3S« 



Life ami Letters of Francis Gallon 



The method is very suggestive and easy, but it assumes the normal 

 distribution of frequency to be the rule in the variation of anthropometric 

 characters. To doinonstnvte this we should have to compare our percentiles 

 in each citse with the theoretical distribution. There is no doubt tliat a large 

 number of physical measurements in man follow accurately enough for 

 practical work the normal distribution but the rule is far from universal. 

 Galton found when his deviations for all characters were reduced to their 

 res|)ective tpiartiles, that the average value of all the deviations at each of the 

 grades in the eighteen series closely corresponded to the normal series, though 

 individually they differed more or less from it, some in one way, some in 

 another. He gives the following table of deviations : 



This, while not demonstrating the truth of the normal distribution for every 

 anthropometric measurement, suggests at least that on the average there is 

 no persistent deviation from it. 



Galton concludes this chapter by stating that the properties of the law 

 of frequency of error are 



"largely available in anthropometric inquiry. They enable us to define the trustworthiness of 

 our result*, and to deal with guch interesting problems as those of correlation and family resem- 

 blance, which cannot be solved without its help. Anthropologists seem to have little idea of 

 the wide fields of inquiry op>en to them sts soon as they are prepared to deal with individual 

 variety and cease to narrow their view to the consideration of the Average." (p. 21.) 



F. MARKS FOR BODILY EFFICIENCY 



Galton's Chapter III is entitled: "On the Advisability of Assigning 

 Marks for Bodily Efficiency in the Examination of Candidates for those 

 Public Services in which Bodily Efficiency is of Importance'." We reach at 

 this point a topic in which Galton had a great and persistent interest, namely 

 the desirability of giving marks in comjjetitive examinations for physical as 

 well as mental j)roficiency. The development of anthropometric laboratories 

 with more or less standardised tests rendered such a proposal fairly f'etusible, 

 and for a time Galton pushed it energetically. It is of course related to his 

 earlier proposals for the selection of eugenic youths for endowment, these 

 being determined by lx)th intellectual and physical examination. 



Galton read his paper before the Anthropological Section of the British 

 Aasociation in 1889, and obtained a Report from the Council of that body in 

 fiivour of the proposal in the following year. He wrote at this time several 

 articles urging it« importance and he lectured on the subject. Galton says in 

 his Mcmones that he became convinced that although the proposal had strong 



' Thi« is part of the British Association memoir of 1889: see Report, pp. 471-3. 



