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68 cases of alcohol embryopathy are reported. The main symptoms are intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation (91%), microcephaly (87 per cent), psychomotor and mental retardation (84 per cent) and a typical craniofacial dysmorphism. Other malformations are frequently found such as cardiac defects (31 per cent), anomalies of joints (23 per cent) and genitalia (50 per cent). There is a marked variation in the intensity of the malformations. Taking into account the extent of the craniofacial dysmorphism and the cerebral damage, a classification into three types (I-111) of alcohol embryopathy is proposed. That ethanol has a teratogenic effect seems to be confirmed. The mother's clinical history suggests that the quantity of alcohol consumed has no marked influence on birth weight, length of gestation and severity of the symptoms. Possibly a defective ethanol metabolism in the severely affected mothers may account for the dysplasias.

In Germany alcohol is responsible for 40--60 per cent of cases with chronic or chronic relapsing pancreatitis. The histologic lesions for a long time remain clinically asymptomatic. Their degree depends on the duration and the total amount of alcohol which is ingested. Promoters of alcoholic damage to the pancraes are a high intake of fat and protein and a genetic disposition. Acute application of alcohol leads to an inhibition of pancreatic secretion when the entrance of gastric acid into the duodenum is prevented. Otherwise a weak stimulation occurs with release of secretin. Chronic application of alcohol after a few months abolishes the initially seen inhibition and leads to an increase of enzyme secretion of the gland. The raised concentration of protein in the pancreatic juice is the cause of precipitation of protein plugs, and thus probably leads to the alterations which are typical for chronic pancreatitis.

The author deals with the question when and on which conditions it is allowed to read out the record on the blood-sample, the report on medical findings and the expert-opinion and blood-alcohol in the main hearing of a law court as a documentary proof. Furthermore he explains how the revision reproof is to represented to the appeal court in case of violation.

Alcohol drinking induces acute and chronic lesions of the GI tract; some other GI disorders do occur more frequently in drinkers than in other persons. Alcoholics suffer from gastroesophageal reflux, Barrett's syndrome, exophageal cancer and Mallory-Weiss syndrome as well as from hemorrhagic erosive gastritis more often than normal. It is still unsettled if chronic gastritis can be due to alcohol drinking. Alcohol inhibits to some degree the absorption of water, electrolytes, disaccharides and vitamin B12 in the small intestine; it may as well impair intestinal motility and cause diarrhea. Many aspects of the effects of alcohol on the GI tract still remain to be elucidated. The main stay of therapy is abstenence.

The method of rebreathing and its particular importance to the estimation of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) are described. A face mask with an accompanying valve chamber to which a collection bag was attached proved to meet the requirements arising from the physiological exchange processes in rebreathed air. Practical tests in the laboratory revealed excellent agreement between the values obtained by direct measurements of breath alcohol by means of an IR-Spectrophotometer and those from stored samples. The application of the method described is of particular importance in cases of unconscious and benumbed patients, of sleeping and uncooperative patients and those with collapsed veins suspected of heavy alcohol intoxication. It has been proven to be an essential aid in differential diagnosis since it allows instantaneous determination and continuous monitoring of the BAC-level which aids in the observation of the reduction of this level. This was demonstrated in practice with 9 patients at the alcohol emergency clinic in Mainz on the carnival "Rosenmontag".