Final report of the Anthropometric Committee / consisting in 1882-3 of F. Galton (chairman) [and others] ; drawn up by C. Roberts and Sir Rawson W. Rawson.

  • British Association for the Advancement of Science. Anthropometric Committee.
Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Final report of the Anthropometric Committee / consisting in 1882-3 of F. Galton (chairman) [and others] ; drawn up by C. Roberts and Sir Rawson W. Rawson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    27. To save much detailed description, the Committee has thought it desirable to illustrate Table III. by a series of shaded maps (Plates Y.-IX.), which present at once to the eye the relative distribution of the stature, weight, and complexion of the adult male population in the several counties of Great Britain and in each province of Ireland. Map No. 1 shows the distribution of the average stature (without shoes) of adult males, in degrees of half an inch each from 66 to 70 inches. The darkest shade represents the shortest stature. Map No. 2 shows the distribution of the average weight (including the clothes) of adult males, in degrees of five pounds from 145 pounds to 180 pounds. The darkest shade represents the lightest weight. Map No. 3 shows the distribution of adult males with fair complexion, i.e. blue and grey eyes with fair, light-brown, brown, and light-red hair. The darkest shade represents the lowest percentage of fair complexion. Map No. 4 shows the distribution of adult males with dar-k com- plexion, i.e. brown and black eyes, with brown, dark brown, dark red, and black hair. The darkest shade represents the highest percentage of dark complexion, or its greatest prevalence. Map No. 5 shows the distribution of adult males with mixed com- plexion, i.e. blue and grey eyes with dark brown and black hair. The darkest shade represents the highest percentage, or the greatest prevalence of this complexion. 28. As the observations were necessarily made on a limited number of individuals, and as doubts may exist as to whether the results can be accepted as representing the whole of the male population at the ages specified, the counties having similar statures have been grouped together, and the male population for each group ascertained from the Census returns of 1881.1 The average stature worked out from these figures is 67‘58 inches, while that obtained from the actual observations on 8,585 individuals, given in Table I., is 67'66 inches, the difference between the two being only 0’08 of an inch. Table IV. shows the grouping of the counties, having the same stature according to the Committee’s returns, and the total male population of each group at the ages from 25 to 55 years. 1 These returns for England and Scotland are not yet published, and the Com- mittee is indebted to the courtesy of the Registrars-General of those portions of the kingdom for manuscript copies of the returns. The ages of the men on whom the observations were made are not exactly the same as those obtained from the Census office, but they are sufficiently near for any practical purpose. The measure- ments were made on men from 23 to 51 years of age, while the Census returns are those of men from 25 to 55 years, but the four years above 61 will about compen- sate for the two years wanting below 25 years both in numbers and stature, in consequence of losses by death. Both periods correspond with the best portion of men’s lives, at least as far as stature is concerned.