in the hematocrit and platelet levels may also be part of the phenomenon of age-related cellular depletion. in the case of neutrophils. Such reduction, however, was not noted The increasing sedimentation rate noted with aging in the Marshallese could be related to a cumulative effect of chronic infections and debility in the older age groups. Electrophoretic studies of the serum showed serum protein levels (both albumen and globulin) well above the usually accepted norms for Caucasians. This finding may be related in part to dehydration and lowered | blood volumes mentioned earlier. The increasing gamma globulin levels in the aging Marshallese is consistent with many reports in the literature (Karel, Wilder & Beber, 1956; Rafsky, Brill, Stern, & Corey, 1952; Goldbloom, 1955; Das & Bhattacharya, 1961). It is possible that the slightly lower albumen levels noted in the older Marshallese may be related to lowered food intake. As would be expected from the serum electrophoretic. data, the immunodiffusion studies showed increasing immunoglobulin levels with increasing age (Fig. 4). The most pronounced and most age-correlated change was in the IgG group. Since the K light chains are twice as prevalent as the L light chains in the Igc immunoglobulins (Ritzman & Levin, 1967), it is not surprising that there was a significant increase in the K light chains paralleling the increase in the IgG group. The K/L ratios in the Marshallese are similar to Caucasians (Fahey, 1969) and show a slight but insignificant increase in older people, The increased immunoglobulins in the older Marshallese people is . probably related to an accumulation of immunological reactions to infections. Parfentjev (1954) suggested that the increase in gamma globulins he noted in aging dogs and chickens was related to continuous contact with infectious