PHYSICAL DEGENERATION OF THE PEOPLE 243 



DEGENERATION AND POVERTY Alarming 



Remarkable Figures from Board Schools 

 Stunted Growth 



" Remarkable proof of the physical degeneration 

 caused by poverty has been obtained by an investigation 

 as to the heights and weights of the board-school children 

 of Glasgow. 



" Nearly 73,000 children were examined in the course 

 of this investigation, which was the most extensive ever 

 undertaken in Britain. A report by Dr W. Leslie Macken- 

 zie, medical member of the Local Government Board for 

 Scotland, and Captain A. Foster, Inspector of Physical 

 Training, on the statistics collected, was issued last even- 

 ing as a Blue book. 



" According to this the children were divided up into 

 four classes, those living in one room, two rooms, three 

 rooms, and four rooms and over. The average weight and 

 height of the boys, who ranged in age from five to eigh- 

 teen years, was as follows: 



Weight in Height in 



Pounds. Inches. 



One-roomed 52.6 46.6 



Two-roomed 56.1 48.1 



Three-roomed 60.6 50.0 



Four-roomed 64.3 51.3 



For girls the figures were : 



Weight in Height in 



Pounds. Inches. 



One-roomed 51.5 4^-3 



Two-roomed 54.8 47.8 



Three-roomed 59.4 49-^ 



Four-roomed 65.5 5^.6 



16a 



