The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-04
IN HEIGHT.

here in their infancy. It was demon
strated by these Investigators that
there were racial variations, and that
these variations would have to be Ia
ken into account In determining the
fitness OF the individual boy or girl
to enter the Industrial forces OF the
country. '
Drs. Frankel and Dublin brought out
the fact that The examining officer
whose duty It Is to determine the Mt
ness OF children to be subjected to the
strain of industrial work has a large
discretionary power. 1t Is important
that he should have at his disposal
bases for determining I'm some way
other than by personal impression the
question Of whether or not an appli-
cant conforms TO reasonable standards.
How. then, shall we proceed with the
establishment of norms to govern tho
solution OF this problem, and what
shall these norms be?" DR., Kilmer
has answered this query in an essen-
tial particular by supplying a photo
graphic means of making exact meas
urements, and thus eliminating the
casual personal impression, and by
providing permanent records which;
ten as desired. r
Conditions Correctly Recorded.
No matter what may be the period
OF life OF the person submitting to
physical examination, the Kilmer men,
surgraph furnishes positive means by
which conditions at different intervals
can be correctly recorded for COM
,a,-le .
be possible to direct and to control ap-
propriately the application OF correc-
tive exercises. agencies. &C. The els
ment of guesswork has heretofore in
vited mistakes of one sort or another
that touched the subsequent welfare
of the children. the adoescents and
the adults under consideration. This
factor OF error is now minimized by
the mensurgraph SO far as the body's
outward signs are involved. These ex-r
ternal indices are capable of telling a
vast deal to the professional eye. ana
they reveal more the longer they are
subjected to critical study.
The United States military authors
ties have been extremely interested IN
DIR. Kilmer's invention; in fact. the
powers that be IN Washington re-
quested that he should not make pub
l!c his system until after tho first OF
the present month. In what way the
army medical service has been using
the method Is not disclosed for publ
cation. However, It is reasonably fair
to assume that the mensurgraph was
or might have been employed to ad-
vantage In building up n comprehen-
sive file OF identification records OF
our fighting men. Similarly it Is not
hard TO visualize the physiological
data that might have been gathered
through this medium showing the
outward bodily benefits resulting from
camp routine and the soldier training.
Finally. to bring this Photographic
method of measurements into another
realm Of service II Is self-evldent how
II could be adopted to advantage in po-
lice work. The Identification OF the
criminal or the Identification OF others.
for one reason or another. could b.
thus established beyond dispute Even
though the face may change In some
OF its contours by reason OF health,
illness or part way Disagreement, stiTl.
as DIR. Kilmer brings out. there arc
certain points, cnaraCterlstlc OF tno
individual which do not change essen
TALLY IN their measurements and their
relations to one another Tho mensur-
graph will register these; and be-
cause Of the scale employed 1t will bs
practicable to enlarge the picture to
exact life size and know that this on
largement is true In every detail,
The invention In itself is simplicity
personihed. but with the examples
cited any fertile minded person will
conceive innumerable directions in
which the mensurgraph would be OF
worth while service. It will make IL
possible for us to follow complex de-
velopments Or evolutlons Of physical
processes IN all departments Of AMI
mate existence. -l