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A Procedure for the Serological Determination of Blood-Relationship of Ancient and Modern Peoples with Special Reference to the American Indians

II. Blood-Grouping of Mummies

From the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri

Abstract

When the procedure which is applicable to detect blood-group antigens in saliva was applied to suspensions of washed and dried tissues taken from cadavers of known blood-groups, a certain amount of non-specific agglutinin-adsorption, due to the presence of particulate matter, was observed. To obviate this difficulty the antigens were extracted by repeated freezing and thawing of tissues; the saline extracts thus obtained permitted correct identification of known cadaveric tissues.

Similar extracts of muscle from Indian and Egyptian mummies were tested with O ( ) serum and anti-O bovine serum. As controls, muscle-tissue extracts of known O and A cadavers were used. The extracts of muscle-tissue of Indian mummies uniformly failed to neutralize either or agglutinin, but, with one exception, all neutralized the anti-O agglutinin of bovine serum. On the other hand 2 of 6 Egyptian mummies possessed the B antigen and one contained A.

A procedure has been developed by means of which the blood-groups in mummies may be determined. This serological procedure offers a means of tracing the blood-relationships between ancient and modern peoples.

Footnotes

¹ Present address, Biology Department, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana.