IMPROVEMENT IN ANTHROPOMETRICAL MEASURING STAFF
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN WILLIAM WADDINGTON of 2 Vincent Street Bradford in the County of
York Chemist and Druggist do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENT IN ANTHROPOMETRICAL MEASURING STAFF to be as follows:-
Improvement in anthropometrical measuring staff according to this invention
consists principally of five parts, made of wood, brass and iron to measure the
human body in length of stature, neck, arms, legs and trunk, seperately, accurately
expeditiously and without calculation.
The staff being fixed perpendicularly to its foot and having a suitable downward
groove the five parts of this invention are moveable and fixable heigher or lower
on the staff. To describe them one after another in the same order as they are
down the staff the first part is only a sliding measure which is connected to a
socket having a single arm and what I call a stoping screw to stay the socket at
defferent heights on the staff, the socket, arm, and screw being similar to some
others which are used in a similar manner in measuring the height of persons.
The second part consists of a socket with a stoping screw, a pair of metal plates
with a pair of holes in them, a librating beam the fulcrum of which works in the
two holes of the plates: the beam librates with two arms on, the arms projecting
in a level direction, each arm having been leveled lengthwise by adjustment of the
two plates to the socket. The arms can be slided sideways on the beam, ani
extended longer or shorter or screwed fast thereto as they may be required.
The third part consists of a socket, a stoping screw, a sliding measure upwards,
and one downwards.
The fourth part consists of a socket and a stoping screw.
The fifth part consists of a socket, a stoping screw, a sliding measure upwards,
a pair of metal plates with a pair of holes in them, a librating beam the fulcrum
of which works in the two holes in the plates. The beam librates with two arms
on, the arms projecting in a level direction each arm having been leveled length-
wise by adjustment of the two plates to the socket. The arms are slideable
sideways on the beam.
All the sliding measures slide in the groove of the staff, each having a scale of
inches and tenths of inches marked from their respective sockets.
In employing this improved anthropometrical ineasuring staff the person to be
measured has to stand with his feet to a mark on the foot of the staff, straight up,

page_text: centrically under the single arm (2) The arm is allowed to fall on his head and
stoped by the screw of the socket (3) His arms and fingers being straight down,
the arms of the fifth part are raised to his long fingers and the socket stoped (4)
The extremities of the arms of the second part are adjusted to the collar-bones;
the arms are then screwed to the beam and raised a few inches and then allowed to
fall upon the bones and the socket stoped (5) The third part is raised to the socket
of the second part and screwed there (6) The socket and arms of the second part
are loosened and are raised untill the arms are an inch or two heigher than his ears,
then the socket is stoped, and after ear-probes a few inches long are placed into his
ears and which are held there straight out by a frame being held firmly upwards
by the person himself the arms are extended so as to be over the probes and
screwed fast to the beam, then allowed to fall on the probes and the socket stoped.
And lastly the probes removed.
The measurements are indicated according to the following description:-(1) The
stature is shown on the measuring staff on the left hand of the groove at the lower
side of the socket of the single arm. (2) The length of neck, from the collar-bones
to the ears, on the underside of the second part on the upper sliding measure of the
third part (3) The mean length of arms from the long finger ends to the collar-
bones on the sliding measure of the fifth part, the scale of inches being so numbered
that the length of arms will be indicated on the underside of the third part.
(4) The mean length of legs by the first part measuring downwards the inverted
sitting height of the person, the top side of the fourth part being adjusted there
and stoped, the scale on the lower part of the staff on the right hand of the groove
being so numbered that the underside of the fourth part will indicate the mean
length of the legs on the measuring staff (5) The length of trunk, from the collar-
bones to the mean length of the legs will be indicated at the top side of the fourth
part on the downward sliding measure of the third part.
110OE

page_text: 1
:
Improvement in Anthropometrical Measuring Staff.
:
I JOHN WILLIAM WADDINGTON of 33 Abingdon Street Bradford in the county
of York late Chemist and Druggist. do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENT IN ANTHROPOMETRICAL MEASURING STAFF and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
J
Improvement in Anthropometrical measuring staff according to my invention
consists principally of six parts & which are used in connection with an Anthropo-
metrical measuring staff which has simply a foot board for persons to stand on and
a rectangular bar to measure stature.
