A new inherited abnormality of hemoglobin and its interaction with sickle cell hemoglobin.

V. NEEL, M.D., PH.D. T HIS REPORT deals with a new inherited abnormality of hemoglobin encountered in American Negroes. The existence of this traitcame to light ill the course of extensive clinical and genetic studies u’egarding the sickling pheuiomenon. Among the individuals examined thei’e were anumber of patients ‘it-h a hemolytic syndrome associated with erythrocytic sickling in whom neither the clinical, hematologic, nor genetic pattern fitted that of typical sickle (‘elI anemia. Following the demonstration by PaulilIg’ auid his associates that. sickle cell hemoglobin has a characteristic electrophoretic mobility, blood from these unusual individuals and their families was subject-ed to electt-ophoretic analysis. These studies, described in detail in a separate report,2 disclosed the existence of a new component of hemoglobin clearly distinguishable from both normal an(l sickle cell hemoglobin. In the present paper the clinical, hematologic auid genetic features associated wit-h this newly recognized abnormality of hemoglobin ai’e