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Toxicology units in developing countries: different priorities?

The Toxicology Service at the Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) deals with a predominantly developing Black patient population. To determine priorities, a retrospective comparative epidemiological study for the period 1970-1976 was made of Black and White patients admitted to the teaching hospitals of the University of the Orange Free State. The study revealed that among Whites the pattern of poisoning was very similar to that reported from developed countries. Drug poisonings predominated, there were more deliberate than accidental poisonings, and the majority of patients were females. Among the developing Black community, the picture differed markedly. Drug overdoses were responsible for very few poisonings, most poisonings were accidental, and males predominated. In addition, the vast majority of poisonings occurred in childhood. Accordingly, the toxicology service at MEDUNSA regards drug identification and psychiatric help for attempted suicides as low priorities and is geared toward establishing epidemiological trends and dealing with problems such as the treatment and prevention of organophosphate poisoning, paraffin poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, and poisoning with traditional African medicines.