Eighty-five pairs of male and 76 pairs of female femurs of the Chubu Japanese were measured and compared with those of other Japanese groups, Korean and Sakhalin Ainu. The results show that among the Japanese groups the shaft is rather massive. In the neck, vertical diameter is shorter, but sagittal diameter is longer. The breadth of the lower extremity is larger, while torsion angle is smaller. Curvature of the shaft is stronger. According to the values of C2H using six measurements, it was found that in males the Kanto Japanese is the nearest to the present series, followed by the Middle Kyushu Japanese, Hokuriku Japanese, Kinai Japanese, Kyushu Japanese, Korean, Northwest Kyushu Japanese and Sakhalin Ainu.

View full abstract

A variant hemoglobin was found initially in the Ihama troop at the Izu Peninsula, after examined more than 1000 samples of Macaca fuscata. The variant hemoglobin showed a slower migrating mobility than the normal hemoglobin in starch gels at alkaline pH, when released from the red cells, and possessed an unusual property that formed molecular aggregates, like Hb-P^mi of Macaca irus, but differed from that in several respects.
The aggregated forms of the fuscata variant were observed to show less heterogeneous than those of P^mi, and their molecular size was estimated to correspond to two normal hemoglobins. Electrophoretic and peptide mapping studies revealed that the abnormality of the variant rested in β-chain at one of the residues corresponding to the peptide βTp 10.
The variant phenotypes were found in polymorphic frequency only in two populations, the Ihama and Yugawara, out of more than 30 troops examined. The distribution pattern that the occurrence of variant alleles is restricted to some of the troops was quite similar to the other polymorphic traits sofar investigated in Macaca fuscata.
Hb-Pfus Ihama or fuscata Hb-Ihama is proposed to this variant hemoglobin.

View full abstract

Out of 217 Brahmins of Bhimtal area studied, 179 were tasters and 38 non-tasters, the percentages being 82.49% and 17. 51% respectively. The percentage of tasters in males is 82.05 and in females 83.61. The difference in two sexes is statistically insignificant. The taster gene (T) is more frequent both in males and females (.576 in males and . 595 in females), than that of its allele (t) (424 inm ales and . 405 in females). The smoking and drinking habits have insignificant effect on the taste sensitivity of an individual. There is no statistically significant correlation between age and threshold solution number.

View full abstract

A total of more than 780 red cell samples obtained in Ishigaki City as part of the "Joint Survey on Okinawa by Nine Japanese Societies" were examined as to polymorphic types of four enzymes: AcP, PGM, 6-PGD, ADA by starch-gel electrophoresis. Screening of G-6PD variants was also carried out.
In AcP system (N=807), the frequencies of p^α and P^ι were 0.2702 and 0.7298, respectively. Two samples were found to have unusual phenotypes. In PGM1 system (N=815), occurrence of two "rare" alleles was confirmed in addition to the common PGM₁¹ and PGM₁². The frequencies of PGM₁¹, PGM₁², PGM₁³ (?) and PGM₁⁷ were 0.7540, 0.2331, 0.0037 and 0.0092, respectively. No variant was detected in PGM2 isozymes. As to 6-PGD (N=781), the frequencies of PGDA and PGDC were 0.8982 and 0.1018, respectively. In ADA (N=782), the frequencies of ADA1 and ADA2 were 0.9783 and 0.0217, respectively. These values are similar to those obtained in Okinawa Island, but different considerably from those of the Japanese main island population with respect to AcP and PGM1 gene frequencies. A single sample of a female subject out of 760 showed a heterozygous G-6PD type with a faster migrating variant band.
Results of comparisons of gene frequencies among Ishigaki, Okinawa and Honshu on the one hand and among regional subgroups within Ryukyu Islands on the other were presented and the implications discussed.

View full abstract

Inherited variations of serum haptoglobin (Hp), transf errin (Tf), red cell acid phosphatase (AcP), adenosine deaminase (ADA), esterase D (EsD) and phosphoglucomutase (PGM) have been studied on the samples taken from the inhabitant) in Naha, Okinawa pref., who were both the apparently healthy donors and the patients suffering from various diseases.
The gene frequencies for respective traits are as follows: Hp; Hp¹=0.2268 and Hp²=0.7732 (n=485), Tf; Tf^c=0.9876 and Tf^d=0.0124 (n=485, x²₍₁₎=12.6551, P<0.001), AcP; P^a=0.2817 and P^b=0.7183(n=600, x²₍₁₎=10.9478, P<0.001), ADA; ADA¹=0.9833 and ADA²=0.0167 (n=600), EsD; EsD¹=0.6531 and EsD²=0.3469 (n=591), and PGM; PGM₁¹=0.7158, PGM₁²=0.2683, PGM₁⁷=0.0142 and PGM₁^5j=0.0017 (n=600).
Except for in the Tf and AcP polymorphism, the observed numbers and those expected from the calculation assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium are very similar and the observed numbers do not deviate significantly from expectation. In the case of Tf, the discrepancy is explained by an accidental presence of rare Tf DD homozygote. The condition which causes the discrepancy in the AcP phenotypic distribution is discussed.

View full abstract

Three cases of mechanically injured skulls from ancient sites in Japan are reported.
1) A senile male skull excavated from the shellmounds of Hobi, Atsumi Peninsula, Central Japan, a prehistoric site of the latest Jomon Period (Figs. 1-3). The upper mesial incisor of the left side, which is the only tooth remained, is artificially filed and 4 incisors of the lower jaw are also artificially extracted. The intended tooth-filing with dental knocking out is regarded as the indication of the authority of those days. Eight perforations of different sizes and forms were observed on the skull vault. The senile authority was attacked probably by at least two or three enemies with arrows and stone axes from behind.
2) An adult female skull excavated from the protohistoric tombe at Sokoji, Tagata-Gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (Fig. 4). The right temporal region of the skull was perforated in oval form. The margin of the broken part shows an indication of attack by an obtuse weapon from the right side.
3) An adult male skull excavated from a medieval site at Gokurakuji, Kamakura City near Yokohama (Fig. 5).
The skull is regarded as one of a great number of victims of the medieval battle in 1333. The skull is pierced by an iron arrowhead comming from an anterior direction. The tip of the arrowhead is projected about 45mm long on the outer surface of the skull, but it's root remained about 35mm long inside of the skull.

View full abstract

Cervine fossils, excavated from the deposits of Yamashita-cho cave no. 1, have been studied. Among more than three thousands specimens, 794 specimens were nearly complete and decided their own positions by their osteological characters. They are as follows:
It becomes clear that the antlers and teeth are morphologically identical with those of Metacervulus astylodon (MATSUMOTO) from the Okinawa Island and her belonging islet, Ie-island. These fossils were unearthed from the Layers 4, 5, and 6 and among these three the main fossiliferous layers seem to be the Layers 5 and 6. According to the carbon-14 dating for the cave deposits, the Layer 5 is dated 32100±1000 years BP (TK-31). It is true that this species must lived at the Okinawa Island during the Late Pleistocene. It should be concluded that they become to be extinct at the end of Pleistocene and that also have no chance to migrate into Kyushu and further.

View full abstract