A double-blind study of the effects of diazepam as an adjuvant to propanidid anaesthesia for legal abortion has shown that the incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly reduced as a result of giving diazepam, and that, in general, the conditions of anaesthesia were more acceptable with diazepam. The diazepam group had a prolongation of the time to recovery of consciousness but this was not considered unacceptable.