This article describes a study designed to test a method for assessing the cost to the health services of illegally induced abortion and the feasibility of estimating the incidence of induced abortion by a field interviewing approach. The participating centers included three hospitals in Ankara, Turkey; three hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria; one hospital in Caracas and one in Valencia, Venezuela; and two hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hospitalized abortion cases were classified as induced or spontaneous or as "probably induced," "possibly induced," or "unknown" according to a classification scheme comprising certain medical criteria. The sociodemographic characteristics of induced and spontaneous abortion cases were subjected to discriminant function analysis and the discriminating variables best characterizing the induced versus the spontaneous abortion groups were identified for each center. On the basis of this analysis, the "probably" and "possibly" induced and "unknown" categories were further classified as induced or spontaneous abortion, with stated probabilities. Thus an overall estimate is made of the proportion of all hospitalized abortions that can be considered illegally induced outside the hospital. Selected results on costs of induced and spontaneous abortion are shown. The method further tested the feasibility of obtaining valid survey data on abortion from the communities studied by re-interviewing the women hospitalized for induced and spontaneous abortion six months later in their homes. This exercise showed a degree of under-reporting of abortion that varied widely among centers, even among women who had admitted illegal induction at the time of hospitalization. The feasibility of estimating the incidence of illegal abortion by field studies is discussed in the light of these findings.

Flow rate was measured through the vein of the human isolated umbilical cord perfused at constant pressure (40 mmHg) at 37.5°C and 20°C. At the latter temperature the flow was decreased by 50.9% when compared with a mean of 201 ml/min at 37.5°C indicating venospasm. Indomethacin (10 pg/g) effected a highly significant reduction in the venous spasm caused by lowering the temperature. After indomethacin pretreatment, changing the cord temperature from 37.5°C to 20°C caused a mean decrease in flow of only 3.1%. When the effluent from the vein was passed over rat isolated stomach fundus and colonic strips, cooling of the cord was accompanied by contractions of the isolated tissues characteristic of prostaglandins. These results suggest that prostaglandins are involved in temperatureinduced closure of the human umbilical vein after birth.

A case of haemoglobin H (HbH) disease associated with pregnancy is presented and discussed in the light of reports in the literature. The variable symptomatology is commented upon, although mild to moderate chronic haemolytic anaemia seems to be a constant feature. The roles of folic acid supplements and of splenectomy; the avoidance of oxidant drugs, and the mode of inheritance in HbH disease are briefly commented upon. Available reports indicate that HbH disease probably has no adverse effect on pregnancy. However, the association of the two conditions is uncommon, and reports are too few, therefore, to allow definite conclusions on the outcome in all instances

Summary Breast milk iron concentrations from Malaysian women taken on the second postpartum day were comparable with those reported from Finland. The present study did not find any correlation between the total iron‐binding capacity (TIBC) of milk whey, presumed to be rich in lactoferrin, and the whole milk iron concentrations. On the average, about 30% of the whey iron‐binding proteins were saturated with iron. Again, the correlation between the milk iron values and plasma iron or plasma TIBC is not statistically proven. There were no significant differences in the haemoglobin, haematocrit, reticulocyte count, plasma iron and whey TIBC obtained from Malaysian parturient women of the 3 major ethnic groups, viz. Chinese, Malays and Indians. However, the plasma TIBC was significantly lower in Malay women and the milk iron content lower in Chinese women.

Our experience from 1968 to 1985 in 12 women requiring closed mitral valvotomy during pregnancy is reviewed. All patients had severe mitral stenosis and were in functional class 3 (2 patients) or class 4 (10 patients). Mitral valvotomy was performed between the 18th and the 30th week of pregnancy using a transventricular dilator. Improvement in functional class was noted in all patients postoperatively. One patient had postvalvotomy mitral regurgitation and heart failure, which responded to diuretics; the subsequent course was uneventful. Eleven patients had normal deliveries; whilst one patient had a Caesarean section for an obstetric indication. All babies were normal and there was no maternal death. This series confirms that closed mitral valvotomy can be performed with an acceptable degree of safety during pregnancy, when indicated.