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The characteristics of adult patients admitted for self-poisoning to an inner London district general hospital were examined during 1971/72 and 1983/84. The incidence of self-poisoning halved over the 12 years, from 326 to 178 per 100 000. Although no West Indians were admitted in the first period, they comprised 7% of such admissions 12 years later. The West Indian population in the catchment area remained constant at around 6%. Amongst all patients admitted for self-poisoning, there was a fall in the number of patients diagnosed as depressed, having a personality disorder or admitting to prior psychiatric care, but an increase in alcoholism. Paracetamol became more common as a drug used in self-poisoning and barbiturates were taken less often. Only one patient died in the series. These results should stimulate more soundly based epidemiological studies on ethnic variation in self-poisoning, and on self-injury in inner-city areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a general medical unit 27% of 104 admissions and 17% of bed occupancy were attributed to alcohol consumption, although only 10 of these 28 patients had classical alcohol-related conditions. Questioning on the amount of alcohol consumed was the most accurate method of screening for these patients. The brief MAST questionnaire, mean red cell volume, γ-glutamyl transferase, aspartate transaminase and urate were all inadequate as screening tests. Only 13% of the admissions were defined as ‘problem drinkers’ on the brief MAST questionnaire, suggesting that harmful effects of alcohol are not confined to ‘alcoholics’. Clinical suspicion and questions on the level of alcohol consumption are more efficient than questionnaire, biochemical or haematological screening tests in detecting alcohol-related medical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the issues discussed at the joint meeting of the Section of Measurement in Medicine with the British Society of Gastroenterology in Great Britain on November 17, 1980 is presented. The meeting focused on the secretion of the stomach and pancreas. Chairman of the Section, J. Alexander-Williams regarded the nasogastric tube and tubeless tests. M. Hobsley from London discussed the studies on non-absorbable markers, revealing the independence of the position on the recovery of secretion.

A response by S. P. Lockhart et al to a letter to the editor about their article on alcohol consumption as a cause of emergency general medical admissions in the March 1986 issue is presented.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article about the real author of a prayer quoted by C. W. Smith, founder of the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in England, on his paper in the January 1985 issue.