Abstract

Kooptzoff, Price and Walsh (1956) determined the blood groups of some members of the Pacific Islands Regiment stationed in Port Moresby, New Guinea. The subjects were divided according to the administrative districts where they were born and the blood group gene frequencies were calculated for ten of these districts. Heterogeneity was demonstrated in respect of the ABO, MN and S systems. Included in this survey were 137 subjects from the Gulf District. One of the present authors (H.J.) has collected specimens from a further 339 subjects living in the neighbourhood of Kikori in the Gulf District, and the blood groups have been determined on the samples in Sydney. The results of this more recent survey are recorded in this paper and in addition are combined with those of the earlier investigation. Some details of the heights and weights of these natives have been given by Whyte (1958). In the Kikori sub-district the population numbers approximately 9,500 living in 121 villages of which only 30 have more than 100 inhabitants. Frequently whole villages move to seek more fertile land or to escape floods or local superstitions. In contrast to the natives of the eastern part of the Gulf District (Ihu and Kerema) the Kikori natives are not good gardeners. The staple diet is of sago, fish, crabs, pigs, bananas, pawpaw and coconuts, but the standard of nutrition is poor. Tuberculosis, both glandular and pulmonary, is common and helminthiasis and malaria are major problems. Bacillary and amoebic dysentery both occur sporadically but leprosy is only rarely seen.

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