Variation in secretor and Lewis type frequencies within the British Isles.

A study of the ABO groups and secretor status of alcoholic patients which included individuals of English, Irish, and Scottish origin necessitated a comparison with appropriate normal controls (Camps, Dodd, and Lincoln, 1969). Although the figures most quoted for secretor/ non-secretor frequencies in the British Isles are those of McConnell (Race and Sanger, 1968), which show a non-secretor frequency of 22-7%, other figures quoted by Mourant (1954) from some otherwise unpublished observations of Ikin et al (1952) strongly suggested that this general figure of 22-70, might not hold for the Irish and Scottish. The fact that these ethnic groups probably have higher non-secretor frequencies can be derived from the frequencies Ikin et al found for Le(a + b -) since among 527 Scottish individuals and 106 Irish, 28-46% and 31-13% respectively were of this type. The corresponding saliva samples were apparently not tested but it may be assumed that all the Le(a + b-) individuals were non-secretors. In addition, a small number of non-secretors would be found in the Le(a b -) phenotype. A series of 531 salivas from school children in Belfast showed a non-secretor frequency of 26.550' (Dodge, 1967). These various results suggested that it was important to carry out a survey of the ABO groups and secretor status of an adequate number of individuals from various parts of the British Isles. A search of the literature reveals but few secretor/ non-secretor frequencies showing such a high percentage of non-secretors as those of Ikin for the Irish and Scottish based on Lewis types. Van Arsdel (1958) in testing a series of 3144 students from the University of Washington, found the proportion of non-secretors to be 24 110%. Nerell (1964) has collected together the figures of 12 investigated populations as far flung as Egypt and Canada with frequencies of non-secretors ranging from 11-1% to 25-4%. Several series from India show higher non-secretor frequencies than have