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Anaemia is a common, but not an invariable finding in kwashiorkor. (TROWELL, DAVIES and DEAN, 1954). Although the anaemia is not usually of the microcytic, hypochromic variety, iron therapy appears to be beneficial when given in combination with high protein diet (TROWELL and SIMPKISS, 1957). Until recently very little information was available about iron metabolism in kwashiorkor and the therapeutic use of iron has been empirical. In pigs, protein deficiency was found to cause a slight fall in plasma iron and a large fall in the total iron binding capacity (CARTWRIGHT and WINTROBE, 1948). LAHEY et al in a recent study of malnourished Mexican children reported a fall in serum copper, iron and iron binding capacity in kwashiorkor. (LAHEY et al 1958). In the present communication, we report the results of similar observations on malnourished Nigerian children. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe subjects include 150 new cases of kwashiorkor attending the Paediatric Clinic at University College Hospital, Ibadan, between March and December, 1958. They all showed the usual typical features of kwashiorkor namely oedema, growth retardation, muscle wasting and hypoproteinaemia and most of them had skin and hair changes. Protein estimations were done on all the patients, but serum copper, serum iron and iron binding capacity were determined in 30, 35 and 31 cases respectively.For normal controls blood was obtained over a period of months from four hundred children between 6 months and 5 years old by femoral vein puncture. Protein analyses were undertaken on all the samples, and serum copper, iron and iron binding capacity were estimated on 25, 37 and 37 children respectively. Blood was also collected from 400 adults and of these serum copper was estimated on 45 samples, serum iron on 48 samples and total iron binding capacity on 30 samples. This is part of a scheme to establish biochemical normals in Nigerians.The serum was separated by centrifugation and assayed on the same day, but when samples could not be processed on the day of collection they were stored in the refrigerator at 4°C, and analysed the next day.The method of MARRACK (1956) was used for assay of serum iron. For assay of iron binding capacity the serum was treated in the manner recommended by RAMSAY (1957) and the iron was determined by the method of MARRACK. Serum copper was determined by the diethyldithiocarbamate method of EDEN and GREEN after the copper was liberated with 6 N HC1 according to the technique recommended by VENTURA and KING (1951). It should be recorded here that we often found difficulty in precipitating the serum proteins in the kwashiorkor samples with 20 per cent trichloracetic acid but a clean supernatant was obtained by heating to boilin3 point. No difficulty was experienced with normal sera.Total serum protein was measured by the Biuret method of WOLFSON et al, (1948). The protein fractions were determined r.fter paper electrophoresis according to the procedure of FLYNN and DE MAYO (1951) by staining with azocarmine B and scanning with the "...