KErOKX OF THE ANTHROPOMETRIC COMMITTEE. 



141 



Table XVII. — Comparative Statement of the Annual Growth of a cer- 

 tain number of American Boys and Girls (12 boys and 13 girls) as 

 far as recorded, from birth to 22 years of age, abstracted from the 

 following Table. 



The accompanying charts, Nos. II. and III. (Plates V. and VI.), show 

 tracings of Prof. Bowditch's observations on the successive growth in 

 stature of twelve boys and thirteen girls nearly related in blood and of 

 the professional class. The tracings for each individual cannot be fol- 

 lowed throughout on account of the intersections and overlapping which 

 occur, but they are sufficiently distinct to show the relative course which 

 each and all have run. A marked feature iu the charts when compared 

 together is the greater regularity and parallelism of the growth of girls, 

 especially at the earlier periods of life. From this it is obvious that the 

 physical development of boys is subject to more powerful modifying 

 agencies than that of girls, which is attributable to the more varied lives 

 lx)ys lead, and to the lower degree of viability which they possess even 

 from the period of birth. Some of the irregularities shown by the trac- 

 ings are probably due to slight errors of observation, but the deviations 

 in direction are clearly due to external causes ; if the tracings had been 

 made at the time the measurements wei'e taken, and the apparent causes 

 of the deviations had been recorded, we should possess some very in- 

 teresting charts of the physical history of each individual, and many 

 useful facts illustrating the influence of media on the growth of the human 

 body. 