:
}
The six new parts are four sockets with their appendages; a sitting height
measuring staff and a pair of what I call Ear-probe-headed calipers They are
made of wood, brass, & iron : so joined or applied to the older parts as to enable a
person to measure to, & from, different parts of the human body: the stature
the depth of head the length of neck, trunk, arms, and legs; seperately, accurately,
expeditiously and without calculation.
All these parts-new and old-are described in words, and with drawings as
follows
The foot board has five feet fixed on the underside. The staff is fixed perpen-
dicularly to the board, having a suitable downward groove to receive three sliding
measures. There are five sockets to slide up and down this staff, each having a
particular point or line of measurement; a pinching screw, and a metal plate, each
plate to be pinched against the staff to hold the socket with the particular point
or line of measurement at distances from one another to correspond or be equal to
the distances of the points of measurements of the body of the person who may
have been measured. The uppermost socket having a rectangular bar and a peg-
hole. The four sockets below the bar have each a sliding measure attached
preferably upwards: the first below having its sliding measure to slide through a
groove in the end of the bar adjoining the staff. It has also a librating beam with
two extendable horizontal arms on, which can be tightened by two compressing
screws as may be required to extend or fix them. There are three plates two of
which are fixed to the socket and the one to be pinched against the staff each of
these plates have a hole in which the fulcrum of the beam works. The 2nd 3rd
& 4th below the bar have their sliding measures situated respectively from left to
right in the groove in the staff: the 4th having a librating beam with two hinges
to be doubled to shorten the beam when not in use, and two rectangular, horizontally
extended arms on, slidable sideways. There are three metal plates, two of which
are fixed to the socket, and the one to be pinched against the staff. Each of these
plates have a hole in which the fulcrum of the beam works.
The sitting height measuring staff is for to obtain on the other staff the measure-
ment of the mean length of the two legs of persons. It slides up and down in a
hole in a chair-bottom: and has a socket with a pinching screw and a rectangular
arm. The arm is to be on the persons head when sitting to be measured. This
socket has a peg standing out at one of its sides to fit the peg-hole which is in the

page_text: uppermost socket of the longer staff. The shorter staff has also another socket,
but which has to be loosely on the staff and on the chair-bottom, and which has to
be pinched to the staff at the time the arm above is on the head of the person.
The ear-probe-headed calipers are to be used in connection with the upper two
arms on the longer staff, the probes, when in the ears, being taken as definite points
of measurements for depth of head from the vertex and length of neck from the
collar-bone.
In order to enable a person to construct an improved anthropometrical measuring
staff according to my invention the forms of the above worded parts are shown in
the accompanying drawings (No 10711).
A (in fig. 1) indicates the footboard preferably made of birchwood 13 inches
broad 2 feet long 1 in: thick and of the shape as the drawings show: Stands
2 inches high from the ground on 3 feet (a, a, a,) the other two feet (a¹, a¹) being
of an inch shorter. B. The staff 82 inches long from the foot-board 1 inch thick
2 broad preferably made of lancewood having a groove 72 inches downwards
from the top; 11 inches broad and of an inch deep, and having on the left side
of the groove a scale of inches and tenths of inches from the foot-board to
79 inches high. To note the stature of a person in feet and inches without
calculation who is more than 36 inches in height there is marked on the upper
portion of the staff on the right of the groove a scale of feet and inches com-
mencing at 3 feet above the foot-board, the next foot above being No: 4 feet &c. to
6 feet 7 inches. The inches which are marked below the 3 feet on the same side
of the groove are divided into 10th, and have nothing to do with those inches
above 3 feet for those below are required to be numbered different for convenience
in measuring the length of legs.
C. The first part from top of the staff is a common rectangular bar to measure
the height of persons. It has a pinching screw (u) near the upper side of the
socket, and a plate (v) extending one inch out of the socket to be pinched against
the staff to hold the socket. The other end of the plate being fixed loosely (with
a screw-nail inside) to the socket within a quarter and sunk in the wood so as its
lower part will not at any time touch the staff only the upperend of the plate
pressing against the staff when it is pressed by the pinching screw.
