Lipid parameters in the cord blood of neonates and that of their mothers at birth were studied in a series of 67 subjects divides in accordance with prior disease or diseases arising during pregnancy. From the results obtained in this albeit restricted study, agreement is expressed with the literature view that there is a common genetic control of lipid metabolism in the foetus, which is unusual and independent of that in the mother. An interesting, though unexplained finding was the absence of prebetalipoproteins in the cord blood of 71.5% of the control group.