Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-26
Are People
Getting Bigger
A1[he]lrne?

A RE men and women of today taller than their
a ancestors the Middle Ages? DO young girls and
boys mature at earlier age today than in days
gone by? Is there relationship between chlds phys
growth and his mental ability?
And what truth in the Naz concepts of race
which seek to that whole population taken as
race" have qualities in common
Franz Boas, who recently celebrated his SIND
birthday who perhaps the most renowned of anhro-
biologists has surprising answers.
He found, from his own studies and material which
many scientists placed at his disposal, that the
average man today is definitely inches taller
than the average in the Middle Ages This can
proven measuring the and the clothing of six
and seven centuries ago No goodsized modern soldier
could possibly fit into these suits,
DR. Boas also discovered that there is noticeable
speedup which children reach aduhood these
days From material which DIR. Milo Hellman of New
York gave Boas teeth have been supplant
ing baby teeth youngsters five months sooner on the
average in 1925 than 1915. And from study by Dr.
Nicholson of New York girls who entered their
adolescence at the average months in
1850 achieved at twelve years of on the
average, eight years later, in 1858.
AS to the relation bodily and mental develop
ent reported that information so far is seanty
Most suggestive the observations of Shuttleworth
in 1893 relation between mental and period of
maximum growth" said DR. Boas During the past year
grant from the Carnegie Corporation the
relation growth of the skeleton and the in
telgence quoent Although am fuly conscious OF the
limited significance of the intelligence quotent it may be
that expression of maturity and of intelligent
use of experience this significant in
group essentially the of experience
The material obtained from Lincoln School with
the help Hidreth measurements and X-ray
films of hands wrists made by DIR. Nicholas
Nicholson and Nussbaum and the calculations were
made by DR. D. Trachtenberg A study of the collected
showed that there unexpectedly high reia
ton between intelligence quotient and height it became
children who short for their age had an
intelligence quoent under the normal while those who
were tall for their age lad @ above the normal.
This DR. Boas FASTENED to point out, was true only
in several large groups studied does not that
short neone can not be mental hizzes DR. Boas himself
3rChoc tail Mr. Rpac alcnG
studies only chidrens growth and any rela
intelligence and height later on in life has
never so studied al all
When to theories, DIR Boas is certain that
the "cenetic lines" which compose varied
is ridiculous to assume that all its members are en-
dowed by their heredity with the same physoloGca ana
mental DR. Boas thinks this is just
absurd that all of the look exactly alike
1T is an utter ascrbe qualities to
whole population often called race explained DR. Boas
THE trouble with Her's conception of racial s1
periorty that he confusing racial inheritance and
family inheritance between which there is little similarity
In of my new classes at Columbia University asea
the students without telling them anything about each
other to classify fellow students to what they
considered Forty per of their guesses
wrong This proves that although there physical
between people cannot tell the race his
neighbor belongs to merely by looking at him"
As another example falacy racial superiority
Or pointed out that here America differences be-
een races That exist when the first generation comes
his country do exist the second Or Boas has
this With studies Of the gestures of italian and
families principally. because these gestures
easy study and the differences the second generation
great Shapiro studied differences between Japanese
orn in Japan their descendants born Hawaii While
third anthropologistp Bowie studied differences Har
ard students and their descendants.
Why young people reaching physical maturity, and
perhaps earlier today than they used DR. Boas
he knew explanation yet II has been assumed
ttat this was bettered conditions and
living habits and better diet and nutrition but this
S not absolutely Furthermore seem
% getting trigger and bigger indefinitely Studies ie
.vestern States indicate that the American has
reached maximum and is beginning get shorter.
AS long ago 1910, Or Boas showed that body pro-
portions are not stable previously believed that
taking population whole children do differ bodily
form from their parents At time years later
the findings Boas vigorously disputed but
today they are generally accepted In words when
people changed conditions they themselves
essarly change