The UK and Ireland incidence of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): a new study

Abstract

The term “Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)” was first used in the 1970s by Jones and Smith (1973) to describe their clinical findings in a group of children born to mothers who were considered as long-term users of alcohol in the USA, although as far back as the 1700s there was an awareness of the detrimental effects of alcohol use during pregnancy. In 1725, the College of Physicians in London warned the House of Commons that alcohol is: