A silent minority: Battered American Indian women

Sixteen American Indian women requesting counseling for domestic violence at an urban Indian health center were interviewed using standardized measures. The majority of the women were not married, had low family incomes, and both the women and their partners abused substances. All of the women experienced increased depression and stress as a result of the battering. A mental health needs assessment survey of 198 American Indian women is presented for comparison. Women who reported a history of domestic violence on the survey were more likely to be separated or divorced and reported more problems with alcohol than the women with no history of domestic violence. The results of the domestic violence program interviews are compared to the mental health needs assessment survey and studies of battered women in shelters.     

Evaluation of the 190H analogues of prostaglandins E1, E2, F1 alpha and F2 alpha as specific markers for the identification of human semen in body fluid mixtures

The specificity of antisera raised against each of the prostaglandin series 190H E1/E2 and 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha, produced in males, was evaluated by radioimmunoassay. Further, the ability of these antisera to detect semen specific prostaglandins in mixtures of body fluids was examined. Antisera directed against the 190H E1/E2 series cross-reacted with prostaglandin E1 and marginally with E2. Antisera raised to the 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha series were, however, highly specific to the semen specific prostaglandins 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha and 190H E1/E2. It was possible to detect picogramme quantities of contaminating 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha on vaginal swabs taken up to 72 h after intercourse and on vaginal swabs stored at room temperature for up to 2 years. These prostaglandins were not detected on semen free vaginal swabs, in faecal material, saliva, urine or in a sample of human milk (stain). A limited study of casework material is also described. Detection of the 190H F series, as a group, has considerable potential in the identification of human semen at picogramme levels, eliminating the need for alternative chemical tests and extensive microscopic examination.     

Carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a hot plate

The autopsy of a woman aged 85 years who was found dead sitting in her kitchen bent over the kitchen-table revealed a fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. Subsequent inquiries excluded the chimney flue and above all the gas-fired water heater from being the CO-generator. Operating experiments upon the gas stove including the ultimately used pot and the Hot Plate likewise found showed a CO-content of 100 ppm in the room-air after half an hour, there upon an over-proportional ascent of the CO-concentration. This CO-production was brought about by the considerable deformation of the Hot Plate, which has obviously been used for years. The lack of an adequate warning in the directions for use of such products is remarked critically.