Section 15 — Human Genetics 



15.19. Contribution to the Study of Isolates in 

 Hight-Normandy (France). P.-Y. Rousseau, 

 C. Ropartz and R. Kherumian (Rouen, 

 France). 



In this data, the study of the isolates has not 

 been performed with the use of the bias of the 

 consanguinity coefficient but by the direct study 

 of populations' movements. 



Investigations among 9700 blood donors living 

 in Seine- Maritime (France) allow us to study and 

 precise the migrations of weak amplitude inside 

 a french department. 



The following distances have been analysed 

 for each subject (from 18 to 60 years old). 

 Distance between the birth-places of its parents 

 between the birth-place of the subject 

 and these of its parents 

 between its birth-place and that of its 

 spouse. 



Many biological characters, with a well 

 known genetical determinism, such as the blood 

 groups A. B. O and Rhesus, the dyschroma- 

 topsia, and the curling have been gathered up in 

 view to define the best criterium for an an- 

 thropological sampling. 



It has appeared to us that if the coefficient of 

 consanguinity has lowered is a very important 

 rate, the whole population geographically stand 

 very stable. 



The mean estimation of the amplitude of the 

 movements is about 8 to 10 km. Nevertheless, 

 notable differences are found following the 

 geographical position = (sea-side for example or 

 presence of a river). 



These phenomenon when studied in function 

 of the ages of the subjects allow to sketch the 

 chronological variations. 



15.20. Demography and Genealogy of Different Types 

 of Isolates. Robert Gessain (Paris, France) 



The Anthropology Research Centre (Musee 

 de l'Homme), the establishment of which was 

 announced at the Rome Congress, has now 

 become a laboratory of the third section (biology) 

 of the Practical School of Higher Studies. Its 

 research workers are now engaged in the study of 

 several endogamous human groups from the 

 anthropological, demographic and sociological 

 view points. These groups, whether monogamous 

 or polygamous, patrilineal or matrilineal in- 

 structive, show different characteristics. 



The Angmassalik eskimos are a closed isolate 

 for whom registry office records are available 

 since 1900, in addition to which we have census 

 lists for the entire population for 1 884, the data of 



their discovery, and for 1935, the date of our 

 study. 



In Brittany, the two villages under study form 

 what can be called "open" isolates for which are 

 available all relevant Registry Office records 

 since 1800. 



In Senegal, we are studying two groups, 

 without any such records, on the basis of 

 incomplete lists taken at the official census and 

 genealogical data collected directly from the 

 inhabitants. One of these groups is an almost 

 completely closed isolate whose patrilineal 

 inhabitants are strongly attached to the soil; the 

 other is an isolate "open" on neighbouring 

 groups, matrilineal in structure, with frequent 

 comings and goings between villages near and 

 far. 



In Angmassalik only one migration, affecting 

 one third of the population, male, female and 

 children, has taken place at a precise date, while 

 in Brittany emigration, which affects 25 per cent 

 of the inhabitants, is continuous and difficult to 

 situate at any given time; in Senegal the societies 

 being studied have only been exposed very 

 recently to migration. 



Thus the varying state of these isolates, some 

 more open than others, the completeness or 

 lack of population statistics and the different 

 state of migrations in each condition the differ- 

 ence in methods and lead to fruitful comparisons, 

 although these isolates are far removed from 

 each other in space and in their degree of 

 endogamous evolution. 



15.21. Human Genetic Studies on an Isolated Popula- 

 tion in Aland (Finland). A. W. Eriksson and H. 

 Forsius (Helsinki, Finland). 



In Kokar, an isolated island in the Aland 

 archipelago lying in the Baltic Sea between 

 Sweden and Finland, investigations on popula- 

 tion genetics have been made. The well-preserved 

 church records going back over 300 years have 

 provided an invaluable source of information 

 on pedigree, sex ratio at birth, twinning rate, 

 consanguinity, etc. Medical, and especially 

 haematological and ophthalmological examina- 

 tions, blood and serum grouping, serum choles- 

 terol, serum B12 vitamin, P.T.C. taste tests and 

 other biochemical and anthropological tests 

 have been performed on the ca. 550 registered 

 Swedish-speaking residents. 



The investigations are still in progress but 

 among the results that have already emerged, 

 the following may be mentioned: endogamous 

 marriages have been very common; the rate of 

 multiple confinements has been very high; the 



276 



