A study has been made of three neighbouring populations living at 1500, 3000 and 3700 m in the northern Simien of Ethiopia. The environments of these populations not only differ in many climatic elements, but also probably in nutritional factors and exposure to infections. The growth and physique of the people vary with altitude and the lowlanders (at 1500 m) tend to have a more linear body build. Differences in chest dimensions can be related to functional differences in respiratory physiology, since the highland groups, both male and female, have larger forced expiratory volumes and forced vital capacities as compared with the lowlanders. The relationships between these measures of respiratory function and age, stature and weight also tend to be dependent on altitude, but in all the Ethiopian groups there is a closer relationship between body weight and respiratory capacity than in other populations. This distinctiveness is probably due to the characteristics of Ethiopian physique. A slight polycythaemia and elevated packed cell volume are evident in the highland groups but, unexpectedly, there is some evidence that at least at the time of the expedition the haemoglobin concentrations were lower. The highlanders also show a raised systolic blood pressure. Blood-group and demographic data suggest that the various populations are probably genetically very similar, and the findings are discussed in terms of physiological and developmental adaptability.

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Blood specimens from members of the click-speaking Sandawe tribe of Tanzania and of the adjacent Bantu-speaking Nyaturu tribe have been tested for antigens of 11 blood group systems, for variants of 3 plasma-protein systems and 9 red-cell-enzyme systems, for haemoglobin variants. The results are tabulated and gene frequencies computed. For most systems, the frequencies in the two tribes are similar to one another and, in so far as data are available, similar to the neighbouring Bantu-speaking tribes. The principal genetic difference between the Sandawe and the Nyaturu is in their frequencies of haemoglobin S and of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, both of which characters are several times higher in the Nyaturu than in the Sandawe; both characters are protective against falciparum malaria, and this suggests that the Nyaturu have in the past been much more strongly exposed to this infection than the Sandawe.

Blood samples from the Waskia and Takia populations of Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea, and other nearby mainland populations, were tested for genetic variation in blood group, serum protein and red cell enzyme systems. Polymorphic variation was present in the ABO, P, MNS, Rh, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd and Gerbich blood group systems, in the Hp and Tf serum protein systems, and in the acid phosphatase, 6-PGD, ADA, PGM, MDH, and G-6-PD enzyme systems. A small number of variants was found in other systems: there were 4 Lu(a+), 1 Kp(a+), 2 C variants in the acid phosphatase system, 6 LDH variants, 1 ADA3–1 and 1 AK2–1 sample. All samples were negative for the red cell antigens C^w, Vw, He, K, Js^a, Di^a, Wr^a, Rd and Marriott, and no variation was observed in the PHI enzyme system. The results are discussed in relation to those obtained on other Papua New Guinea populations.