in the reported experiments, the effect of **6**0co $gamma$ -radiation on physical and chemical properties of raw cotton has been studied over a wide dose range from 0 up to 120 mrad. a variety of techniques - namely viscometry, infrared spectroscopy, solubility, analysis of stress-strain measurements, and scanning electron microscopy (sem) - have been applied in an attempt to determine both micro- and macrostructural changes during irradiation. it was found that viscosity, ultimate strength, and ir data were in accordance with those published in the literature. solubility data were quite different from those for purified cotton, and this has been attributed to the presence of wax in raw cotton. small cracks almost parallel to the fiber axis started to be apparent by sem from a dose of about 0. 1 mrad. at higher doses the cracks increased in number and enlarged in size and depth as well. from the analysis of the data, it can be concluded that changes in cotton during irradiation were both intramolecular and supramolecular (interfibrillar) in nature. 21 refs