Differences in the Frequency of Disease in Different Populations

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Abstract
Studies on 3 diseases have been reviewed to illustrate how investigations in "Geographic Medicine" can yield information of value on determining the etiology and natural history of disease. Cancer of the cervix of the uterus appears to be a disease associated with sexual intercourse. Differences in frequency in different populations are related to cultural and economic factors which influence the customs concerning hygiene, sex, and marriage. These include circumcision, body cleanliness, age at marriage, frequency of intercourse, and separation from spouse. There is evidence that Burkitt''s lymphoma is due to an agent (perhaps viral) which is much more common in the tropical belt of Africa than elsewhere on the continent, or in the world. The epidemiological studies suggested the viral hypothesis which is now being tested by other means. Acatalasemia is due to the presence of a recessive gene in double dose. Some, but not all, individuals with the requisite genes developed the disease. This disease is rarely found in areas other than Japan or Korea. This striking difference in geographic distribution is apparently due to the very limited distribution of the gene in the populations of the world. In the final section, methods for characterizing populations by their gene pool, is described. An example is cited in which 2 populations (USA whites and Negroes) which were to be compared for a cardiovascular study, were described in respect to more than 25 inherited traits.