HERITABLE BASIS OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY 79 



characterize the criminal type. Statistical methods, however, 

 provide a means of testing such a supposition by enabling us to 

 compare the standard deviations of the characteristics tabulated. 

 The standard deviation, a measure of the average departure of 

 individuals from the mean of the group, gives us a precise measure 

 of the variability of the group dealt with. By comparing the 

 standard deviations of the curves of variability for any measur- 

 able character in criminals and non-criminals it can be determined 

 which class of men exhibits the greater average degree of variation. 

 This method is much more precise and valuable than the loose 

 enumeration of particular cases which is so often found in writings 

 on criminal anthropology. When applied to criminals by 

 Goring (he applied the standard deviation for thirty-seven 

 physical characters both in the criminal sub-groups and in the 

 criminal group in general) , it was found that the characters of the 

 sub-groups of criminals had much the same range of physical 

 variability, and that criminals as a whole compared with different 

 classes of non-criminals fail to show any significantly greater 

 range of variation in the physical features of which measurements 

 were obtained. 



The doctrine that the born criminal is an anomalous, atavistic 

 creature set apart from the rest of mankind by the possession of 

 a physical and mental organization that inevitably disposes him 

 to evil is rejected as without adequate basis of fact. "There is no 

 such thing as an anthropological criminal type." 



But while denying the existence of a specific type of criminal, 

 Goring is careful to state that criminals are discriminated from 

 the law-abiding public by certain general physical and mental 

 characteristics. His standpoint is best stated in his own words: 

 "Reviewing the general trend of our results, it would seem that 

 the appearances, stated by anthropologists of all countries to be 

 peculiar to criminals, are thus described because of a too separate 

 inspection and narrow view of the facts by these observers. They 

 cannot see the wood for the trees. Obsessed by preconceived 

 beliefs, small differences of intimate structure have been uncriti- 

 cally accepted by them, and exaggerated to fit fantastic theories 



