SOMATOMETRY ; THE MEASUREMENT OF THE BODY 155 



laterally, to bow the body forward, and to make other 

 motions which concern either the femur or the adjacent 

 parts. The shape of the process, and the position of its 

 highest point may thus be located with a fair degree of 

 accuracy. 



MEASUREMENTS 

 (a) General Considerations; Position of Subject 



In all measurements or other observations of the living subject 

 it must first be emphasized that one is engaged in the study of the in- 

 dividual bodily variations of an animal species, and that, in order to 

 obtain satisfactory results, the subjects, wherever possible, should be 

 studied in the nude. When for various reasons this is not practicable, 

 however, it will be found that the use of some slight covering does not 

 materially interfere with the measurements, although it may be fatal to a 

 number of other important observations which are conveniently made 

 at the time of the mensuration. Thus it has been found that in a mixed 

 class, or with observer and subject of opposite sex, the use of a simple 

 bathing-suit allows the majority of the measurements to be taken with 

 considerable accuracy, especially when the material of which the suit 

 is constructed is of a sort which yields with the underlying surface, and 

 does not restrain or confine in any way any part of the body. 



As to the position of the subject when measured, opinions differ, 

 the usual choice lying between two; (a) standing erect, and (6) placed in 

 a horizontal position upon a measuring table. In the first the subject 

 hands as erect as possible, with the heels together and with the arms and 

 stands hanging at the sides; the "military position." If, when in this 

 position, the exact heights above the floor of certain essential landmarks 

 be taken, many essential measurements may be obtained through the 

 subtraction of these numbers from one another, thus finding the dif- 

 ferences between them. To be exact, however, both the numbers 

 indicating heights, and the lengths obtained from them are really pro- 

 jections, and concern, not actual points, but the horizontal planes in 

 which the points lie. 



To illustrate; if, in a naturally hanging arm, with hand extended 

 downward, the distance of the floor from the points acromion, radiale, 

 stylion, and dactylion be accurately taken, the subtraction of the radiale 

 height from that of the acromion, will give the height of the upper arm, 

 that of the stylion height from the radial height gives the length of the 

 forearm (i.e., of the radius) ; and that of the dactylion height from that 

 of the stylion will give the length of the hand. The total length of arm 

 and hand is obtained by subtracting the dactylion height from that of 

 the acromion, and so on It will be noticed, however, as these heights 

 are each that of horizontal plane passing through the landmark in ques- 



