ON ASSIGNING MARKS FOR BODILY EFFICIENCT. 477 



already been done to a considerable extent at Cambridge, at Marlborouo-h 

 College and elsewhere. Thence to make tables, and to deduce diagrams 

 from them like that referiing to keenness of eyesight, in some cases, and 

 like that referring to breathing capacity in relation to weight, in others. 

 These will exactly determine the qualities of the men to be dealt with, in 

 a statistical sense. It is now the part of those who have to fix the scales 

 of marks to determine the grade at which rank shall begin to count, and 

 to arrange the weight to be given respectively to relative rank and to 

 absolute performance in each sort of examination. This and a few other 

 obvious preliminaries having been settled, the construction of consistent 

 scales of marks would follow almost as a matter of course. 



Experiments at Eton College on the Der/ree of Concordance hetween different 

 Examiners in assigning marks for Physical Qualifications. By A . A. 



SOMERVILLE. 



An experiment was made at Eton in July last, with the object of 

 obtaining information upon the following points : (1) whether it is 

 possible to frame a system of marking for physical excellence, ba.sed 

 partly upon Mr. Galton's system and partly upon medical examination ; 

 (2) whether marks assigned by medical examiners would be as safe a 

 test of excellence as those assigned, e.g. by examiners in English essay. 

 The experiment was conducted as follows. A list of points was drawn up 

 vrith the help of two able medical men. These points were: (1) breathing 

 capacity, as tested by the spirometer ; (2) hearing ; (8) eyesight, tested 

 by Snellen's type ; (4) strength, tested by the grip dynamometer ; (5) 

 endurance, tested as follows, — after the maximum reading of the dynamo- 

 meter had been obtained and registered for strength, it was again (as 

 nearly as possible) obtained, and the number of seconds during which the 

 candidate could hold the needle of tlie dynamometer between this reading 

 and the reading 10 below it was taken by a stop-watch ; (6) relation of 

 height to weight; (7) girth and shape of chest; (8) general muscular 

 developnient ; (9) health record, particular inquiries being made as to 

 rheumatism, asthma, and scarlatina; (10) general aspect and condition. 



The first five points depend solely upon measurement, and conse- 

 quently the marks of the two doctors are the same for those points. The 

 next point was marked, partly by impression, and partly by reference to a 

 table of averages, but it might be made to depend altogether upon 

 averages. The seventh and eighth points were marked partly by measure- 

 ment of chest, arms, and legs, and partly by examination. The last two 

 points depend altogether upon medical opinion, and involved a thorough 

 medical examination. Ten marks were assigned for each point, and the 

 examination was conducted independently by the two doctors in separate 

 rooms. Thirty-two boys were examined : (1) 20 Army Class boys, in- 

 cluding 10 .successful candidates at the recent Sandhurst and Woolwich 

 Further Examinations, 2 members of the Cricket XI., and 2 members 

 of the Rowing Eight ; (2) G other members of the XI. ; (3) the remain- 

 ing 6 members of the Eight. The following table gives the final results, 

 average differences per cent, being calculated with reference to a maxi- 

 mum 50, as the marks for the first five points are the same for the two 

 examiners. (N.B.— Letters are substituted for the names of the boys.) 



