A RAPID CHEMICAL TEST FOR INTOXICATION EMPLOYING BREATH

Chemical tests for intoxication have been used very little in the United States in spite of the fact that certain of them were available more than twenty years ago and even though procedures employing blood and urine have been official for some time in certain European countries, notably Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. The adoption of such tests in this country appears to have been hindered by both legal and practical difficulties. First there is the question of whether our states can legally compel a person to give a specimen of blood or urine.¹On the practical side there is frequently a long delay before a specimen of blood or urine can be obtained, and during this interval the subject's condition may materially change. With blood one must wait for the arrival of a physician or a properly trained technician. As to urine, we agree with Southgate and Carter²