Using Bansal & Rife's recent study (1962) as a working model, certain two-fold groupings of four palmar main lines and the axial triradii positioning have been proposed on the basis of the writer's unpublished work (1962). Some fairly encouraging penetrance figures suggest to apply the same groupings on twin data, on largest and richer family material drawn from the same Mendelian population, and to use other available methods of penetrance calculus, including one from concordance figures that is under investigation by the author.

A study was made on the frequency of some dermatoglyphic formulae in a sample of individuals of the population of Montevideo.

The theoretically expected frequency of the ten most common formulae was also calculated on the basis of the incidence of each pattern per finger in the same population.

The comparisons made between observed frequencies and calculated ones show such large differences that they cannot be attributed to chance.

Consequently we conclude that the genetical studies of dermatoglyphic patterns should be made for associations of patterns in two or more fingers or complete formulae rather than for individual fingers.

After a short introduction on the relationships between ABO blood groups and the main racial groups, the Authors consider the diagrammatic representation of the p, q, r values, according to the method by Streng, and apply it to the frequencies in Italy. Another method of diagrammatic representation, according to C. C. Li, is also considered, and a comparison is made between the two methods, both applied to the frequencies of ethnically similar populations, such as Caucasoids, Corsicans, Sardinians and Basques.

The need is emphasized for more detailed studies, i. e. at the level of regions, countries, so as to provide as many data as possible.

Two personal observations are presented, the former including a pedigree showing both on the maternal and paternal side isolated symptoms of the Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, and the latter consisting in an affected child ensued from a consanguineous marriage, his parents being first cousins. The cases of the literature in which the hereditary component is evident (28 in 49) are also examined. The most significant data from a genetic standpoint are discussed, i. e. the presence of isolated symptoms in the families of the patients, the consanguinity in the parents, the presence of the syndrome in different members of the same sibship. As a conclusion the recessive inheritance, through an autosomal polyphenic gene, is confirmed.

A relatively rare malformation (double fistula of the lower lip, associated in most cases with cleft lip and palate) has been found to be exceptionally present in eight members (mother and seven children) of the same family.

A survey has been made of present knowledge on the genesis of this malformation, and a genetical interpretation of the observation has been tentatively suggested.

Different data collected on the problem point, in the author's opinion, to an hypothesis which should admit the occurrence of a chromosomal mutation, associated with fusion of the couple of maternal chromosomes, as the most acceptable one.

Exogenous factors, such as, in particular, deficiency factors, could have played a predisposing or facilitating role.

In this work the author by making use of parochial archives in Busnago (Milan) has controlled the long life proceeding of 187 among the 259 twins-pairs numbered during a period of three centuries (1632-1962). The author has verified the mothers' age at the moment of childbirth.

He has been able to point out a greatest concordance in the average life time of the MZ pairs in comparison with the DZ ones, which agrees with the hypothesis of a genetic long life factor. The mothers' average age, studied on a small group of population during a period of three centuries resulted, in the 159 cases the author could peruse, to be from 30 to 35 years, of age in agreement with the data collected by Gedda on the global Italian population during short periods of time.

This average age supports the hypothesis that among the factors of multiple pregnancies may be numbered besides mothers' age a geographic (racial) variability.

The statistical data on the malformation occurred in Italy from 1956 to 1958 have been examined. It has been seen that their number is almost constant (i. e. some 1,500 per year). The ratio of alive malformed to dead malformed is of 3:1, but the number of deaths by congenital malformations increases considerably during the first year of life, mostly due to inner organ malformations, non detectable at birth.

50% of the cases of harelip die during the first year of life. The most serious malformations are those concerning the central nervous system, while the most common ones, are those affecting the locomotive apparatus.

The number of malformations has not been influenced by the very insufficient diet during the four years of war, neither by the 1957 « asiatic influenza ». The malformation index, furthermore, appears almost constant in the time and in the various regions, showing the highest figure in Lucania and Friuli (3.05) and the lowest ones in Campania (0,89), Sicily and Liguria (1.21).

