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Subjects seem to react to a word faster than they react to a letter within a word. One interpretation is that words are processed holistically; another is that all visual stimuli are processed in terms of components, but that more stimulus information is available for use when the targets are words than when they are letters within words. The results of three experiments indicate that the word or pattern-level advantage occurs even when the stimulus information in the two situations is equated, but if the perceptual arrays cannot be unitized (e.g., consonant sequences), a pattern-level advantage does not occur. In addition, the experiments provide substantial evidence to indicate that if letter arrays cannot be unitized, then they are processed on a componentby-component basis, rather than holistically. Finally, the appropriate definition ofholistic processing is considered.

A radioimmoassay for digoxin is described which uses commercially available reagents. Two assay procedures are used, one for batch assays, and another, which needs a 5 minute incubation only, for ‘stat’ assays. The methods are shown to be simple, rapid, precise and inexpensive and the batch procedure compared well with the Amerlex digoxin method for 63 patient samples.

The effects of an extradural narcotic, diamorphine, and of an extradural local anesthetic, bupivacaine, on postoperative responses of plasma glucose and cortisol levels following surgery were investigated in 20 fit women undergoing major gynecologic operations. The operations were conducted with morphine premedication and extradural local anesthetic with nitrous oxide, oxygen, and halothane. After surgery the patients were given either further extradural local anesthetic or 5 mg of extradural diamorphine. After surgery plasma glucose and plasma cortisol concentrations decreased in patients given extradural diamorphine, but increased in those given extradural local anesthetic. The differences between the groups were statistically highly significant (p less than 0.05) for both glucose and cortisol. The effects on metabolic responses to surgery produced by a small (5 mg) dose of diamorphine injected into the extradural space suggest a local action of the narcotic at the level of the spinal cord. Only very large intravenous doses of narcotics have previously been shown to suppress these responses.