966 OF GENERATION EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT. 



infancy, so that the preponderance is reduced. Even at birth there is a 

 manifold difference in the physical conditions of infants of different sexes ; 

 for, in the average of a large number, there is a decided preponderance on 

 the side of the Males, both as to the length and the weight of the body. 

 And it seems not improbable that this difference has a decided influence 

 upon the greater loss of life in the act of parturition, which occurs among 

 Male infants. 



i. The Length of the body in fifty new-born infants of each sex, as ascer- 

 tained by Quetelet, 1 was as follows : 



Males. Females. Total. 



From 16 to 17 inches 2 (French), '2 4 6 



" 17 to 18 " " 8 19 27 



" 18 to 19 " " . 28 18 46 



" 19 to 20 " " . . 12 8 20 



" 20 to 21 " " . . 1 1 



From these observations, the mean and the extremes of the Lengths of 

 the male and female respectively, were calculated to be: 



Males. Females. 



Minimum, . . 16 inches, 2 lines. 16 inches, 2 lines. 



Mean, ... 18 " 6 " 18 " 1 " 



Maximum, . . 19 " 8 " 20 " 6" " 



Notwithstanding that the maximum is here on the side of the Female 

 (this being an accidental result, which would probably have been otherwise 

 had a larger number been examined), the average shows a difference of 4 

 lines in favor of the Male. 



ii. The inequality in the Weights of the two is even more remarkable ; 

 the observations of M. Quetelet 3 were made upon 63 male and 56 female 

 infants. 



Infants weighing from Males. Females. Total. 



1 to 1J kilog., 4 ... 1 1 

 1} to 2 "... 1 1 



2 to 2 " ... 3 7 10 

 2 to 8 " . . .13 14 27 



3 to 3J " . . .28 23 51 

 3 to 4 " ... 14 7 21 

 4" to 4$ " ... 5 3 8 



The extremes and means were as follows : 



Males. Females. 



Minimum, . . .234 kilog. 1.12 



Mean, .... 3.20 " 2.91 



Maximum, . . . 4.50 " 4.25 



ill. The average Weight of infants of both sexes, as determined by these 

 inquiries, is 3.05 kilog., or 6.77 Ibs. ; and this corresponds almost exactly with 

 the statement of Chaussier, whose observations were made upon more than 

 20,000 infants. The mean obtained by him, without reference to distinction 

 of sex, was 6.75 Ibs.; the maximum being 11.3 Ibs., and the minimum 3.2 

 Ibs. 5 The average in this country is probably rather higher; according to 



1 S\ir PHomme, torn, ii, p. 8. 



2 The French inch is about one-fifteenth more than the English. 



3 ( )p. cit.., torn, ii, p. 35. 



4 The kilogramme is equal to 2.22 Ibs. avoirdupois. 



6 Tliesr numbers bave bct-n erroneously stated in many Physiological works, owing 

 to the difference between the French and English pound not having been allowed for. 



