A retrospective study of birthweights, the incidence, and possible aetiology of low birthweight in 31,490 Nigerian children, delivered in two hospitals at Ibadan, is reported. The important findings were: (a) mean birthweights for males (3,000 gm), and for females (2,880 gm) in a non-teaching hospital were significantly higher than 2,980 gm and 2,860 gm for males and females respectively in the teaching hospital; (b) the mean birthweights for boys were significantly higher than those for girls in both hospitals; (c) these mean birthweights, though generally higher than previous reports from Nigeria, were significantly lower than those for North American Caucasian and Negro babies, and of babies of three different racial groups in Malaysia. Other interesting, though expected findings were: (a) a high incidence of low birthweight (15.5 per cent) and (b) a high incidence of small for dates babies (60 per cent). It is suggested that since birthweights, the incidence of low birthweight and its aetiology are vital in the planning of health care in any country, a prospective study involving many urban and rural areas of the country and including factors known to influence birthweight should be undertaken.
The forfeiture of the proceeds of drug-related offences does not seem to have received much attention as yet from British Commonwealth countries. Whereas in some of these countries specific legislation exists in relation to forfeiture, in many other countries the act of forfeiture falls within the purview of general criminal law. Forfeiture presupposes enquiry and search, two procedures which involve integral aspects of present-day human rights law, and which seem to be impeded at almost every stage of the process concluding in forfeiture. Time and the procedure for execution of judgments seem to be two significant factors in the successful enforcement of forfeiture judgments. Unfortunately, given the present practice of maintaining inviolability of bank secrecy, effective enforcement of forfeiture judgments is not possible. Perhaps an international convention may offer some assistance in the successful implementation of a forfeiture judgment, especially where the ill-gotten gains have been transferred to a foreign jurisdiction.
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.
Prolonged lactation and early supplementation have been traditional practices among low-income mothers in Malaysia, the Caribbean, Nigeria and Zaire. Early supplementation is still the norm but there have been some substantial changes in the types of supplement offered. Thus, except in Zaire, there is now widespread use of processed milks as supplements for very young infants. The use of processed milks began in the 1920s in Malaysia and the Caribbean, but not until the 1960s in Nigeria. Processed milks are, as yet, rarely used in Zaire. The use of processed milks has not, however, led to the abandonment of traditional paps. The latter are still given as supplements to young infants in Nigeria and to older infants in Malaysia and the Caribbean. Breast-feeding duration has declined in Malaysia and the Caribbean although initiation is almost universal. In Nigeria and Zaire most low-income mothers continue to breast-feed for at least 12 months. The changes in the types of supplements used and in breast-feeding duration are analogous to the changes observed in industrialised countries from the mid-19th century, and many of the associated factors are similar: urbanisation; female participation in the labour force; increased availability of processed milks and their promotion both by companies and the health sector; and the regimentation of breast-feeding. This review highlights the negative role played by the health sector in the past, and discusses its future role in promoting and supporting breast-feeding.
In the absence of pre-extraction records, investigators have used various methods to aid in the selection and placement of artificial teeth for complete dentures. Natural tooth position and size provide the dentist with an optimal guide. A study was conducted on a group of ethnic Chinese subjects where direct measurements were made of the arch size and width of the maxillary central incisor on stone casts. The anterior arch width represented by the inter-canine cusp tip distance was 35.74 +/- 2.17mm. The mesiodistal diameter of the maxillary central incisor was 8.85 +/- 0.59mm with a range of 7.60mm to 11.20mm. The results of this study was discussed against other findings on the Caucasian, Nigerian and Malay groups. The significance of artificial tooth selection for dentures was highlighted in relation to the results obtained from the study for the group of Chinese and other races.