Studies in Isohemagglutination

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Abstract
Summary and Conclusions: The agglutinogen and agglutinin contents of maternal and cord bloods were studied in 500 cases. The mothers' bloods were found to occur in the following groups in order of frequency: A, β, 40.0 per cent; O, αβ, 37.4 per cent; B, α, 16.8 per cent; and AB, o, 5.8 per cent. The cord bloods were classified in the following subdivisions2 in order of frequency: A, o, 24.6 per cent; A, β, 15.0 per cent; O, αβ, 14.4 per cent; O, o, 12.4 per cent; B, o, 10.0 per cent; B, α, 9.4 per cent; O, β, 6.0 per cent; AB, o, 4.6 per cent; O, α, 3.6 per cent. When classified according to agglutinogen content, however, the cord blood groups and maternal blood groups occurred in nearly the same frequency. The full quotient of agglutinogen and agglutinins were found in 43.4 per cent of the cord bloods. In tabulating the number of offspring from the A, β; B, α; AB, o; and O, αβ mothers, and arranging the cord bloods in their nine different subdivisions, two very interesting phenomena were observed: Firstly, in no case did the cord blood contain agglutinins specific to the mother's cells. It was observed, however, that out of the 500 cases examined, about 25 per cent of the cord bloods were incompatible with the blood of their respective mothers, the incompatibility being due to the agglutination of the cells of the cord blood by the serum of the mother, and never vice versa. These findings suggest the presence of a protective mechanism against danger to the mother in case of passage of the child's serum into the maternal circulation. Secondly, out of 187 cases of O, αβ mothers, not one group AB, o offspring was found. Similarly, not a single group O, αβ offspring was found out of 29 group AB, o mothers. This strengthens Bernstein's multiple-allelomorph theory.

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