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Show 26 Utah Academy o] Sciences, Arts and Letters Mexican Indians. The highest percentage frequency is found (72%), and 55.8% among Mex among Negroes (98%), Whites ican Indians. ... Su.mmary It is not surprising that the blood grouping tests have found a place of value for studying the relationship of ancient and mod ern peoples. Limitations, of course, are to be expected, but this 'is true of any single anthropological criterion. The widely dif ferent distribution of peoples of the same race, while at the same time totally unrelated races may have similar serological as well as morphological constitutions, is offered as an objection. .... ... ... The blood group tests, however, have certain advantages over other anthropological criteria in common use. These advan tages may be summed up as follows: some ... First of all, the method is objective. The blood can be readily and accurately classified and the results of one worker are capable of being proved and compared with those of others. Second, the blood groups, so far as is known, are not in fluenced by the environment but are entirely the result of inherited factors which are known to be determined by genes, the varia tion in which is predictable. The blood group can be determined at birth, even in premature infants, and they remain constant throughout life. ... .... Third, the blood groups are determined by a small number of genes and these genes produce "present or absent" effect. It is therefore possible by means of. blood groups to test theories concerning the racial derivation of various populations. To il lustrate: the Aleuts were generally considered to be an Eskimo Indian cross. The finding of group Band AB among eight of thirty mummies, however, rendered this theory untenable." ... ... , Fourth, the influence of morphological characters on the con scious selections of mates is not ... factor in the transmission of the blood groups. In the absence of crossing with other races, the blood group distribution of a population remains constant from a generation to generation. Fifth, based upon Haldane's " calculations, the mutation rate among the blood groups appears to be low, the present frequencies being derived from the time when man was a comparatively rare animal living in small, isolated groups. Sixth and finally, the accumulated data on the racial distri 'bution of the blood groups is considerable, probably exceeding that of many other anthropological data. .... |
