TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 705 
urbanisation of our population on the character of the nation. ‘The following are 
some correlations that have been ascertained with more or less accuracy :— 
Pigmentation and Habitat (urban and rural). 
», Disease. 
Pe » Mental and moral characters. 
Intelligence ,, Over- and under-feeding. 
Social status ,, Physical and mental characters. 
Dentition » Nutrition. 
(iii) Zhe Aims and Function of Anthropometry in relation to the School. 
By F. C. Surussauy, JA., M.D. 
Anthropometrics covers everything in the structure and functions of the human 
body susceptible of definite measurement. 
The exactness of the data and ease of interpretation vary. To obtain valuable 
results exact conditions of experiment are necessary to reduce the number of 
variable factors at any given time. 
By means of correlations it is possible to determine the mutual changes in 
pairs of factors under the influence of some common cause. 
While the most reliable evidence is obtained as to physique, data can also be 
obtained for fatigue and for some mental processes. 
The chief need at present is to establish a series of norms and the allowable 
range of variation. Work in this direction has recently been done in the schools 
in London, Liverpool, Bradford, Dunfermline, and elsewhere. 
The value of food-supplies, surroundings, hours of sleep, &c., of children is 
being gradually determined, and it is probable that light will be thrown on the 
problems of the best forms of exercise for school children under different conditions, 
‘and possibly even on the arrangement of the curriculum. For these purposes 
considerable numbers of observations will be necessary, and these must have been 
made under practically uniform conditions, 
(iv) On the Practical Difficulties in obtaining Measurements of Growth 
in Schoolboys.| By E. Mryricx, B.A., F.R.S. 
Although the task of obtaining regular measurements of growth in schoolboys 
seems at first sight a simple one, the paucity of ‘such measurements shows that in 
practice considerable difficulties are met with. 
These are partly (1) essential, arising from such causes as the smallness of the 
differences to be apprehended, or the troublesome nature of some tests, which 
require practice in the boy tested; but more particularly (2) circumstantial, 
especially (a) causes of irregularity, such as illness, indolence or indifference, and 
preoccupation, and ()) causes of inaccuracy, such as inexpertness of operator, un- 
certainty of dates or age, variation of clothing or other conditions, and uneven or 
spasmodic rate of growth. These perturbations are so considerable that the final 
results would be nearly valueless unless available in bulk, when they are autu- 
matically corrected by the law of average. Some figures were given to show that, 
notwithstanding these difficulties, consistent results are obtainable, 
2. Report on the Conditions of Health essential to the carrying-on of the 
Work of Instruction in Schools.—See Reports, p. 421. 
3. Types of Physical Development in Schools. 
By Crecin Hawkins, J/.A. 
What the schoolmaster requires from a system of physical measurements is 
an easy means of discovering whether individuals or groups of individuals are 
thriving or the reverse. 
} Published in the School World for September 1907. 
1907. ZZ 
