Jean Milner

Heritability of "sinking" pre-beta lipoprotein level: a twin study.

In a twin series at the Toronto Twin Register, University of Toronto, the “sinking” pre‐beta lipoprotein fraction (sp β), quantitatively determined, was found to have a heritability index of 0.98. If confirmed, this warrants use of spβ concentration as a genetic marker. Its importance may lie in its association with angina of effort and myocardial infarction.

The occurrence and treatment of gallbladder disease in Ontario

GALLBLADDER disease is currently among the top ten reasons for admission to hospital in Ontario where, at any one time, upwards of a thousand active treatment beds are occupied by patients with a primary diagnosis of cholecystitis or cholelithiasis. While the frequency of fatal cases is declining, the total incidence of treated cases appears to be on the increase in Ontario, and increases have also been reported from other parts of Canada [l-3]. In the present report an attempt is made to characterize the amount and distribution of gallbladder disease in this Province, using data from a variety of official publications [4-g], supplemented from unpublished tables prepared by the Ontario Hospital Services Commission [lo] and from a first-hand scrutiny of some 43,000 discharge summaries relating to surgical patients, of whom 7573 had operations on the gallbladder.

Inequality of the Services Received by Individuals: A Suggested Index and an Illustrative Application

Population groups that are homogeneous with respect to such factors as insurance status, income level, and proximity to sources of care can still exhibit great internal inequality in the amount of care received by individuals. A statistical measure of this inequality is proposed and its application illustrated on employee groups living in two underdoctored areas. Utilization of physician services in these areas was found to be significantly less equal (as well as lower) than in comparable groups who live in areas with higher ratio of physicians to total population.