A recently established method for determining the surface temperature of adjuvant-inflamed rat's paw was used to examine the anti-inflammatory potencies of various nonsteroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are currently in clinical use. The results were compared with those obtained by the carrageenin paw edema method and with the inhibitory potencies on prostaglandin E2 generation. The clinically effective single doses of the drugs were better correlated with the effective doses on local hyperthermia than with those on carrageenin paw edema, or with the inhibitory activities of the drugs on prostaglandin E2 generation from cultured rat synovial cells. Although care should be taken to avoid false-positive anti-inflammatory effects arising from vasoconstrictor activity or toxicity, determination of lowering effects on local hyperthermia in this inflammatory model may be useful for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory compounds.