PREFACE. 



This study of the hereditary factors of body-build is an outgrowth 

 of the author's activities in the office of the Surgeon-General of the 

 Army during the World War, where he was in charge of anthropology. 

 In the examination of thousands of young men the extraordinary 

 diversity of build was a striking fact. The question of its genetic 

 basis arose and the desire was stimulated to find out if those physi- 

 ologists are correct who account for variations from average build 

 solely on the ground of special conditions of food intake and activity, 

 and generally disregard the possibility that factors of heredity are 

 involved. It was anticipated that the study would be a minor one. 

 But, on account of the wealth of family data at the Eugenics Record 

 Office, the task assumed unexpectedly large proportions. Much cor- 

 respondence had to be undertaken to secure confirmation or correction 

 of the records, and the period of analysis of the materials grew from 

 months into years, while the manuscript of the text and tables 

 accumulated. 



Though it has added much to the bulk of the volume, it has seemed 

 desirable to print full details about the more critical cases. Geo- 

 graphical location, race, occupation, and diseases have been generally 

 given because they all bear upon build. The height and weight are 

 of course given, and these are usually in English measurements, since 

 they were first reported in that system. They are given in brief form 

 thus: "120/63 inches"; which means that the subject weighed L20 

 pounds (usually including clothing) and was 63 inches tall (without 

 shoes). The word "inches" is added as an indicator of the system of 

 measurement employed. In other cases English measures, or indices 

 based on them, are placed in parenthesis in accordance with scientific 

 custom. Net relative chest-girths, where given, are based on meas- 

 urements taken just below the axilla, are reduced to "on skin" 

 measurements by subtracting 3 centimeters for summer clothing and 

 6 centimeters for indoor winter clothing, and are divided by net 

 stature. 



To this book many persons have contributed. Hundreds have fur- 

 nished data on the Records of Family Traits. Dr. Bret Ratner kindly 

 responded to my request by having daily measurements made on 11 

 infants during the first 10 days of life. The photographs of men of 

 standard build were contributed by Dr. George L. Meylan; the photo- 

 graphs of boys on plate 3 were obtained for me by Dr. William 

 Burdick, of the Playground Association of Baltimore. Through the 



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