and vesicle formation of cytoplasm, widening of intercellular space and interlobular space. 4. Electron microscope showed loss of nuclear membrane, degeneration of nucleus and nucleoli, clumping of cytoplasm, widening and degeneration of rough endoplasmic reticulum, loss of cristae of mitochondria, lysosome, autophagosome and lipid droplet. 5. Electron microscopically, the change of rough endoplasmic reticulum was the most prominent and this appeared at 1 hour after irradiation as early changes of acinar cells. The nuclear change appeared at 2 hours after irradiation and the loss of cristae of mitochondria was observed at 2 hours after irradiation in all experimental groups.