BLOOD GROUPS 345 



BLOOD GROUPS. 



Report of the Committee appointed to investigate blood groups among 

 primitive peoples (Prof. H. J. Fleure, F.R.S., Chairman ; Prof. R. R. 

 Gates, F.R.S., Secretary ; Dr. F. W. Lamb, Dr. G. M. Morant). 



During the past year blood group testing has been going forward in certain 

 areas, of which a preliminary report was made last year. Opportunity was 

 taken by Prof. R. R. Gates, F.R.S., after the meeting of the Indian Science 

 Congress Association in Calcutta, to visit various centres in Southern India, 

 and arrangements have now been made through the official channels for 

 blood grouping various native tribes, particularly in the States of Mysore 

 and Travancore, where numerous different types exist. Further work in 

 Assam has been in abeyance, but is now being taken up again, and results 

 are also expected from other parts of India. 



A further development begun this year is the testing of local groups of 

 population more or less isolated in different parts of the British Isles, in 

 conjunction with anthropometric studies of the same people. Dr. M. A. 

 MacConaill visited Rachrai Island, on the north coast of Ireland, and blood 

 tests of those available were made. The population appears to show 

 peculiarities in blood groups as well as in other anthropological characters. 

 It is hoped to extend this work to various other population groups which 

 have remained more or less isolated. A survey of such groups will show 

 the effects of local isolation, and will also indicate whether, in such popula- 

 tions, any statistical correlation exists between blood groups and other 

 anthropological or racial characters. 



SUMERIAN COPPER. 



Eighth Report of the Committee appointed to report on the probable sources of 

 the supply of Copper used by the Sumerians (Mr. H. J. E. Peake, Chair- 

 man ; Dr. C. H. Desch, F.R.S., Secretary ; Mr. H. Balfour, F.R.S., 

 Mr. L. H. Dudley Buxton, Prof. V. Gordon Childe, Mr. O. 

 Davies, Prof. H. J. Fleure, F.R.S., Dr. A. Raistrick, Dr. R. H. 

 Rastall). 



The last report was presented in 1936. Since then the work has been 

 continued without a grant, and this has occasioned some delay. Some 

 analyses were reported to the Committee at the Nottingham meeting in 

 1937) but were not published. The analytical work has been by no means 

 confined to objects of Sumerian age, but many archaeologists have taken 

 advantage of the facilities provided to submit specimens of ancient metal. 

 There is undoubtedly a demand for a permanent centre, with a staff 

 accustomed to the analysis of such metals and familiar with the characteristics 

 of ores from various regions. By the use of microchemical methods it is 

 possible to make a complete analysis on 10 miligrammes of metal, so that 

 the natural objection of museum curators to allow drillings to be taken from 

 valuable objects is obviated, as a cavity left by drilling such a quantity is 

 almost imperceptible. Such analyses are comparable in accuracy with 

 those on larger quantities, owing to the special technique employed. The 



