52 ALES' HRDLI^KA 



ANTHROPOMETRY ON THE LIVING. INSTRUMENTS 



The instruments used in measurements on the living, with the 

 exceptions of the compasses and the tape, are different from those 

 used in measuring skeletal material. Also, there is not yet as com- 

 plete uniformity in these instruments as might be desirable. Matters 

 of this nature in all branches of science are largely those of evolution 

 and the eventual survival of the fittest. 



Most of the anthropometric instruments or their prototypes owe 

 their development to the pioneers of the Ecole d'Anthropologie, 

 Paris, and more particularly to Paul Broca, the first director of the 

 Ecole and the father of anthropometry. The ingenuity and great 

 service of Broca in this regard have not yet received a due apprecia- 

 tion. The instruments are partly non-metallic and partly metallic, 

 partly fixed and partly free, and in some instances they differ some- 

 what according to whether they are to be used in the laboratory or 

 in the field. 



The instruments essetitial for measurements on the living are the 

 planes or rods for measuring the stature, sitting height and the span; 

 the spreading and the sliding compasses or calipers, for measuring 

 the head, the facial parts and the hands; the large sliding compass for 

 measuring the diameters of the chest, pelvis and feet; the anthro- 

 pometric tape for measuring circumferences of the head, body and 

 limbs; and certain accessories such as the dynamometer, color scales 

 etc. They may briefly be described as follows: 



1. The Anthropometric Plane of Broca. Made of thoroughly 

 seasoned wood, 1 meter high, 12.5 cm. broad, 1.5 cm. in thickness, 

 stained dull yellow, varnished; graduated in centimeters full across, 

 in half-centimeters one-half or two-thirds across, and in millimeters 

 along the left or both margins. Marking plain, easily legible. The 

 upper edge provided with two eye-screws or other device for hanging; 

 and the plane may be hinged at the 70 or 75 cm. mark for easier 

 transportation (A. H.). la. Square (Adjunct). Two pieces of light 

 wood, 18 cm. long by 12 broad by 1.2 in thickness, joined at right 

 angles, and provided on the inside, in the middle line, with a narrow 

 strip serving as a handle; stained and varnished as 1. 



