66 
Weights of Human Viscera 
TABLE III. Hearts with Kidneys. Number 1293. 
Mean Heart 13'14 ozs. Standard Deviation 4'134 ozs. 
Mean Kidneys 12'68 ozs. Standard Deviation 3*125 ozs. 
Correlation of Heart with Kidneys -2577 ±'0175. 
In this table the weight is that of the two kidneys taken together. To these 
results I add a table of the coefficients of variation*, so as to obtain some ap- 
preciation of the relative variability of the organs in question. 
TABLE A. 
Relative Variability in Weights. 
Organ 
Coefficient of Variation 
Hearts with Livers 
Hearts with Spleens 
Hearts with Kidneys ... 
Livers 
Spleens 
Kidneys 
34-59) 
31-12 > mean 32-39 
31-47 ) 
21-12 
50-58 
24-63 
The substantial difference between the weights of the heart in the cases when 
livers were measured with hearts and the cases when either spleens or kidneys 
were measured is due to the fact that the 1382 cases of the former only in part 
cover the 1292 to 1303 cases of the latter, the additional cases, amounting to three 
or four hundred, are due to entries in which only two or three weights were given. 
It seemed desirable to include all possible cases in order to utilise as much material 
as possible. But there has clearly been some special reason for measuring livers 
in the case of very large hearts which has not arisen in the case of spleens or 
kidneys. Thus with livers we have hearts up to 36 ozs., but with either spleens or 
kidneys only up to 28 ozs. 
On the whole with respect to both mean and variability, we may consider the 
hearts with spleens or kidneys to give a more reasonable approach to the biometric 
constants of the general hospital population than arises in the case of hearts with 
livers, where there is evidence of much more selection. 
We notice at once : 
(a) That the spleen is relatively much more variable than the heart, and the 
heart than the liver or kidneys. 
(b) That the heart mean is considerably higher than that usually given in 
anatomical text-books f. 
* The coefficient of variation = 100 x Standard Deviation -^Meau. 
t Peacock and Keid's result on 181 male hearts is a mean of 10-699 ozs. The coefficient of variation 
calculated from their figures by Pearson is 19 '825. For the liver, the mean (from 84 cases) is 53-48 
and the coefficient of variation 14-32 (Pearson ; op. cit. Vol. i. p. 316). It might, however, be better to 
compare these numbers with the results given later for the "healthy organs." Pearson says that we 
may probably conclude from Peacock's own statements that he " has cut off a considerable tail of really 
healthy hearts weighing over 12 ozs." (op. cit. p. 817). 
