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This paper presents a comparison of prescribing habits for patients hospitalized in medical wards of university hospitals in America and Scotland. American patients received almost twice as many drugs both during and prior to hospitalization than did comparable Scots. The differences between the countries were consistent for symptomatic and for more specific therapies. As compared to Scotland, drug therapy in America costs patients more in terms of financial outlay and adverse drug effects. The data do not permit evaluation of the relative benefits to the patients of the different quantities or types of drug used for similar circumstances in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]