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Deaths resulting from work-related injuries during a one-year period in Maryland were identified and reviewed. Of 148 workers killed, all but two were male. Transportation vehicles were involved in 41% of the deaths, with road vehicles accounting for 25% of the total. Other major groups involved nonroad land vehicles (16%) and firearms, primarily handguns (11%). Two thirds of the workers died at the scene or were dead on arrival at the hospital. Head injuries were the most common cause of death. Eleven percent of the workers tested had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08% by weight or greater. The majority of the deaths involved either hazards that are not addressed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 or workers in categories that are excluded by law from regulation under this act.(JAMA 1982;248:692-697)

• Biorhythm, a theory that purports to identify periods of increased individual susceptibility to accident or misfortune on the basis of recurring biological cycles, is currently enjoying world-wide popularity. In view of the implications of such a theory for both public health and safety, the present study was undertaken as an empirical test of its validity. Using data from 205 carefully investigated highway crashes (135 fatal; 70 nonfatal) in which the drivers were clearly at fault, the authors computed specific points in drivers' biorhythm cycles at which the accidents occurred. The observed frequencies of accidents occurring during so-called critical and minus periods were then compared with the frequencies to be expected on a chance basis alone. The results provided no evidence for a relationship between purported biorhythm cycles and accident likelihood.

Medical examiner records were reviewed for 42 Maryland children younger than 10 years who died of asphyxiation from 1970 through 1978. Twelve children choked on food; six of these deaths involved hot dogs. Eight choked on nonfood objects. Size, shape, and consistency were important, with small, round, pliable products predominating. Twenty-two deaths resulted from suffocation, including four infants who died when plastic bags in their cribs or playpens pressed against their faces. Twelve of the 42 deaths resulted from problems that are now the subject of Consumer Product Safety Commission activity or regulations. Important problems not currently addressed include plastic bags, balloons, and foods that because of their shape or consistency are especially likely to cause asphyxiation.(JAMA 244:1343-1346, 1980)

Forensic pathology has become a subspecialty in the field of pathology within the past five years. The increasing contribution of pathology to the elucidation of the problems of trauma and the solution of the legal aspects of these problems emphasizes the great need for broadening the horizon of pathologists. The vast scope of this field is recognized when one considers that practically all homicide cases, nearly all compensation cases, and about 4 of every 10 tort cases or damage actions heard in the courts today involve medical testimony and require expert medical survey of the evidence on which the final decisions will be based.

This report describes a methodology for retrospective, in-depth, psychological investigation of driver fatalities. The results suggest that fatally injured drivers of single-car accidents can be differentiated from fatally injured drivers of multiple-car accidents on the basis of life-style and personality characteristics. Similarly, an overlap group of multiple-car and single-car drivers with a history of excessive alcohol usage may be differentiated from all other fatally injured drivers on the same basis.The Katz Adjustment scales significantly differentiated the above groups from a normative population on five of 18 scales. Preventive methods suggested by these results include educational efforts directed toward sensitizing persons in contact with high-risk drivers for the purposes of intervention, and the development of automatic safety equipment.

The last decade has seen the development of a large number of therapeutic agents for use in skin diseases. Some are highly potent and specific and when applied for a particular bacterial infection are more effective than any other agent. The nonspecificity of the vast majority of dermatidides, their nature being influenced perhaps more by the host reaction than by the nature of the insulting agent, has, however, prevented truly great strides in the development of highly specific skin therapeutic measures. Most dermatologists still find wet dressings, soaks, heat and cold, and protection extremely important components of their armamentarium. Among the oldest and most widely used chemical agents in the administration of these therapeutic procedures are boric acid and aluminum acetate (Burow's solution). As far back as 1702, Homberg prepared boric acid and called it ``sal sedativum.'' Since the compound has no internal sedative effect, it

A previously healthy adult with an epiglottic abscess died because of airway obstruction. Fatal epiglottitis in adults is an unusual occurrence. The infective organism in this case was the staphylococcus.