Amitabha Basu

On Natural Selection and the Inheritance of Wealth [and Comments and Reply]

Greater reproductive variance among males than among females is presented as a component of natural selections influence in determining preferential treatment of males in the inheritance of wealth. In conjunction, the transmission of sex chromosomes and their attendant probabilities of carrying genes identical by descent are traced for several generations in order to illustrate a male bias in species whose male sex is heterogametic (XY) while the female sex is homogametic (XX). The effect of this bias on coefficients of relationship (direct and additive) leads to the hypothesis that the transmission of wealth (seen as an arbitrarily bestowable fitness advantage) along the male line is more efficient, in terms of maximizing ancestral fitness, than transmission along the female line.

Sex Bias in Intrahousehold Food Distribution: Roles of Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Characteristics

A review of literature dealing with intrahousehold food distribution in India indicates that inequality of distribution has probably existed since prehistoric times and is present now as a cultural characteristic of diverse social and ethnic groups. Generally females especially young females are the group most discriminated against. A study was undertaken to determine whether variations exist with respect to sex bias: 1) between a traditional rural Hindu group and several groups of different ethnic ancestries; and 2) among economic occupational religious and rural/urban subgroups of these groups. 1-day semiquantitative data on dietary intakes were collected from the woman running each household using as reference 8 containers decreasing in size from 3000 ml to 100 ml for each of the the following categories of household members: male household head; other male adult; male adolescent (13-18 years); male child; household heads wife other female adult; female adolescent; and female child. Sex and age-specific calorie intakes recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research were used as standards. Null hypotheses tested were that each member of a household received what he or she needs and where the total quantity available was > or < that required by the household members food was shared equitably. Among Lepchas except for urban Christian Lepchas a bias in favor of females is suggested. Among sherpas the relationship is less clear although food intake of the household head and his wife appears lower. Among Oraons no sex bias seems to exist. Mahishyas of high economic status display a bias in favor of males but among those of medium and low income groups intake appears proportional to individual needs. For other groups nutritional intake of most people appears low but small sample sizes may mean differences are insignificant.

Variations in body dimensions in relation to altitude among the Sherpas of the eastern Himalayas

A biomedical study was undertaken on the Sherpas of Upper Khumbu (3500-4500m), Nepal, and their migrant counterparts in the lower altitudes (1000-1500m) of Kalimpong subdivision, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, to study the impact of altitude on human biological characteristics in this Himalayan population, following the basic design of the IBP/Human Adaptability Panel. The results of the anthropometric survey of the adults (234 males and 169 females) are presented here. The high-altitude Sherpas of both sexes have significantly higher values than their low-altitude counterparts for most of the length, breadth and girth measurements, weight, cormic index, weight/stature ratio, weight/(stature)2 ratio, chest/stature ratio, surface area and body fat.

A Genetic Study among the Lepchas of the Darjeeling Area of Eastern India

A total of 215 Lepchas (75 Buddhists and 140 Christians) living in the Kalimpong subdivision, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India, were investigated for the distribution of haemoglobin, serum proteins and red cell enzymes. The gene frequencies were as follows: HbE = 0.02; Hp1 = 0.18; TfB = 0.007; TfDChi = 0.005; Gc2 = 0.22; pa = 0.18; pc = 0.03; PGM2(1) = 0.18; PGM6(1) = 0.002; PGDc = 0.17; AK2 = 0.02; GLO1 = 0.21. The most striking features were the complete lack of G6PD deficiency and very high frequency of PGDC. The remaining loci (serum albumin, lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphohexose isomerase and superoxide dismutase) were monomorphic. The gene frequencies were similar in the Buddhist and Christian Lepchas. The observed average heterozygosity (9 loci) was 0.20 in the entire sample.

The Hypoglycemia-Aggression Hypothesis: Debate versus Research [and Comments and Reply]

In a critical evaluation of work by Ralph Bolton on the relationship between hypoglycemia and aggression among the Qolla of Peru, Ted Lewellen has argued that the Qolla are not highly aggressive, that they have been the victims of pseudoscientific stereotyping and prejudice, that they are not especially prone to problems in glucose homeostasis, and that whatever aggression they display can be explained in large part by their consumption of alcohol. This article offers a refutation of Lewellens claims. Following an examination of the evidence on Qolla homicide rates, the author discusses Lewellens explanations for the inconsistent conclusions of different ethnographers concerning levels of aggression in Qolla society. He rejects Lewellens hypotheses and proposes alternatives. A review of the literature on the hypoglycemia-aggression hypothesis shows that, contrary to Lewellens assertion, there is considerable support for a relationship between these two phenomena. The article concludes with a discussion of the problem of stereotyping and of ethical issues related to research with strong policy implications.

