A Study of Taste Sensitivity of Phenylthiocarbamide and Colour blindness among the Jats of District Rohtak

A Study of Taste Sensitivity of Phenylthiocarbamide and Colour blindness among the Jats of District Rohtak (Haryana)
Ajeet Jaiswal and A.K. Kapoor
Indian Anthropologist (2011) 41:2, 49-56

Abstract

An organic compound called Phenylthiourea could divide people into two classes, “Tasters”
and “Non-tasters” irrespective of age, sex and race according to a study that was done by
A.L. Fox in 1932. Fox 1932, Harris and Kalmus (1951), Das (1956) showed that dominance
of taster gene “T” is incomplete with the failure of its penetrance in the heterozygotes to a
certain percentage. A study of taste sensitivity of P.T.C. and colour blindness among the Jats
of district Rohtak, Haryana was done. The t gene frequency was found to be 0.46 in the total
population and that of colourblindness was 3.11% among the males. The results have been
compared with the populations of the northern region of India. The trait of colourblindness
among the populations of the Northern India region has been looked into, in view of the
selection relaxation hypothesis.
Key words: PTC, Colourblindness, Jats, Rohtak, Haryana
Introduction