OCR Rendition - approximate

258 REPORT-1883. Si nr;nrary rf Infrrrnaatiu?L Obtained. 13. The Committee submit in this, its final Report, a review of all the information which it has collected under the different heads of inquiry, giving references to those tables and conclusions which have been published in its previous Reports, and adding such others as it has been able to draw from the several sources at its command. 14. The first object of the Committee has been to ascertain the principal characteristics of the adult population: a. As to the stature, weight, chest-girth, and strength of the whole country and of each of its four provinces, shown in Table I., pages 256, 257. b. The relative stature, weight, and strength of men and women. Table I1., page 261. c. The stature, weight, and complexion (colour of eyes and hair) of men in different counties as indicating their racial origin, and the influence of soil, climate, occupation, and other sanitary surroundings. Tables III. and IV., and Plates V.--IX_, pages 262 to 265. d. The relative stature of men of I ritisli origin, and that of other nationalities and races as far as they have been ascertained. Tables V. and Vl., pages 268, 269. 15. The second object the Committee has had in view has been to ascertain the rate of growth and development of children of both sexes under different conditions of life (,mrlin.) ; the period of the attainment of matnrit,y ; and the influence of advancing ago on the physical condition of the body. Tables XII. to XXV. AnuLT POPULATION or -rEE BiuTisii ISLE.,. a. Adult Males-Table I. 16. Table I. shows the stature, weight, chest-girth, and strength of adult males of the ages from twenty-three to fifty years, the number of men at each measurement, and the ratio per thousand of the male population. 17. The observations are grouped according to the place of birth in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland ; and, with the exception of the Irish, they were chiefly derived from the division of the country under which they are entered in the table. The Irish returns are almost entirely those of men born in Ireland, but living in England, Scotland, or Wales ; and the Committee regrets that it has not been able to obtain more than ono return direct from Ireland. The Scotch and Welslr by birth, living in England, have been entered under their respective nationalities. The columns are arranged in the order of the superiority of the average stature and weight. 18. The general results indicated by this table may be sununarised as follows :-.L1 height the Scotch stand first (0)8.71 inches ; 1'746 metres), the Irish second (67.90 inches; 1.726 metres), the English third 067.36 inches ; 1.712 metres), and the Welsh last (66.66 inches ; 1.691 metres), time average of the whole being G7'66 inches (1.720 metres). In weight the Scotch take the first place (165.3 lbs. ; 7).1 kilos.), the Welsh the second (158.3 lbs. ; 71.9 kilos.), the English the third athe 155.0 lbs.; 70.5 kilos.), and the Irish the fourth (1r)4-1 lbs. ; 70.0 kilos.), verage weight of the whole being 158.2 lbs. (71.9 kilos,). Thus the Scotch are the tallest and heaviest, the English take the third place in both tables, while the position of the Welsh and Irish is reversed-the Irish, occupying the second place in stature, come, last in weight, and the Welsh, though lowest in stature, stand second in weight. For each inch of stature a Scotclrman weighs 2.406 lbs., a Welshman 2.375 lbs., an Englishman 2.301 lbs., and an Irishman 2.270 lbs. 19. The columns showing the number of individuals per thousand at each height, besides showing in a uniform manner the relative stature and weight of the diferent nationalities, will be useful to military surgeons for determining the minimum stature of recruits for the army. From the run of the figures it is obvious that if each country bas to contribute its relative quota of soldiers, the minimum standard for Welsh recruits should be two inches lower, and for English and Irish recruits one inch lower, than for Scotch recruits. ']'his difference in the relative stature is best shown by the black line running across the table, which marks the mean height-that is to say, the height at which the greatest number of observations occur in each nationality. 20. It is probable that too much importance has been attached to stature in selecting recruits for the army in this country, and that a High standard does not necessarily produce men best fitted for military duties. In the Iteport for 1879 are given two tables of the stature and weight of the English, Scotch, and Irish recruits for the years 1862-3, when the minimum standard of height was 66 inches (1.677 metres), and in 1864--65, when it was reduced to 6:i inches (1.626 metres); and the result of this change was to lower the general average stature of English recruits by only 0.17 inch, of the Scotch by 0.21 inch, and the Irish by W25 inch, but in all three nationalities to increase the average weightthe English by 1.3 lbs., the Scotch by 6.7 lbs., and the Irish by 0.8 lb. 21. Although the minimum. standard was the same for all the nationalities, the influence of race is indicated by the difference in the average stature of the recruits. The English and Welsh recruits (who were not distinguished from each other) were shorter in stature than the Irish by 0.30 inch, and the Scotch by 0.44 of an inch.' 22. The measurements of the chest given `in Table I. are almost entirely those of Englishmen, and must be studied in connection with the English observations of height and weight; and the same remark applies to the figures relative to strength. The chest-girths were taken the method adopted in tile British army, and the strengths by the springbalance introduced by this Committee, and described in Appendix A. 23. An examination of Table I. shows that an adult Englishman or typical proportions has a stature of ) feet 71 inches; a chest-girth of 362 inches; a weight of 10 stones 10 Ills. ; and is able to draw, as in drawing a bow, a weight of 7 7!, pounds. These arc the mean proportions. 'rile averages give greater weight for height; they are :-Height, 5 feet 7: inches- weight, 11 stones 1 1b. ; empty chest-girth, 36.46 inches; and strength, 79.6 lbs. For every variation of an inch in stature above or below the average, 2301 lbs. weight, -542 inch chest-girth, and 1.182 lbs. strength must be added or subtracted to keep up the typical proportions. This rule of proportion is, however, only approximately correct, as variations in time stature depend largely on the length of the lower limbs, while the other qualities depend chiefly on the size of the trunk. In ascending the scale of height, therefore, the above figures are probably a little too great, while in the opposite direction they are barely sufficient, but in either case they arc sufficiently near for all practical ' Further tables relating to recruit., arc given in Appendix it to this Report, 8 . REPORT OF THE ANTH1IOPOMETRIC COMMITTEE. 259