*GROWTH OF HOBART SCHOOL BOYS. 823 
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF HOBART 
SCHOOL BOYS, WITH SOME NOTES 
ON ANTHROPOMETRY. 
By Curistian BJELKE-PETERSEN. 
{ Plates. ] 
Tue desire for a more exact knowledge about the physical 
development of Tasmanian boys, and the wish to compare 
them with other races, led me into the work, the result of 
which I am about to put before you. The Honourable the 
Minister of Education was favourable to my plan, and 
kindly issued a circular to the Head Masters of the Hobart 
State schools asking them to give me the opportunity of 
examining the children. My assistant and I examined 
over 500 boys. 
The following were the data collected :-—Name of pupil, 
age last birthday, birth-place, birth-place of father, birth- 
place of mother, weight, height; girths of neck, chest con- 
tracted, chest expanded, waist, right fore-arm, right upper- 
arm (with biceps contracted), left fore-arm, left upper-arm 
(biceps contracted), right thigh, right calf, left thigh, left 
calf. 
When including so many girth-measurements, I was quite 
aware that this was unusual, but I was desirous of having 
material from which to work out a complete graphic chart 
that would be useful to teachers and parents interested in 
the physical development of the young. I have vainly 
looked for such a chart in the hand-books on anthropometry 
from other countries, and at last attempted to make one 
myself. 
It has been proved in the science of anthropometry that 
the measurement of a large number of individuals is not 
necessary to show the rate of growth and development, as 
long as the group measured is complete. I decided to tabu- 
late the measurements of school boys aged 8 to 15 years, 
both inclusive, taking 50 in each group, with exception of 
the last age (15 years), where I had 33; of course, no 
attempt at selection was made. All the boys are State 
school pupils, except a few in the last two groups; as I 
could not get enough of those ages, |] augmented with a few 
from other schools. 
