The perils of misunderstood and incomplete information. A reply to Johnson and Johnson

This article challenges the methodology and conclusions of a 1991 article by Steven B. Johnson and Ronald C. Johnson (Ethology and Sociobiology 12: 211-220) regarding “Support and Conflict of Kinsmen in Norse Earldoms, Icelandic Families, and the English Royalty.” It replies to specific points raised by Johnson and Johnson and also presents general methodological guidance for nonhistorians seeking to use historical sources. The authors conclude that while the approach of Johnson and Johnson is a worthwhile one, their case is considerably weakened by failure to use sources properly with a full understanding of the cultural, social, and historical realities that these sources represent.     

Phenotypic variations of haptoglobin Johnson types

Summary Sera from four individuals with haptoglobin Johnson phenotypes were examined. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed minor phenotypic variations between the Johnson types of two members from a Czechoslovakian family and of two unrelated Caucasians from the USA. The subtyping procedure after haptoglobin isolation and reductive cleavage showed Hp J-polypeptide chains with identical electrophoretic mobilities in the four individuals analyzed. In addition to the Hp J chain two persons had a Hp 1 S chain and two persons had a Hp 1 F chain. The two members of the Czechoslovakian family had, furthermore, a third component with an electrophoretic migration rate intermediate between a common Hp 2 and a common Hp 1 S chain.Supported by U.S.P.H.S. Grant AM 11796-02 and aided by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bad Godesberg.