The only case of so far known Tcheck quintuplets is reported, viz. two males and three females born in Moravia in 1780 and dead 24 hours after birth.

The Author analyses the family factors and also discusses about the validity of Hellin's law for multiple births.

After a careful study and analysis of the various patterns observed on the middle and proximal phalanges on 600 fingers the Author comes to the following tentative conclusions.

1. As it is evident from table I, fingers II, III, IV show a great variability of patterns and among them III and IV have as many patterns as 20 each, while the least degree of variability is observed on thumb, the first finger, which shows only 5 types of patterns. The fifth finger shows 10 different types of patterns. The above number is obtained while counting the pattern present on right and left hands.

2. Among the main types, the pattern Hook predominate exhibiting the percentile frequency of 37.128. Patterns Straight are second in order of preponderance showing the percentile frequency of 24.999. Arches are definitely higher (12.777%) as compared to Enclosures which are 10.554%.

3. The patterns Hook and Straights are more common on fingers I and V, while Arches, Arch Angle and Enclosures are monopoly of digits, II, III and IV.

4. In general it is observed that digits I, II, III bear the patterns which open more frequently on the radial side whereas digits IV and V show the patterns opening on the ulnar side — a natural mechanism which helps a lot in grasping.

5. Comparing the different right-left symmetrical combinations on the finger phalanges of homologous right-left fingers it is observed that digits II, III, and V exhibit a lower number of symmetrical combinations as compared to digit IV, indicating thereby more symmetry in digits I, II, V as compared to digit IV.

6. Comparing the percentile frequencies of various main patterns it can be surmised with certainty that in most of the pattern frequencies Brahmins resemble more to Chinese than to Germans. However, further investigations on these research lines and on many other groups, will not only add to our knowledge but will also help in the race stratification.

The Authors investigated the haptoglobin groups with immunoelectrophoresic technique in 150 subjects from Liguria. It was observed a frequency of the 39,33% for the types Hp1/Hp1 and Hp1/Hp2, of the 21,34% for the type Hp2/Hp2.

The Author has studied the Kell, Cellano and Duffy factors in a selected sample of the roman population.

A comparison of the already known data for the rest of Italy shows that the Kell factor has a higher frequency, as compared to that found by other Authors in other regions, while the Duffy factor appears to be less frequent.

A survey has been made of the birth records of 846 twins (415 pairs and 6 sets of triplets) born in Catania between January 1st, 1959 and May 31st, 1962, with the purpose of establishing the degree of mortality in twins in the first year of life. The results indicate a low degree of still-birth (5%). Identifying the neonatal period with the first week of life, the neonatal mortality is of 8.9%. This percentage undergoes a little reduction (1.9%) when we consider as neonatal period just the first day of life, the twin mortality being lower in the subsequent days of the first week. Except that of the 1st day, the higher frequency of mortality (19%) occurs between the 12th and the 16th day, which is considered a critical period in the first month of life in twins. In the remaining 11 months of the year the mortality degre is low (51 deaths in 680 twins survived to the first month). At the end of the year in 63.1% of the considered pairs both twins were still alive. In six of the 43 pairs with both components dead, both twins died between the 13th and the 25th day, with an interval of 24 hours. The spontaneous death of twin pairs, occurring sometimes simultaneously or with a brief interval in the first month of life, may give rise to judiciary mistakes.

27 cases of articular chondrocalcinosis have been examined, 6 of which individual ones, and 21 derived from 5 pedigrees.

The four main pedigrees belong to families living all in the same village in south-western Slovakia, in a highly inbred region.

The disease is not supposed to manifest itself before the age of 20 to 30 years; before, no symptom can be detected, indicating a morbid condition. The inheritance could be sex-linked, which would explain the higher frequency in females (13 cases) than in males (8 cases).