270 Proceedings of the lloijcd Irish Academy. 



physical endowments of the student couhl be ascertained, and their de- 

 velopment "vratched. And yet these are qualities which, in most walks of 

 life, are of scarce less importance to the individual than the intellectual. 



It was therefore determined that, whilst all classes of people should 

 be encouraged to come to the Laboratory for measurement, the local 

 work should be directed mainly to the study of the students of Dublin. 

 Already most valuable and striking results had been obtained and 

 published by ]Mr. Yenn in a similar line of work carried out on the 

 Cambridge students. Mr. Yenn divides the Cambridge students into 

 three classes, and distinguishes these by the letters A, B, and C. 

 Class A includes the first class men in any Tripos examination, and 

 also Scholars in the various colleges ; class B comprises all remaining 

 "honour men" ; whilst in class C are placed the "poll-men," or or- 

 dinary degree men, together with those who have had the misfortune 

 to be "plucked" at their examinations. The physical differences 

 detected between these three classes may be stated in Mr. Yenn's own 

 words : — 



"1. In respect of height, weight, breathing, and squeezing power 

 there is little or no difference between any of the classes. 



"2. In respect of eyesight there is a decided inferiority in the A's 

 as compared with the B's and C's taken together ; and 

 in respect of ' pull ' a similar inferiority of A to B and 

 B to C. 



"3. In respect of head measurement there is a decided superiority 

 of A's over B's, and B's over C's." 



The students which we have measured have also been classified 

 according to the ability which they have shown at their examinations, 

 and into groups as nearly as possible corresponding to the classes of 

 Mr. Yenn. We find the differences between our three classes very 

 slight, and what difference there is appears to be mostly in favour of 

 ■our middle class B. Tlie detailed results will be found in the body 

 of the paper. 



In comparing the Cambridge and Dublin results, it must be borne 

 in mind that in Cambridge no less than 1400 students were tested ; 

 whilst in Dublin, although our researches have been carried over a 

 much longer period, we have only been able to induce 257 to come to the 

 Laboratory. In Cambridge the greatest amount of interest was taken 

 in the investigation by teachers and students of all faculties ; in Dub- 

 lin, I regret to say, the interest was almost exclusively confined to 

 the medical students. On account of this we have little to say about 

 head-growth in its relation to University study — a branch of the 



