Final report of the Anthropometric Committee / F. Galton, Chairman.

Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Final report of the Anthropometric Committee / F. Galton, Chairman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    34/74 (page 20)
    conditions are the same, is seen by comparing the agricultural population of Ayrshire with that of Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the average difference in stature amounts to 4T5 inches, and in weight to 36‘4 lbs., in favour of the country folk. A similar, though not so great a difference, exists in Yorkshire, where the fishermen of Flamborough exceed the artisans of Sheffield in stature by 2'91 inches, and in weight by 24*3 lbs. On the other hand, the population of London exceeds that of the adjoining county of Hertfordshire in stature by 1*57 inches, and in weight by 79 lbs. Quetelet observed the same condition in Belgium, where the towns showed a higher stature than the country districts ; and he con¬ cluded that the greater ease and better food attainable in towns were more favourable to physical development than the hard manual labour and poor fare of the agricultural districts. It is probable that Quetelet compared different classes together, or that the towns in Belgium hold an exceptional position, like London to the adjoining districts in England. 38. As an example of the predominance of race over occupation, the stature and weight of the Scotch lead-miners of Wenlockhead, and the Welsh lead-miners of Cardiganshire, are given in the table. The occupa¬ tion of lead-mining in both districts is in a great measure hereditary, and has probably been followed under similar conditions in Scotland and Wales for many generations, yet the Scotch exceed the Welsh lead- miners in stature by 2T3 inches, and in weight by 8*7 lbs. The stature and weight of the Durham coal-miners, and of the town populations of Glasgow, Sheffield, and Bristol, are given in this table, as they have been referred to above as influencing the averages of their respective counties, and placing them in an exceptional position as to the racial origin of their inhabitants. 39. One of the objects the Committee has had in view has been ‘to ascertain the physical differences of boys and men whose intellect and industry are above or below the average ’ ; but no returns of this kind have been received, except some referring to criminals and lunatics, and those have been introduced here as the most convenient place for their consideration:— Table VIII.—Showing the Stature and Weight of Adult Male Criminals and Lunatics, compared with that of the General Population. 1 Hei ght Wei ght Ages Ages Classes 20 25 35 45 20 25 85 45 to to to to to to to to 25 35 45 55 25 35 45 55 inches inches inches inches lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. General— Average population 67*5 67-9 67-9 67-9 146-2 156- 162- 163-8 Class 3 : country f labourers . J 672 675 67-5 67-8 149-5 157-4 161-2 166-4 Class 4 : town arti-1 66-5 154-1 148-6 sans . . J 66-6 6Cr 9 66-6 139- 147-3 Criminals 65-2 65'6 65 7 65-8 136-9 140- 141-4 143-4 V _ , . j Lunatics J i 65-7 147-9