Abstract
Many drugs, including some of the sulphonamides, are acetylated in the liver by mechanisms involving an N acetyl transferase enzyme. The rate at which these drugs are acetylated appears to a large extent to be under genetic control, and it is generally considered that there are two phenotypic variants, 'slow' and 'fast' acetylators. This is of clinical importance since there is evidence that slow acetylators are more likely to develop adverse reactions to such drugs. Many races have now been studied, and the frequency of occurrence of the phenotype estimated. This preliminary report describes the approximate frequency of the phenotypes in Polynesians.