SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                        Washington, D.C. 20549
                        -----------------------

                                FORM S-8
                        Registration Statement
                                 Under
                      The Securities Act of 1933
            NATIONAL HEALTH LABORATORIES HOLDINGS INC.[F1] 
        (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

               Delaware                       13-3757370
     (State or other jurisdiction          (I.R.S. Employer
          of incorporation or           Identification Number)
             organization)

                         4225 Executive Square
                               Suite 805
                      La Jolla, California  92037
         (Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

               NATIONAL HEALTH LABORATORIES INCORPORATED
                        1994 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                       (Full title of the plan)
                        James G. Richmond, Esq.
                         4225 Executive Square
                               Suite 805
                       La Jolla, California 92037
                            (619) 657-9382
       (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                    CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
                                   Proposed      Proposed
                                   maximum       maximum
   Title of        Amount          offering      aggregate    Amount of
   securities to   to be           price per     offering     registration
   be registered   registered      share         price        fee
   Common Stock,
   par value $.01  3,000,000[F2]   $11.125[F3]   $33,375,000  $11,509



   [FN]

        [F1] National Health Laboratories Holdings Inc. is the
   successor registrant to National Health Laboratories Incorporated
   pursuant to a holding company reorganization effected as of
   June 7, 1994.  The reorganization was effected pursuant to a
   Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 33-52655).

        [F2] Pursuant to the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment
   No. 1 to Registration Statements on Form S-8 (Registration 
   No. 33-29182 and Registration No. 33-43006), 2,000,000 and
   550,000 shares of Common Stock, respectively, were previously
   registered in connection with National Health Laboratories
   Incorporated's 1988 Stock Option Plan; the Registrant hereby
   registers an additional 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock.

        [F3] The shares are to be offered at prices not presently
   determinable.  Pursuant to Rule 457(h), the offering price is
   estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration
   fee and is based on the average of the high and low prices of the
   Common Stock quoted on the New York Stock Exchange Composite
   Transaction Tape on August 5, 1994.


   2

                       Explanatory Note


               On February 15, 1994, the Board of Directors of
     National Health Laboratories Incorporated ("NHL") approved
     NHL's 1994 Stock Option Plan (the "1994 Plan"), subject to
     the approval of NHL's Stockholders, which approval was
     obtained on June 7, 1994. 

               On April 25, 1994, the Registration Statement on
     Form S-4 (Registration No. 33-52655) (as amended, the "S-4
     Registration Statement") of National Health Laboratories
     Holdings Inc. ("Holdings") was declared effective under the
     Securities Act.  The S-4 Registration Statement was filed in
     connection with the offering by Holdings of shares of its
     common stock, par value $.01 per share ("Common Stock"), in
     exchange for shares of NHL Common Stock in accordance with a
     proposed corporate merger and reorganization whereby NHL
     became the wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Holdings and
     Holdings became the indirect parent holding company of NHL. 


               As a result of the consummation of the merger and
     reorganization described in the S-4 Registration Statement,
     the terms of the 1994 Plan were adjusted to provide for the
     offering of Common Stock upon exercise of the options from
     time to time in accordance with the 1994 Plan.  



     3

                                PART II

          INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

     Item 3.   Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

               The following documents filed with the Commission
     are incorporated herein by reference:

               a.   NHL's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
                    fiscal year ended December 31, 1993;

               b.   NHL's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
                    fiscal quarter ended March 31, 1994; and

               c.   Holdings' Current Report on Form 8-K dated
                    July 8, 1994.

               d.   The description of the Common Stock contained
                    under the Heading "Description of Capital
                    Stock" in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus
                    included in the S-4 Registration Statement.

               All documents subsequently filed by Holdings
     pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Securities
     Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), prior
     to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates
     that all securities offered have been sold or which
     deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be
     deemed to be incorporated herein by reference and to be a
     part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

     Item 4.   Description of Securities.
               Not Applicable.

     Item 5.   Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

               Legal matters in connection with the Common Stock
     offered hereby have been passed on for Holdings by its
     Executive Vice President and General Counsel, James G.
     Richmond.  

     Item 6.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

               As authorized by Section 145 of the General
     Corporation Law of Delaware (the "Delaware Corporation
     Law"), each director and officer of NHL or Holdings may be
     indemnified by NHL or Holdings, respectively, against
     expenses (including attorney's fees, judgments, fines and
     amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred
     in connection with the defense or settlement of any threat-
     ened, pending or completed legal proceedings in which he is


     4


     involved by reason of the fact that he is or was a director
     or officer of NHL or Holdings; provided that he acted in
     good faith and in a manner that he reasonably believed to be
     in or not opposed to the best interest of NHL or Holdings,
     as applicable, and, with respect to any criminal action or
     proceeding, that he had no reasonable cause to believe that
     his conduct was unlawful.  If the legal proceeding, however,
     is by or in the right of NHL or Holdings, the director or
     officer may not be indemnified in respect of any claim,
     issue or matter as to which he shall have been adjudged to
     be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of
     his duty to NHL or Holdings, as the case may be, unless a
     court determines otherwise.

