Salicylate levels in a stillborn infant born to a drug-addicted mother, with comments on pathology and analytical methodology.

A 34-year-old mother habituated to the excessive use of salicylates gave birth to a still born infant with a salicylate level of 25 mg/dL in the whole blood and 12 mg% in the liver. The analytical methodology for the determination of salicylates is described. Pathological findings included an acute chorioamnionitis and the widespread presence of congestion of the viscera with petechial hemorrhages-changes which are not uncommonly seen in infants suffering from intrauterine anoxia. The published findings on the effects of salicylates on the human fetus and on reported fetal blood levels have been reviewed.