The passage to the foetus and liquor amnii of ethanol administered orally to the pregnant mouse.

The relationship between the time of oral administration of a dilute aqueous solution of ethanol and its concentration in the blood and urine was determined in a group of non-pregnant mice. The ethanol concentration was also determined in the maternal blood, foetuses and liquor amnii in female mice to which ethanol had been administered on the 18th day of pregnancy. In the pregnant females peak ethanol levels were achieved first in the maternal blood, then in the foetuses and slightly later in the amniotic fluid. Unilateral ligation of the uterine vessels markedly delayed the amount of ethanol reaching the foetuses and liquor. The present experimental system may provide a model for the human phenomenon of "binge" drinking.