518 HEIGHT AND WEIGHT IN RELATION TO BUILD 



Girth of hips. This measurement, taken at the level of the trochanters, is a 

 customary one in American colleges, but there appear to be few data on it for 

 infancy and childhood. Even Quetelet (1870) leaves blank the column reserved 

 for it. Moon (1892) gives some data on American school-boys. In table L may 

 be found a summary of some American college statistics. These data show that 

 this girth is relatively greater in short than in tall individuals and in the mature 

 than in the immature of a given stature. They do not show much sexual difference 

 for a given stature. 



Bone-girths. Measurements of the girth of the forearm just above the wrist, 

 of that of the leg just above the ankle-joint, and of that of the knee-joint or of the 

 extremity near the knee-joint are useful in giving data on growth of the long bones 

 in girth. As an example of measurements of this character, we give, in table E, 

 Quetelet's data on the relative girth of the knee-joint from infancy to maturity. 

 He shows a decrease from 22.8 per cent in the new-born to 20.5 per cent at the age 

 of 13 in males, 19.9 in females, and an increase during adolescence to 20.6 per cent 

 in males, 21.1 per cent in females. Hall (1896) shows a slight decrease in relative 

 knee-girth preceding puberty followed by a subsequent increase. In the adult 

 (table L) short men show a relatively greater knee-girth than tall men. For women 

 this is not evident. Women show a greater knee-girth than men of the same stature. 

 Quetelet's data on the diameter of the lower part of the forearm show a decrease in 

 relative girth from 15 per cent of the stature at birth to 9.4 per cent at the age of 

 12 in the male, 9.0 per cent in the female. It increases during adolescence to 9.9 

 per cent in the male, 9.3 per cent in the female. Short male college students show 

 a greater relative wrist-girth than tall students (table L). Moon (1892), Hall 

 (1896), and Godin (1903) give data on the growth of the wrist. The girth of the leg 

 measured just above the ankle-joint, according to Quetelet's figures (1870) for 

 women, shows a course of development similar to that of the forearm, 16.3 per cent 

 in the infant, 12.1 per cent preceding puberty, 12.7 per cent in the young adult. 

 Hall's data for men (1896) correspond well with those of Quetelet's for women. 

 There appears to be some mistake in Quetelet's data for this measurement in males 

 at the time of puberty. 



In the development of the skeleton of the limbs it appears evident, therefore, 

 that relative girth decreases during childhood, increases during adolescence, and is 

 stationary in the adult. In those who reach definitive stature relatively early the 

 girths of the limb skeleton are of the same relative size as in mature young adults 

 (table L). 



Muscle-girths. The girths of the arm, upper part of the forearm, the thigh, 

 and the calf give a good index of growth of muscles, although they are all influenced 

 by deposit of fat as well as by muscular development. In table E data from Que- 

 telet (1870) are given on the relative girths of the arm, thigh, and calf from infancy 

 to maturity. All show a decrease from infancy to the period preceding puberty 

 and an increase during adolescence and early adult life up to 30 or 40 years of age. 

 During the first year after birth, according to Quetelet's data, there is a growth in 

 the relative diameters mentioned as well as of the girths of the knee-joint and of the 



