The Opelousas courier., 1904-10-15
WHEN We GET OUR GROWTH.
SOME CURIOUS POINTS ON gov
AND GIRL DEVELOPMENT.
Facts Picked Up by the Scientists
American Youth of Both Sexes Are
Taller and Heavier Than of Old.

When and how and how long do
we grow?
In his e work on Adolescence"
Just published by the Appletons,
prof. G. Stanley Hall devotes a great
deal Of space to this question and
cites many observers.
He notes that from May, 1882, to
FEBRUARY, 1886, Malling-Hansen, di-
rector OF the deaf-mute institution at
copenhagen, daily weighed 1870 of
his boys, and for the last two years
OF that period daily measured them.
he found that the weight of an aver
age boy from nine to fifteen years
passed three annual periods of
change. The period of greatest
growth was from August to the mid
die OF December. During the second
o and a half months, till the end
Oh April growth was of average rate,
ana it was least for the next three
months, ending with July. For growth
IN height the minimal period begins
In August and lasts till near the end
OF November, the middle period lasts
four months, till the end Of March,
and the maximal period lasts four
n a half months, to the middle of
August.
increase In weight varies with local
temperature, SO that all these changes
the author ascribes to the sun.
Malling-Hansen suggests in the in
terests Of proportion that children
who are in danger Of remaining short
and thick go gradually south to warm.
er climates toward the end Of sum-
mer, and so be removed from the in
iuence OF the maximal period of
growth in thickness. Conversely, a
tall, slender child must be removed
from the influence of the maximal Pc
Rod of growth in height by being
taken slowly north in April.
This theory of possible regulation
by travel is interesting. However,
Prot. Hall remarks that its practi-
cability remains yet to be tested"
Many studies show a diminished
rate Of growth beginning at six years
or seven and continuing with various
oscillations until about ten years in
girls and twelve years in boys.
Certain Milwaukee studies led to
the conclusion that boys r taller
than girls till the twelfth year and
heavier till the thirteenth, but from
thirteen to fifteen girls are both tall
er and heavier.
Afterwards. the boys exceed in both
height and weight, and girls almost
cease to grow at seventeen.
Swedish boys grow heavy fastest
through the sixteenth and part of
the seventeenth year. They reach
the maximum rate Of growth in
height from the fifteenth to the
seventeenth year, and pass American
boys in height and weight in the
nineteenth year.
There are many opinions as to the
| age at which growth in height stops.
DR.. Edward Hitchcock, who meas
| ures Amherst students, insists that
| growth continues up to t~Wenty-six
| yeaE-"whether longer or not, our
data. do not show"
DR.. Boyer writes that in a list OF
height averages based upon 5000 re-
cruits, it appears that while there is
no increase from t~wenty-four to
twenty-five nearest birthday there
Is an increment of one-tenth of an
inch at the tWenty-sixth year. He
says he knows that exercise has been
followed by a very slight increase in
| height at a late period in life, and
suggests that If poor personal by
| giene or bad conditions prevented
men from attaining predestined
| heights during the usual periods OF
growth the change to more favorable
influences may cause a reawakenins
Of dormant, undeveloped centres and
in this manner aid nature in making
up for lost opportunities at a later
period than is usual"
rs the race or are Americans
growing?"
DR.. Anderson. physical instructor
of Yale, thinks the Yale men of to
day average nearly an inch taller than
those OF twenty years ago, also thai
they are heavier and more muscular
Mr.. Goldie, for thirty-four years gym
nastic director at Princeton, says
that thirty years ago the average
student was 5 feet Z liz inches tai
and weighed about 140 pounds
whereas today the average student Il
half ain inch to an inch taller ane
weighs not less than 145 pounds.
Prot. p. G. Phillips, Of Amherst
thinks the young women OF our col
leges are almost certainly an incl
taller ana four Or Ave pounds heay
Ter than they we're ten years ago.
and that "the young ma Of today Il
taller and heavier than the man pre-
yious to 1894"
The average height OF the Ameri
can soldier is 6 feet Z IL inches II
his stockings. He is both heaviel
and taller and has larger chest meas
urs than the soldier of any othel
country save only Scandinavia.