Trace metal studies in Bushman hair.

Bushman women appear to have sufficient stores of iron and zinc during pregnancy and lactation; as a result, iron deficiency anemia is rare in Bushman women, even in pregnancy. Hair samples from Bushman women (young nonpregnant, lactating, and postmenopausal) and men were analyzed for iron, zinc, and copper content. Values obtained were compared with those for groups of Bantu and American inner-city mothers. Mean iron levels in the hair were found to be high (173 ppm) for lactating Bushman women, as compared with 43.2 ppm in the group of Bantu women, and 22.9 ppm in the group of American inner-city women. Zinc levels also were higher in the Bushman women. Mean copper values were much higher in the American inner-city mothers (19.9 ppm) than in the Bushman women (8.0 ppm) or in the lactating Bantu women (9.9 ppm). The sum of the metals may be more important than the individual concentrations.

An analysis of practice in Georgia and South Dakota.

Family practitioners in Georgia and South Dakota were surveyed in order to ascertain percentage of practice devoted to various specialty areas, daily case loads, type of diagnoses, method of handling telephone calls, and patterns of agency utilization. Questionnaires were sent to all South Dakota and Georgia family practitioners. In Georgia 22% of family practitioners do no surgery and 55% do no obstetrics, while in South Dakota 90% practice obstetrics. Differences in availability of specialists and in pysician referral patterns caused marked variations in family practice patterns. Diagnoses showing geographic differences included chronic lung disease, arthritis, sore throat, heart disease, and neuroses. About 50% of all physicians handled medical phone calls personally. Less than half the respondents in each state used some agency or resource in this time period. The distribution of specialists affects the patient load and needs to be considered when primary care is planned.

Teaching family medicine.

Students should study the family system just as they would an organ system, making use of family studies and home visits. A comparison of private and academic faculty revealed the need to instruct private practitioners on patient selection and teaching methodology. Experience has shown that patients from the lower socioeconomic classes tend to allow the student to participate more in their family life and health care and that, in return, the student is often able to assist these patients in some way. Faculty must guide, monitor, and assist students with problems. Audit of students' and patients' reports on and evaluations of the family study will provide valuable information for planning future programs or revamping continuing ones.