1923- No. 4. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOL'NG PEOPLE. II 



in lieight during the child age may be either in an a'usuiuiciy struiiger 

 physical energy- of growth at a certain stage of growth and the same 

 distance of time from the termination of the growth. — or in a more 

 rapid growth, so that a certain class of children of a certain age are 

 nearer to their final stature than children of the same age of another 

 social class — or in a combination of these momenta. As this more rapid 

 growth is a long established fact (cfr. the previous menarche in the 

 socially better off classes), it must be regarded as certain, that the final 

 stage will not show so great differences in height. As is well known, 

 bodily height is a distinct inheritable phenomenon. No less sure does 

 the milieu — nourishment, housing, all in all healthy or unhealthy modes 



Frosrner, Vestheim 



Borgerskolen. 

 Hammersborg 



Public schools 

 Feebleminded 



Height. 



II m ]} H 

 Fig. 3 b. Weight. 



of living — play its important part. This can, f. inst-, be seen by the 

 sudden impulse of growth which sets in, when children witli poor or less 

 good state of health in general are brought into especially good sanitarv 

 conditions. I find it necessary as proof for the last statement - to pre- 

 sent individual curves, worked out at niv office after the first results 



As a lately published Danish research work does not put much stress on this 

 momentum. H. J. Hansen, page 276: "As the main and last result of the 

 investigation it may then be definitely stated, that height is a function of the 

 energy of grovth conditioned by race and family, and that it only to a small 

 degree is influenced by cctiditions of nourishment and sanitation . . .". 



Quite lately is published a work by K. K a s s o w i t z, "Zur Frage der Be- 

 einflussung der Körperlänge und Körperfülle durch die Ernährung", Zeitschrift für 

 Kinderheilkunde, bd. XXX, p. 275. The following result from the investigation is 

 hereby quoted f bodily height is the matter in question"»: The propounded inherit- 

 able under-measure of proletarian children can by a quantitative optimal food 

 through several years, qualitative not much more than minimal, be changed to 

 "eine Übermässigkeit". 



