The distribution of the sickle-cell trait in East Africa and elsewhere, and its apparent relationship to the incidence of subtertian malaria

The incidence of the sickle-cell trait in any population appears to be the result of a balance between at least two factors: the severity of malaria, which will tend to increase the frequency of the trait, and the rate of elimination of sickle cell genes in subjects dying of Sickle- cell anaemia.

Abstract

Journal Article The distribution of the sickle-cell trait in East Africa and elsewhere, and its apparent relationship to the incidence of subtertian malaria A.C. Allison, D.Phil., B.M. A.C. Allison, D.Phil., B.M. Clinical Pathology Laboratory, The Radclife Infirmary, Oxford, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar *Staines Medical Research Fellow of Exeter College, in receipt of a grant from the Medical Research Council. †I am indebted to the Hon. the Directors of Medical Services, Uganda, Tanganyika and Kenya and all the members of their staffs who greatly facilitated the collection of specimens. Dr. Gillian Jacob, Kampala, co-operated in the collection of some data from Uganda. The investigations were made possible by a grant received from the Colonial Office at the recommendation of the Colonial Medical Research Committee. Drs. A. E. Mourant, R. G. Macfarlane and A. H. T. Robb-Smith read the manuscript and contributed useful comments and suggestions. Author Notes Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 48, Issue 4, July 1954, Pages 312–318, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(54)90101-7 Published: 01 July 1954