The distribution of transferrin, group-specific component and phosphoglucomutase-1 subtypes among the Lepchas of Darjeeling, Eastern India

SummaryThe distribution of serum transferrin (Tf), group-specific component (Gc), and red cell phosphoglucomutase-1 (PGM1) subtypes has been studied by polyacrylamide gel and starch-gel electrophoresis followed by isoelectric focusing in a group of 213 Lepchas in the Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India. The frequencies of TfC1, TfC2, TfB and TfDChi were found to be 0.804, 0.182, 0.014 and 0.00 respectively, among the Buddhists and 0.741, 0.244, 0.007 and 0.007, respectively, in the Christian Lepchas. The frequencies of Gc alleles were as follows: Gc1F 0.587 and 0.539; Gc1S 0.203 and 0.242; Gc2 0.210 and 0.215 in these two groups, respectively. The allelic frequencies of PGM1 were found to be 0.706 and 0.714 for PGM1+; 0.164 and 0.086 for PGM1−; 0.116 and 0.175 for PGM2− in Buddhists and Christians, respectively. No rare allele of Tf and PGM1 had been detected but one example of a variant from of Gc2 allele has been observed among the Christians.

A demographic study of Mirpur: a village in coastal Midnapore District West Bengal.

Mirpur is a small village of 320 inhabitants in coastal Midnapore district West Bengal. The inhabitants claim partial Portuguese ancestry. Demographic data collected in the village are reported here. The age structure of the population suggests a growing population trend but a constriction at the base of the pyramid indicated a recent decline of fertility. The completed family size net reproductive index and total fertility rate are also compatible with high growth rate but the age-specific fertility rates are lower in the younger than in the older women. The infant mortality rate is low in general and is lower in the offspring of younger women. The Mirpurians suffer from protein-calorie malnutrition and heavy intestinal parasitic load. The possible relationships among high fertility malnutrition and high parasitic load are discussed. (Authors)

Altitude and growth among the Sherpas of the eastern Himalayas

The results of the anthropometric survey of Sherpa children of both sexes (n = 478) from high‐ and low‐altitude areas in the eastern Himalayas are presented. The study reveals that growth is slower both more prolonged in the high‐altitude Sherpas compared with growth at low altitude and that Sherpa children are the smallest of all the high‐altitude populations considered here. Sexual dimorphism is not well defined during the earlier age periods. Our skinfold thickness data from the low‐altitude Sherpas corroborate the centripetal distribution of fat found elsewhere.

A note on the distribution of marriage distance among the Santals in the neighbourhood of Giridih, Bihar.

Marriage distance is an important variable in human genetics. The distribution of marriage distance has been studied among the Santals, a large agricultural tribe of eastern India, in the neighbourhood of Giridih, Bihar. A Type III Pearsonian curve was fitted to the observed distribution; the fit was found to be good. Possible explanations have been suggested for the distribution pattern among the Santals and for the difference with respect to this pattern between the Santals and other populations.

Dietary status of Mahishyas in Chakpota: inter- and intra-economic group variations

The Human Adaptability Programme was initiated in the Indian Statistical Institute in 1976. The present study on dietary consumption of the three Economic Groups of the Mahishya caste population of Chakpota village, Amta area, Howrah district, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to examine whether there were any differences in the amounts of nutrients consumed by households in the same and different Economic Groups. We also studied day‐to‐day variations in nutrients consumption within a household, as well as the ability to predict to which Economic Group a household belonged from nutrients consumption. The results showed that consumptions of all variables except that of Vitamin C increased significantly from Economic Group 1 to Economic Group 3. There was also considerable variation among households within each Economic Group, but no appreciable day‐to‐day variations in consumptions of different items within a household were found. It is possible to predict (with about 70% accuracy) to which Economic Group...