Initial experiences with the Cholinesterase Research Unit.

Following a suggestion in an Editorial in the British Journal of Anaesthesia in November of 1967, we wrote to this Journal and others in the United Kingdom, ofFering to provide a service of cholinesterase estimations and dibucaine and fluoride numbers for anaesthetists in the United Kingdom. It was hoped that, on their part, those who sent serum would co-operate with us in elucidating any interesting families. By providing a standard methodology we hoped to prevent erroneous genotyping and to ensure that family studies were not rendered less valuable by doubts as to the exact results. This paper records our experiences during the first eighteen months of this venture.