               Article Fifth of the Restated Certificate of
     Incorporation of NHL and Article Sixth of the Certificate of
     Incorporation of Holdings provides that no director of NHL
     or Holdings shall be personally liable to NHL or Holdings,
     respectively, or their respective stockholders for monetary
     damages for any breach of his fiduciary duty as a director; 
     provided, however, that such clause shall not apply to any
     liability of a director (i) for any breach of such
     director's duty of loyalty to NHL or Holdings, as the case
     may be, or their respective stockholders, (ii) for acts or
     omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional
     misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to
     Section 174 of the Delaware Corporation Law or (iv) for any
     transaction from which the director derived an improper
     personal benefit.  In addition, Article Sixth of the
     Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Article VII of the
     amended By-laws of NHL and Article VII of the By-laws of
     Holdings authorize NHL and Holdings, respectively, to
     indemnify any person entitled to be indemnified by it under
     law to the fullest extent permitted by law.  

     Item 7.   Exemption from Registration Claimed.

               Not Applicable.  

     Item 8.   Exhibits

               4.1      Form of National Health Laboratories
                        Incorporated 1994 Stock Option Plan.

               4.2      Form of Stock Option Agreement.
               
               5        Opinion of James G. Richmond, Esq., as to
                        the shares of Common Stock being
                        registered.

               23.1     Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick.

     5



               23.2     Consent of James G. Richmond (contained
                        in his opinion filed as Exhibit 5).
               24       Powers of Attorney.


     Item 9.   Undertakings.

               Holdings hereby undertakes:  

               1.  To file, during any period in which offers or
     sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this
     registration statement to include any material information
     with respect to the plan of distribution not previously
     disclosed in the registration statement or any material
     change to such information in the registration statement.  

               2.  That, for the purpose of determining any
     liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective
     amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
     relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering
     of such securities at the time shall be deemed to be the
     initial bona fide offering thereof.

               3.  To remove from registration by means of a
     post-effective amendment any of the securities being 
     registered which remain unsold at the termination of the
     offering.

               4.  That, for purposes of determining any
     liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
     registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or
     Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by
     reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to
     be a new registration statement relating to the securities
     offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that
     time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
     thereof.

               5.  To deliver or cause to be delivered with the
     prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or
     given, the latest annual report to security holders that is
     incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished
     pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or
     Rule 14c-3 under the Exchange Act; and, where interim
     financial information required to be presented by Article 3
     of Regulation S-X is not set forth in the prospectus, to
     deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the
     prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report
     that is specifically incorporated by reference in the
     prospectus to provide such interim financial information.


     6



               Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising
     under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors,
     officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant
     to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
     has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such
     indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
     Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the
     event that a claim for indemnification against such
     liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of
     expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or
     controlling person of the registrant in the successful
     defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by
     such director, officer or controlling person in connection
     with the securities being registered, the registrant will,
     unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
     settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
     appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
     indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed
     in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
     adjudication of such issue.


     7



                               SIGNATURE

               Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act
     of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable
     grounds to believe that it meets all the requirements for
     filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this post-effective
     amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its
     behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the
     City of La Jolla, the State of California, on this 12th day
     of August, 1994.

                              NATIONAL HEALTH LABORATORIES
                              HOLDINGS INC.,

                                by /s/ David C. Flaugh
                                  ------------------------------
                                  Name:  David C. Flaugh
                                  Title: Senior Executive Vice
                                         President, Chief
                                         Operating Officer and
                                         Acting Chief Financial
                                         Officer

               Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act
     of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by or
     on behalf of the following persons in the capacities and on
     the dates indicated:


           Signature           Title               Date

                *
     ------------------------  Chairman of the      August 12, 1994
        Ronald O. Perelman     Board and Director

                *
     ------------------------  President, Chief     August 12, 1994
          James R. Maher       Executive Officer
                               and Director

     /s/ David C. Flaugh       Senior Executive     August 12, 1994
     ------------------------  Vice President,
         David C. Flaugh       Chief Operating
                               Officer and Acting
                               Chief Financial
                               Officer (Principal 
                               Financial and 
                               Accounting Officer)
                *
     -----------------------   Director             August 12, 1994
       Saul J. Farber, M.D.



     8



                *
     ------------------------  Director             August 12, 1994
         Howard Gittis 
                *
     ------------------------  Director             August 12, 1994
       Ann Dibble Jordan

                *
     ------------------------  Director             August 12, 1994
         David J. Mahoney

                *
     ------------------------  Director             August 12, 1994
        Paul A. Marks, M.D.

                *
     ------------------------  Director             August 12, 1994
       Linda Gosden Robinson

                *
     -----------------------   Director             August 12, 1994
       Samuel O. Thier, M.D.

     *By: /s/ David C. Flaugh
          -------------------
           David C. Flaugh
           Attorney-in-Fact
           August 12, 1994


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                               EXHIBIT INDEX

     Exhibit                                               Page

     4.1       Form of National Health Laboratories
               Incorporated 1994 Stock Option Plan.

     4.2       Form of Stock Option Agreement.

     5         Opinion of James G. Richmond, Esq. as to
               the shares of Common Stock being
               registered.

     23.1      Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick.

     23.2      Consent of James G. Richmond, Esq.
               (contained in his opinion filed as
               Exhibit 5).

     24        Powers of Attorney.