THE STUDY PRESENTS DATA FROM HOSPITAL RECORDS AND DEATH CERTIFICATES ON FILE AT THE U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE AREA OFFICE IN PHOENIX, ARIZ. TWO MAJOR QUESTIONS WERE POSED: IS THERE REALLY A PREVALENT DRINKING PHENOMENON IN THE 3 TRIBES LEADING TO HIGH HOMICIDE AND ACCIDENT RATES WHEN MEASURED BY THE STANDARD TECHNIQUES USED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE U.S. AND (2) ARE THE EFFECTS THOSE OF POSTCONQUEST ACCULTURATIONAL STRESS OR OF THE PERSISTENCE OF ABORIGINAL PATTERNS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE APACHES? EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT HOMICIDE WAS A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE AMONG THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHES BOTH BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RESERVATION AND DURING THE YEARS BEFORE 1900. DURING THE 3-YEAR PERIOD 1965-67, 9 DEATHS FROM HOMICIDE TOOK PLACE ON THE RESERVATION. FOR THIS PERID, THE AVARAGE ANNUAL HOMICIDE RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION IS 60, 10 TIMES THAT FOR THE REST OF THE U.S. AND MORE THAN 3 TIMES AS GREAT AS THE RATE FOR ALL TRIBES COMBINED. THE EVIDENCE FOR SUICIDE, THOUGH RATHER CONTRADICTORY, INDICATES THAT IT IS EITHER ON A PAR WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY OR APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES AS HIGH AS NORMAL. DESPITE THE APACHE REPUTATION FOR HEAVY DRINKING, THEIR RATES OF DEATH FROM ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOSIS PER 10,000 POPULATION OVER 20 WERE SOMEWHAT LOWER THAN THE COMPARABLE RATES FOR ALL TRIBES COMBINED. THE HIGH HOMICIDE RATES, PREVALENCE OF DRINKING, AND POSSIBLY HIGH SUICIDE RATES CANNOT BE SEEN STRICTLY AS RESPONSES TO A RESERVATION ENVIRONMENT BECAUE DRINKING AND KILLING ARE WELL DOCUMENTED FROM THE EARLIEST RESERVATION PERIOD. ADDITIONAL LONG-TERM, DETAILED RESEARCH STUDIES ARE NEEDED, HOWEVER, BEFORE ANY CERTAIN CONCLUSIONS CAN BE REACHED. REFERENCES AND TABLES ARE PROVIDED. (AOP)