Prof. Forbes on the Physical Development of Man, 197 



Dr. Ritchie know that tlie figure into which the bar might 

 be bent would have nothing at all to do with the disposition 

 of the nia<;netism throunli the metal? Of whatever form the 

 bar might be, the instant the continuity was destroyed the 

 magnetism would accumulate at the most remote extremities 

 of the bar, leaving the centre inactive or neutral if the bar 

 had been properly magnetized, and of the same form and den- 

 sity the neutral point would be exactly in the middle ; the 

 figure of a square having no influence whatever in making it 

 otherwise. 



As I am obliged to abridge my remarks as much as possible, 

 I sliall conclude my paper with this experiment, leaving your 

 readers to judge of tlie merits or demerits of this discussion. 



XLI V. On the Results of Experiments made on the Weight, 

 Height, and Strength of above 800 Individuals. By James 

 D.Forbes, Esq., F.li.SS. L. <$' E., Professor of Natural 

 Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh.'^ 



T^HE interesting and remarkable experiments published by 

 M. Quetelet, of Brussels, on various points of physical 

 development in man, under a variety of circumstances, as to 

 climate, station, age and sex, induced me to take the oppor- 

 tunity which my professional position presented of obtaining 

 the measure of physical development as to the weight, height 

 and strength of natives of Scotland between the ages of I4j 

 and 25, students in our University. 



In the prosecution of this plan separate lists were kept 

 of persons not born in Scotland, and of these, the English and 

 Irish lists have likewise been subjected to calculation. Though 

 of these the numbers are comparatively small, the results pre- 

 sent some pretty decisive characters. These experiments were 

 continued during two winters (1834-5, 1835-6) : every expe- 

 riment was made by myself and noted down by myself. The 

 weights were ascertained by Marriotts spring balance, which 

 was verified from time to time and found to have undergone 

 no change in its elasticity. The weight of clothes is in- 

 cludedf . The heights are in English inches, shoes included. 

 For the measure of strength, Regnier's dynamometer was 

 employed, and these experiments were somewhat less satis- 

 factory than the others. The error of the instrument had 



• Read to the Royal Society of Edinburgh : and communicated by the 

 Author. 



t According to Quetelet, this amounts to x'sth of the weight. 



