Cambridge High Altitude Research 1979

The expedition based itself in the Ladakhi town of Leh, where they spent a month conducting scientific research to assess the effect of altitude on mental acuity and the composition of blood (with a particular focus on foetal haemoglobin), as well as conducting some limited anthropological research into the socio-economic relationships between inhabitants and local monasteries. This latter research was hampered by limitations imposed by the Indian authorities and the blood samples also suffered due to prolonged storage in a hot climate. However, the research into mental acuity yielded usable data.