NO. 13 SOVIET ANTHROPOLOGY — FIELD 239 



Group II (A) became proportionately mure rare toward the west, 

 while Group I (O) increased in frequency/' 



In 1929 the editorial office of the "Problems of Biology and Path- 

 ology of Jews" sponsored a study of the blood groups of Georgian 

 and Persian Jews. The material was collected in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. 

 Altogether 3,409 examinations were made on various Georgian tribes 

 and 1,422 on Jews. The four blood groups were normally represented, 

 while the distribution of percentages was similar for Georgian and 

 Persian Jews and for Romanian, Balkan, Russian, and Polish Jews. 

 Blood groups of the Jews did not correspond to blood groups of the 

 Georgian tribes. This was explained by the absence of interbreeding 

 between the two peoples, owing to religious handicaps. On the otlier 

 hand, Dzhavachishvili '" states that the Georgian Jews are anthropo- 

 logically a metamorphic Georgian group, who have for many centuries 

 lived alongside the Georgians and adopted their language. 



In 1930 an article "^ on the blood groups of Georgians appeared. 



On the basis of more than 6,000 examinations, it was discovered 

 that Group I (O) predominated in the west, while Groups II (A) 

 and IV (AB) were rarely present. Percentages for Group II (.\) 

 increased strongly to the east, together with those for Group III (B), 

 owing to the influence of Armenians, 50 percent of whom belong to 

 Group II (A), and the influence, especially in the east, of Mongoloid 

 elements. Not all the peoples of the Caucasus have been examined, 

 owing to the inaccessibility of many of the mountain tribes. A number 

 of expeditions now in progress are expected to complete the survey. 



In 1930 Dr. Ukleba conducted an expedition to Svanetia for the 

 First Clinical Institute of Georgia, Tbilisi. Five hundred and seven 

 measurements were taken, and it was discovered, strangely enough, 

 that percentages for Group I (O) increased in the more mountainous 

 regions. 



In 1932 Dr. Kvirkclia, a member of an expedition led by Professor 

 Machavariani, collected materials among the Ad/.hars, Gurians who 

 have been Islamized. The distribution of blood groups was found 

 to be typical for western Georgia, with an increase of Groups II (.'\) 

 and III (B) in the regions nearest the Turkish frontier. 



«» Cf. AZH, vol. IS. Nos. 3-4. 



^° Ost-Rundschau, No. 9, 1930, and Problems of Biolog>' and Pathology of 

 Jews, No. 3, pt. I, Leningmd, 1930. 



■1 Ukrainisches Zentralblatt fur Blutgruppcnforschung, vol. 4, pt. 4, 1930. 



