  The scalar heavy quark content of the nucleon, ${\cal M}_q = \bra{N} m_q \bar
q q \ket{N},$ is relevant for computing the interaction of dark matter
candidates with ordinary matter, while ${\cal M}_s$ is important for predicting
the properties of dense matter. We compute ${\cal M}_q$ in perturbative QCD to
${\cal{O}}{(\alpha^3)}.$ As one goes from ${\cal M}_t$ to ${\cal M}_c$ the
leading order contribution decreases as the number of light quarks is dropping,
while the radiative corrections grow and are all positive. The leading source
of uncertainty in the calculation is due to the poorly known value of ${\cal
M}_s.$ A related calculation suggests that a large value for ${\cal M}_s$ may
be reasonable.
