Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Legal systems: a world view
- 2 Scottish legal system
- 3 The Police in the United Kingdom
- 4 The practitioner's obligations
- 5 The doctor in court
- 6 Custody medicine: physical conditions
- 7 Custody medicine: mental illness and psychological conditions
- 8 Substance misuse
- 9 Alcohol, drugs and driving
- 10 Injury
- 11 Child abuse: physical
- 12 Child abuse: sexual
- 13 Adult sexual offences
- 14 Management of at-risk exposures and infection control in custody
- 15 Scenes of crime
- 16 Forensic science
- 17 Forensic dentistry
- 18 Investigation of death
- 19 Dealing with a major disaster
- 20 Occupational health of police officers
- Index
- References
9 - Alcohol, drugs and driving
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Legal systems: a world view
- 2 Scottish legal system
- 3 The Police in the United Kingdom
- 4 The practitioner's obligations
- 5 The doctor in court
- 6 Custody medicine: physical conditions
- 7 Custody medicine: mental illness and psychological conditions
- 8 Substance misuse
- 9 Alcohol, drugs and driving
- 10 Injury
- 11 Child abuse: physical
- 12 Child abuse: sexual
- 13 Adult sexual offences
- 14 Management of at-risk exposures and infection control in custody
- 15 Scenes of crime
- 16 Forensic science
- 17 Forensic dentistry
- 18 Investigation of death
- 19 Dealing with a major disaster
- 20 Occupational health of police officers
- Index
- References
Summary
The substance
Of the many types of alcohols, this chapter will discuss only one – ethanol. Ethanol (or ethyl alcohol) is one of a number of alcohols containing a hydroxyl group attached to a carbon atom.
Ethanol is a water-soluble molecule usually produced by the fermentation of fruits and grains by yeast. The process generally stops when the alcohol level reaches about 15% by volume (per cent v/v) because the yeast dies. This produces drinks such as cider, beer and wine. The alcohol content can then be increased by distillation to produce spirits such as whisky, rum or brandy with alcohol contents often between 35% and 45%. The ‘fortified’ wines such as sherry and port have alcohol added to give them strengths between 14% and 22%. One hundred millilitres of a drink with a strength of 10% alcohol will contain 10 ml of alcohol or approximately 10 g (as alcohol is slightly lighter than water the actual weight will be slightly less). In the United States, alcohol strengths are measured in terms of percentage proof with US proof spirit containing 50% of alcohol by volume.
A UK unit of alcohol is 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol and is equivalent to half a pint of 3.5% beer, a small (125 ml) glass of wine or a 25 ml pub measure of 40% spirit.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Clinical Forensic Medicine , pp. 89 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009