A survey conducted among a national random probability sampleof 2400 respondents aged 15 years and over throughout New Zealand shows that illegal abortion experiences may conservatively be estimated tohave exceeded 22,000 over the last 2 years, that there were an estimated 13,000 successful illegal abortions in this period, and that a majority of the population approve specified abortion law reforms.

Statistical study of data from the Egyptian census for 1960 shows that the child/woman ratio rises with the level of female employment in the rural areas, but falls as the level of employment rises in the urban areas. Subject to confirmation by more detailed methods, it seems that, in urban areas, provision of opportunities for women to work is of major importance in attempting to reduce national fertility levels, but this will have the opposite effect to what is intended in rural areas. Industrial or commercial work opportunities change a woman's pattern of living, and are essential to the permanent lowering of fertility to replacement levels. (Arabic summary, page 167.)

The average age at the time of operation was 38 years for husbands and about 35 years for wives. Most of the men had, at least, thedesired number of living children before they underwent vasectomy. Theaverage number of living children at the time of operation was 3·3. About88 % of the men were white. About 38% were Catholics, 28 % Protestant and 18% Jewish. The men were highly educated; over 17% had apost-graduate degree. Nearly 60% were engaged in professional, managerial or technical occupations. This points to superiority of vasectomized men in their economic and educational position. Public media sources played the most important role in referring persons for vasectomy. About 57% of the men had learned through articles published in newspapers or magazines. Large family size and non-availability of an ideal contraceptive were the most important reasons for seeking vasectomy.

Despite the great interest in family planning today, a gap exists between this interest and actual practice. There is approval of the concept of family planning and a desire for substantially smaller families than present fertility permits; there is also a need for timing, spacing out and limiting the number of children, and so it is clear that good family planning programmes are still urgently required.

The association between birth order and marital status has been explored in a sample of 2500 adult males living in Dublin in 1968. Higher proportions ever-married were found among both eldest sons and eldest children than among the rest of the sample at each age below 46 years. In general, the lowest proportions ever-married were found among youngest sons and youngest children. Differences between the mean ages at marriage of the various birth orders were found among the married sub-sample that accorded with expectations based on the differentials in proportions ever- married. Hypotheses that might be supported bythese findings are discussed.

Man is essentially a gregarious animal and is subject, therefore, to both biological and social pressures. As a result, almost everything hedoes has biosocial reper cussions. This is especially true of reproduction, which is a biological process with an overriding social impact. If human reproduction came to an end, so would the human race. By contrast the present unprecedented combination of a high repro ductive rate and a high survival rate is causing widespread concern. One may takethe view that mankind, by reason of its exploding numbers, is rushing to a Gadarene doom, or the opposite view that man has brains as well as gonads and will cope with his proliferation. In either case, one must admit that at the present time there is a population problem.