346 A//V' (ind Ldteria of Franrix O alt on 



lectiwl i>ap«city, and mental character, and will subetitute concise and exact numerical values for 

 •erboHi' and clis|iutablc estinmt<>«'. ItH niethtMlg necestuirily liifler for dift'en-iit faculties ; some 

 mousurementH an* nia<le liy the foot-rule, others by scales, others by the watch ; health is 

 measured by the fre<iuency and character of illness ; the remaituler by j>erformances in the 

 ■chool or on the playground. Anthropometry funiishes the readiest method of ascertaining 

 whether a Iwy is developing normally or otherwise, and how far the average conditions of pupils 

 at one institution differ from those at others. Though partially practised at every school — 

 for example in all examinations — it« powers are far from being generally understood, and its 

 range is much too restricted. But as an inten-st in anthropometry has arisen and progressed 

 during recent years, it is t<j be expected that the good sense of school authorities, assisted by 

 the exjjert knuwknlge of me<lical men, anthrojKjlogi.sts, and statisticians, will gradually intro- 

 duce improvement* in its metluKls and enlargement of its 8C(>])e." 



This passage is noteworthy as it indicates how fully Galton had come to 

 realise that tlie complete anthropometric lahoratory must take measure- 

 ments not only of statical physique and psychical characters, hut also of the 

 dynamic workings of the Ixxly, and generally of its physiological and medical 

 fitness. What a stage onwards from that thin end of the wedge which sug- 

 gested a measurement of stature, and ohtained some half-dozen statical 

 charactere! But when we have got all this information, what is its value? 

 Galton was not bent on describing what the school anthropometric laboratory 

 should do for the Ixjy, but what it should do for the man into which he 

 developed. He regretted the deplorable and widespread lack of knowledge 

 of the true value of anthropometric forecasts. Who can answer the questions : 



"How far does success or failure in youth foretell success or failure in later years 1 What 

 is the prophetic value of anthrojwmetry at school in respect to health, strength and energy in 

 afterlife t" 



Indeed these matters are only yet on their trial: Will the data collected 

 in a fully equipjjed anthropometric laboratory recording the j)hysic{il, mental, 

 medical or other characters be able to make a forecast of the best career for a 

 young man, or the probable success or failure in after life of its examinees? 

 It will take twenty to tiiirty years to correlate well-selected mejisurements 

 with experience in after careers. Galton realised this and wished to prepare 

 the way for obtaining a life-history of the boys who had been measured in 

 the school anthropometric lalxjratories. 



"The first conclusion to be emphasised is that no programme for anthropometry in any 

 adiool can be considered complete unless it provides for the collection of data during the after- 

 livM of their pupils." 



Every fourth year, Galton suggests, the "old boy" should receive a 

 schedule and return it with an accoinit of his doings in life, his health, 

 vif^our, his profession and achievements, his marriage and children. These 

 four-yearly reports would be combined in one dossier with his school anthro- 

 pometric measurements record. The schedule of these records would leave 

 a s|)ace for one sheet of family history to be obtained from the hoy's parents 

 when he was about to leave school, which he himself would verify later, and 

 there would Ix* space for a few photograj)h8. 



Such was Galton's scheme in brief abstract. It will \ye seen to approach 

 closely the eugenic record proposed many years previously, but now asso- 



' It would be difficult to excel this passage as a description of anthropometry. 



