2 MUMFORI), Physique of ManclitstcrGravnnar ScJiool Boys. 



looks as if all tissues do not grow together. Thus, one 

 boy will have great power of muscular growth, another of 

 bony framework, a third of brain power in excess of that 

 of other tissues. In this way, therefore, each boy may be 

 said to follow his own special law of growth. 



Secojidly, there is an artificial interference zvith growth, 

 particularly in the case of early disease. Interference with 

 the growth of one tissue, occurring as a result of disease 

 at an earl\' period of life (that is under 7 or 8 years of 

 age), will generally affect other tissues as well. Boys 

 backward educationally very frequently show actual delay 

 of bodily growth, particularly during the years up to 14 

 or 15, as well as delayed brain development. This delay 

 of development of tissues other than the brain, may 

 afford definite evidence of early childhood disease which 

 has materiall)' affected tissue-growth of the brain, as well 

 as of the special part in which delayed development is 

 noticed. The careful search for visible signs of such early 

 disease should therefore be an important part of medical 

 ■examination, and ver\- particular attention should always 

 be paid to the history of health during the first seven 

 years of childhood. By rigid enquir\' we can often get 

 definite history of ill-health which, at first, the parents 

 themselves had forgotten. 



Before we can determine whether natural variation or 

 artificial influence is the cause of the change in physique 

 we have noticed, we may consider what particular causes 

 may have influenced the figures and determined the 

 increase noted. 



The possible influence of a racial change in the com- 

 ynunitv in causing the improvement. Since different races 

 have different powers of growth, the change in Manchester 

 Grammar School boys might conceivably be due to a 



