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ANAEMIA BRITISH ----9~~~~~~~~~~~~~M EDICAL JOURNAL had died), and these were all reassessed. In 61 (32%) the haemoglobin level was below 80%. Hypochromic anaemias, of the non-specific variety, accounted for 55 (50 in females). The reasons for these relapses were generally failure to continue with iron therapy.As a result of this study it is recommended that full facilities for investigations be given to all family doctors in at least one hospital in each local hospital group; that more teaching be given to undergraduates and postgraduates (in general practice) on the frequency of anaemia and on the principles of successful management; and that the importance of the long-term treatment and follow-up of the particularly vulnerable group of women in their later reproductive phase (that is, 30-50) is appreciated. It is quite useless to treat those women by a prescription for 100 iron tablets and then to forget all about them. Treatment, with regular blood tests, is necessary right up to and well past the menopause.My thanks are due to Dr. John Keall, Mr. E. J. Maddox, and others at the pathological laboratory at Beckenham Hospital for their kind co-operation.

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Summary. Community samples of 673 subjects who had had serum vitamin B12 concentrations measured in 1958 were followed‐up 10 yr later. 134 of these subjects had died; the death rates showed no consistent trend in relation to the original serum vitamin B12 concentrations. Comparisons of concentrations in 1958 and 1968 in 480 subjects showed correlation coefficients (r) of between 0.46 and 0.71 in various subgroups. The oldest age group had a slightly lower mean concentration, and a larger proportion of this group had values below 100 pg/ml. Several subjects with a consistently low serum vitamin B12 concentration for 10 yr maintained an apparently satisfactory circulating haemoglobin concentration.