Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-06
START QUEST FOR TYPICAL
AMERICAN is UNDERWAY
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskih

WASHINGTON, July s-Is there
such a thing as the typical Ameri-
can-typiCal in physiognomy. stat
ure. hgnre, complexion and the
like? Scientists of the Smithsonian
Institution Say there is not, and they
ought TO know for they have been
making an exhaustive study of the
question for a period of eight years
There is a tendency toward the de-
vefopment Of an American type of
man or woman, but tina! is all
In the extensive investigation of
the physical and physiological feat
ures of the Oldest and most Ameri-
can element in the population of the
United States some 100 Individuals
were examined. Only healthy men
and women ranging in age from "a
to 65 years and with at least three
generations American born on each
parental side were included in the
| study and most of them were sub
jected to examination under stand
ardized conditions and with the
best instruments as well as care at
the National Museum.
Difficulty in finding "S~pecimens'
who would fill all the requirements
explains the length of time requir-
ed for the investigation. 1t was
found necessary to make trips to
parts of New England and into the
South, and in the end the individ-
uals chosen may be said to represent
all walks of life and all occupations.
An especially interesting group was
found among the mountaineers of
Tennessee and neighboring regions,
where an unusually large percentage
of the people are said to be of direct
[ American descent for many genera
! tions.
Not the least important feature
of the study was the determination
of the temperature, pulse and res
piraton standards of these represent
tatve "old Americans. Physicians
an anthropologists will find the re-
suit of this phase of the work very
valuable, as the figures arrived at
may be accepted as standards. The
mean temperature, aiken at rest,
the subject seated and with the
Thermometer under the tongue. was
9S.6 for the man and 9S.S
for the The mean pulse
under similar conditions was II per
minute for 1he men and rs for the
twomen. The mean respiration was
- B'i ~ ~
1872 for the me
Tall Stature Characteristic
Tall stature is characteristic of
these men and women who may be
said to be representative of old
Americans. In fact, If a few small
| groups are disregarded. they are the
tallest of whites, the average height
for he men being five feet eight
inches and for the women, fly feet
four inches. This superiority in
stature is in part a distinctly. Amer
lean acquisition, and is one. of the
tendencies noted toward the devel-
opment of a type.
DR.. Ales Hrdlicka. curator of the
liDivision of Physical Anthropology in
the United States National Museum.
who had charge of the study. made
the first announcement relative to
II in a p read before the Second
international Congress of E'ugenics
eat the American Museum OF Natural
History in New York. In discuss-
ing the characteristics of the men
and women examined he said:
They are mostly relatively spare
in early adult life, with rather a
tendency to overweight later IN. In
this connection there appears one
serious tearuTe-iIldny ol Liz SOuhS-
err women are behind their due
standard. Then chests. their mus
cles. are not as well developed as
are those of the men. The men
in the average, are in every way a
fine lot. The non-working women
many of them. are physically some
what neglected, which calls for ar
improvement. Naturally this does
not apply to the farm girl or the
athletic girl. or the one whose de-
velopment has been supervised and
assisted in n high-class college; bu'
there is a large proportion who dc
not fall into these classes, and 1t Is
these who show sub-development.
BIT the American woman shows
a superior head. The size of hel
head is somwehat above what it us
ually is in relation to the average
head of the male, and it Is also per
: ceptibly above that indicated by hel
stature. As the size of the head
means a corresponding size of brain
we have here a highly favorable
condition. The form of the head II
the old American stock differs wide,
Iy, according to parentage.
< "A much greater progress II