THE HISTORY OF TREATMENT WOMEN HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY IS A VICIOUS ONE IN THAT THEY ARE MADE TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT RAPES AND INJURIES THEY RECEIVE FROM MEN. THIS STUDY EXAMINES RESPONSES WHICH THIS EMERGENCY ROOM MADE TO BATTERED WOMEN. IT ALSO STUDIES SOME OF THE EXPLANATIONS USED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PROBLEM. THE 481 SUBJECTS REPRESENT 92.5 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL FEMALE SAMPLE OF WOMEN EMERGENCY-ROOM PATIENTS, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 98. DATA WAS OBTAINED ON SUCH ITEMS AS PROBABLE CAUSE OF INJURY, PATIENTS' AGE, MARITAL STATUS, MEDICATIONS PRESCRIBED, AND REFERRALS MADE AT DISCHARGE. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A DATA TEXT SYSTEM. IF BATTERING IS CONSIDERED AS A LONG TERM PHENOMENON, THEN ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM JANUARY 1970 THROUGH MARCH 1976 SHOWED THAT 9.6 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN SUFFERED FROM WIFE ABUSE. SUCH DATA CONFIRMS THAT BATTERED WOMEN ACCOUNT FOR AN ABNORMALLY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF INJURIES IN EMERGENCY ROOMS. DIVORCED WOMEN SUFFER INCREASED RISKS OF BEING ABUSED. EVEN THOUGH POOR AND MINORITY WOMEN ARE MORE PRONE TO BATTERING, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT THEIR INJURIES NEAR THE ONSET OF BATTERING, WHILE WHITE AND WEALTHIER WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO DELAY REPORTING UNTIL THEY ARE FACED WITH A SERIES OF PROBLEMS. INTERVENTION SERVICES WERE INADEQUATE IN PREVENTING DEVELOPMENT OF SIGNIFICANT PSYCHIATRIC AFTEREFFECTS FOR THESE WOMEN SUCH AS SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, ALCOHOL, AND DRUG ABUSE. TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KCP)