Abstract
This study reports on the relationships between the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the cause of death — which is of course common knowledge for forensic scientists! Our special aim was to gain unselected data for generalizing conclusions. The blood of 2465 consecutive cases (86% of all 2852 sudden unexpected and unnatural fatalities investigated at the Institute for Legal Medicine in Hamburg during the year 1989) was analysed. The BAC was evaluated according to sex, age, cause of death and place of death. In natural causes of death there were 80% cases under 0.05‰ BAC. Endocrine and digestive system diseases in particular were associated with positive BAC values. In unnatural death cases the BAC under 0.05‰ was found in 6401. of the suicides, 62070 of the accidents, 54% of the homicides and 51% of the drug intoxications. The drowning cases showed higher BAC's than traffic accidents. In suicides middle aged males had high BAC's.
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