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Summary A nationwide case-control study was conducted in New Zealand, to test hypotheses about the role of infections in the aetiology of childhood leukaemia. Children aged 0-14 years with leukaemia were matched on age and sex to controls selected from birth records. Case ascertainment was virtually complete and 121 (92%) of 131 eligible case families took part. The participation rate among the 303 first-choice eligible controls was 69%. Home interviews and serological tests were conducted. Adjusted relative risks were estimated by logistic regression. There was an increased risk of leukaemia in relation to reported influenza infection of the child during the first year of life (adjusted odds ratio 6.8, 95% confidence interval 1.8-25.7). This could be a chance finding due to multiple comparisons, and it should be tested elsewhere. Some key variables relevant to Greaves' hypothesis were not associated with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (numbers of infections and vaccinations, firstborn status, attendance at preschool groups), although a small effect could not be ruled out with a study of this size. Leukaemia risk was higher among children in poorer social circumstances, and this was true for all eligible children as well as for the participants.

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SummaryThe prescriptions issued by general practitioners to a population of about 40 000 people were studied. During one year 53 8% of all males and 65 7% of all females had at least one drug dispensed. The proportion receiving medicines increased with age and was higher among females at all ages. Psychotropic drugs were prescribed more often than any other group and accounted for almost one-fifth of all prescriptions. Altogether 9.7% of the males in the population and 210% of the females received at least one psychotropic drug during the year. Among women aged 45-59 33 0% received a psychotropic drug, and 112% were given an antidepressant. Although antimicrobial drugs were prescribed less often than psychotropic drugs, they were given to more people. IntroductionThe prescribing habits of general practitioners have been studied,1-3but there is a dearth of information about the distribution of prescriptions among their patients. In particular, we know little about the proportion of people who are prescribed specific drugs within a given interval of time. Such information was acquired incidentally in the course of an investigation being carried out into methods of monitoring drugs in general practice,4 and we report here the results relating to the use of medicines by about 40 000 people during the 12 months from 1

Our results for conventional antipsychotics are consistent with previous studies of non-fatal venous thromboembolism. The finding for antidepressants needs to be replicated in other studies.

There is a large financial burden on families who have a child with cancer.