36 ALES' HRDLIKA 



The first law of anthropometry being precision, the second is that of 

 simplicity. 



The goal of rational anthropometry is the greatest possible simplicity 

 of procedure in measurements, in the treatment of data, in publica- 

 tion. A profusion of measurements marks the beginner, the amateur, 

 the absorbed impractical teacher. The experienced, clear-sighted 

 observer will be seen to take only such measurements and observations 

 as will most help him to describe a given people, or bring out the 

 salient points on a collection of specimens. He has two golden rules 

 in this connection which he follows first, to attempt no measurements 

 on the living which can be more easily and accurately secured on the 

 skeleton; and second, to include no more measurements on any occa- 

 sion than can be secured on the largest obtainable number of subjects 

 or specimens. 



It is self-evident that there can be little use of spending valuable 

 time in trying to take measurements on the living for which the land- 

 marks are uncertain or which call for resented exposures, so long as 

 we may obtain skeletal remains of the people in question on which the 

 problems involved may be studied with greater facility; and it would 

 be a poor anthropological procedure which would give preference of 

 the number of measurements to the number of subjects to be examined. 

 The number of measurements and observations may safely be said to 

 be as a rule subordinate to the number of subjects studied, and to 

 interests of prompt elaboration and publication of the data. 



The treatment and analysis of the secured data are naturally pro- 

 cedures of the greatest importance, for on them will depend, next to 

 the accuracy of the data, the value of the report to be published. 



Due to the nature of anthropological measurements and observa- 

 tions, their treatment must be in part mathematical and in part 

 biological, but both of these methods are capable of unnecessary 

 complexities. Given a completed series of trustworthy data, the 

 objects of the student naturally will be, first, to extract out of these 

 data their full anthropological value; and second, to present these 

 results in the most scientific and at the same time assimilable form to 

 the forum of his fellow anthropologists. All this calls again essen- 

 tially for solidity and simplicity. The publications should be free 

 from "unfinished business" and perplexing formulae. They must not 

 be an extension of the laboratory blackboard or scrap-paper. The 

 calculations and analyses, whatever their nature may be, are parts of 

 the preparation of the material, and except in explanatory notes 



