Biology and Water Pollution Control

The Gm and In V allotypes of serum are inherited in Mendelian fashion and their existence imposes important constraints on current theories of immunoglobulin synthesis. The incidences of particular factors vary markedly with different population groups, a fact of anthropological interest. In medico-legal investigations allotypes can aid in cases of disputed parentage (both paternal and maternal) and in identifying individuals' bloods. Antibodies to the factors may be found in rheumatoid arthritis and after repeated transfusions and may sometimes be responsible for transfusion reactions. The author of this admirable monograph is a recognized authority, having discovered the first Gm factor in 1956. In eight compact, well-documented chapters he has summarized in a clear and readable style our current knowledge of the genetics of these factors, their evolution and ontogeny, their relation to immunoglobulin structures, the characteristics of anti-allotype antibodies, and the implications of these systems for a variety of problems. In a number of cases conflicting data or claims are subjected to critical scrutiny. In addition to the general discussions the available data on 23 Gm factors and 3 In V factors are summarized in systematic fashion in a series of appendices, tables and distribution maps. The work concludes with an index and some 26 pages of references, cited by full title. The only typographic errors noted were a few misprints of simple English words. This work is highly recommended as a refreshingly concise, authoritative presentation of a field of considerable current interest to clinicians, geneticists, biochemists, immunologists and anthropolgists.