The sickle cell trait in Jamaica.

J A? IAI(’A, the largest of the British West Indian islands, was originally inhahitated by primitive Amerindians know’n as Arawaks, who dwindled to insignificatit numbers during the one hutidred and sixty-one years of Spanish rule which follow-ed the discovery of the Island in 1494. During the 17th atid 18th centuries, the British and Spanish planters, w-ho had originally settled Jamaica, imported Negro slaves from West Africa. These were of numerous different tribes, including the Ibo, Ibibio, and Yoruba of Nigeria, as well as peoples from the Gold Coast. and Angola. Following emancipation in 1834, so-called “East” Indian (i.e. from the Indian subcontinetit) and Chinese indentured laborers were brought to the islatid and now form definite racial entities there. Tw’o unusual .Jamaican groups must he mentioned : the Maroons, originally bands of runaway slaves, w-ho still live a free and isolated life in wild and inaccessible country in the isorthw-est of the island, and the rural colony of German artisans, brought over originally in the early 19th century from Hanover and the Weser basin, whose descendants still remain as an intact unmixed Caucasian settlemetit , several hundred strong. The 1943 census show-ed the population of Jamaica to be 1 ,237,063, of which the main racial groups may be summarized as follows: (1) predominantly African 78.1 per cent ; (2) other Afro-Caucasian or Afro-Asiatic mixtures (colored) 17.5 per cent ; (3) Caucasian 1 .1 per cent ; (4) East. Indian 2.1 per cent; (5) Chinese 1 .0 per cent. It cats, therefore, 1)e sects that the average Jamaican is of African descent with a varying degree of Caucasiats mixture.