The objective of the present study was to evaluate the results of the microscopic studies of acute intoxication with ethyl alcohol at the territory of the Udmurtian Republic during the period from 2003 till 2013. A total of 5941 cases of death caused by acute intoxication with ethyl alcohol were documented among both men and women, largely able-bodied ones. Concentration of ethyl alcohol in their blood corresponded to the one known to result in severe or lethal intoxication, The forensic histological study of the available tissue samples gave evidence of vascular disturbances, enhanced permeability of the vascular walls, dystrophic changes in the internal organs, the signs of necronephrosis, and concomitant disorders. Epithelium of renal tubules obtained from 0.4% of the corpses contained the pigment particles of different structure and colour; other pathological changes included cholestasis, necrosis of hepatocytes, various lesions and injuries. Similar alterations were identified in the detoxificating organs of the subjects who had died from causes other than acute intoxication with ethyl alcohol. These findings suggest disturbances of pigment metabolism and make it possible to elucidate the peculiar features of patho- and tanatogenesis.