212 On Criminal Anthroporaetry 
TABLE 27. 
Reconstruction of Height. 
From 
Probable Error 
Finger ... 
3-2671 
Cubit 
2-6127 
Foot 
2-9453 
Finger and Cubit 
2-6094 
Finger and Foot 
2-8651 
Cubit and Foot 
2-5136 
Finger, Cubit and Foot 
2-4919 
Finger, Cubit, Foot, Head Length, Head Breadth and Face Breadth 
2-4482 
It will be noted that we do not improve much on the result obtained from 
Cubit and Foot by taking into account Finger also ; nor on the result obtained 
from Cubit alone by taking into account Finger and Foot or even by the addition 
of all the remaining six characters. 
As a practical problem, it is conceivable that a medico-legal case might arise 
where it would be important to discover the most probable height, given a foot or 
a cubit ; the equations in (iii) and (ii) would enable us to reconstruct the height 
with a probable error of mm. and 2"6127 mm. respectively. 
(21) Examples of Reconstruction Formuke. I will illustrate the sort of errors 
that will be made by the use of these formulaj by applying them to the recon- 
struction of stature in ten cases selected at random from my material. 
The Table 28 shows the difference between the actual and the calculated 
heights, minus denoting that the calculated stature is in defect, plus that it is in 
excess. 
It will be noticed that the result of calculating from Finger and Cubit is 
practically the same as from Cubit alone. 
As was to be expected, the reconstruction is only approximate, but it is quite 
as good as the results obtained for the reconstruction of stature from the long 
bones*. Given the Cubit, the Finger and Cubit or the Foot and Cubit, we can 
estimate the stature with a probable error of about one inch. We see that the 
actual ten cases give deviations, plus and minus, clustered round the probable 
error of each method of estimating in quite a reasonable manner. Occasionally 
our estimate might be wrong by upwards of two inches, but such cases are rare. 
It is of course the old story : No formula will give the stature with very great 
closeness from the measurement of one or two other organs. If it did, organic 
relationship would be perfect correlation, variation would have ceased, and with it 
of necessity the Darwinian theory of evolution. Allowing accordingly for this 
limitation, I believe the results obtained to be of use for purposes of criminal 
investigation. For example a finger, cubit or foot having been discovered, and 
* Pearson: On the Keconstruction of the Stature of Prehistoric Eaces, Pliil. Trans. Vol. 192, A., 
p. 188. 
