INHERITED VARIATIONS AND FITNESS PROBLEMS 473 



each type discloses an age incidence firmly grounded in the relation of hered- 

 ity to longevity. Therefore, scapular types are useful: (1) in studies of 

 human inheritance; (2) as permanent morphological bases or "constants" 

 for correlating coexistent inherited variations, anthropometric measure- 

 ments and indices; (3) as conditional indices of inherited constitution in 

 relation to health, disease, education, duration of life and adaptation in 

 general; and (4) as dependable measures of fitness (excellent, good or poor) 

 of any group, of any community or of any people. 



MODERN CIVILIZATION AND HUMAN FITNESS 



The question is often asked: Do the benefits of modern civilization tend 

 to preserve the unfit and the relatively unfit? This question could be defi- 

 nitely and decisively answered by securing an accurate scapular classifica- 

 tion on the young (six to fifteen years) or the old (sixty to seventy years), 

 representing an adequate cross-section of any civilized people at this time 

 and again one or more generations hence. A definite increase of convex types 

 in the young or the old would be a positive indication of racial improvement ; 

 whereas, a definite increase of scaphoid types in the young or the old would 

 a positive indication of racial deterioration. 



CAUTION LN INTERPRETATION 



In interpreting the results derived from scapular classification, one must 

 never forget that scapular types are among the many inherited features compris- 

 ing the total make-up of human beings. The part, either mathematically 

 or biologically, can never be equal to the whole, nor can the whole be 

 greater than the sum of all of its parts; therefore whether the individual 

 possesses a convex or a scaphoid, it should never be interpreted other than in 

 connection with his total physical and mental make-up (excellent, good or 

 poor). 



Even a few observations will show that many poorly-adaptable persons 

 are possessors of convex types, and many excellently-adaptable persons are 

 possessors of scaphoid types. Who they are, and how many among the 

 bearers of the convex are the poorly-adaptable; who they are, and how many 

 among the bearers of the scaphoid are the excellently-adaptable, can only 

 be determined by considering the factors of inheritance and environment and 

 by evaluating the inherited variations coexistent with a particular scapular 

 type in each person. The age incidence of scapular types and its explana- 

 tion on the known relation of heredity to longevity shows that inherited 

 variations in general, and scapular types in particular, are dependable indi- 

 cations of fitness (excellent, good or poor) of any group, of any community, 