D. Indicates the 2nd part down the staff and consists of a socket (i) with a
pinching screw (5) three metal plates (k, l, & o, fig. 5) with holes in them at (m)
a librating beam (f) 11 inches long, the fulcrum of which is a piece of wire (m) of
suitable strength which works in the holes of the plates. The plate (k) is prefer-
ably of brass of about 2 inches long & 1 broad of an inch thick, having a hole
for the pinching screw to pass through and to be screwed fast to the backside of
the socket with nails. The plate (7) is one inch broad thick preferably of iron in
the form of a right angle whose sides are 14 of an inch, with a broad hook, the
edges of which may be seen at the bottom forming the inner backside of the socket,
in place of the portion of wood cut away for the sake of the beam been allowed
to work as near the bar as convenient so as the depth of a small head can be
indicated by the number of inches on the sliding measure between the two sockets.
The broad hook slides against the staff and shields the lower end of the plate o
from touching the staff, the other side of the angled iron plate is screwed upwards
to the remaining portion of the socket left on, which extends 24 inches from the
staff or socket hole 1g in. broad and 14 deep. The plate (o) is about 1 of an inch
thick one inch broad and 4 long extending one inch above the socket. It is to be
pressed against the staff by the screw (2) and thereby hold firmly the socket at the
same angle to the staff as when the arms (n) on the beam (f) are at right angles to
the staff at the same time they are on the parts of the person to be measured. The
arms (n) are levelled lengthwise by adjusting the brass plate higher or lower to
the socket (2) immediately before it is finally-fastened to the socket. The arms
are grooved as the drawings show and joined 7 inches apart to the beam with
loose screws and fixed nuts, so as the arms can be turned sideways round the
screws and extended so far as to reach the parts to be measured. The beam and

page_text: arms are about one half the thickness as the staff. This socket has a sliding
measure (1) attached in front of the staff which may be 6 or 10 inches long of
inch broad thick, to slide through the groove (J) in the first socket. The inches
on this measure are numbered from the level of the underside of the two arms
at (n).
The 3rd & 4th parts down the staff (E & F) each consists of a socket and a
pinching screw (p & q) with a plate of iron just as long as the socket is deep and
as broad, and of an inch thick, and loosely fixed (with screw nails) inside the
socket to be pressed against the staff to hold the socket. Each of these two
sockets has a sliding measure by inch thick attached upwards by a bit of brass
inch broad, 1 long, thick being screwed on the measure, the brass bit fitting in
a place sunk inside the socket; E having its measure about 14 inches long, to slide
on the left hand side of the groove in the staff. And F' about 40, or 45 long to
slide in the middle of the groove. The inches are marked on Es measure from the
upperside of its socket, the first inch being numbered 1, the second 2 etc. The
distance the socket of D may be risen from that of E being indicated on the under-
side of the socket D. The inches on F's measure are marked according to the
distance the arms at n are above the socket of F and indicated on the underside of
the socket of E: the first being marked when the arms at n are 12 inches above F
to indicate 12 inches the next inch 13 etc.
The 5th part down the staff G consists of a socket (m²) with a pinching
screw (w) three metal plates (x, y & z fig. 6) with a hole in each of them at 2.
A librating beam (g) with two arms (t) about the thickness as the staff, the
fulcrum of the beam is a piece of wire of sufficient strength only (2. fig. 6) to work
in the 3 holes of the plates. The plate (y) is of brass of about 4 inches long 1 in.
broad thick having a hole for the pinching screw to pass through and to be fixed
to the outside of the socket. The plate (a) is of an inch thick 3 inch long
1 broad and fixed to the inside of the socket, with one end at 41 from the bottom
side of the socket, the other end being so bent as to form a hook which presses against
the staff at 1 inch above the socket and shields the upper end of the plate (2)
from touching the staff. The plate (2) is of an inch thick 1 inch broad and
5 long extending one inch below and 1 above the socket. The arms (t) are
levelled lengthwise by adjusting the brass plate according to the position of its
fulcrum hole higher or lower to the socket (m²) immediately before it is finally
screwed to the socket. The lower end of the plate (2) is to be pressed against the
staff by the screw (w) and thereby hold firmly the socket at the same angle to the
staff as when the arms (t) on the beam (q) are at right angles to the staff at the
time they are pressed by the parts of the person in being measured.
One end of each plate (v, o, & z of C D & G fig. 1, 5, 6, above described is thus
shielded and the other end extended in order to prevent the bar of C or the arms
of D or those of G moving higher or lower by the action of screwing the pinching
screw when the bar of C or the arms of D or those of G are pressed with the part
or parts of the person in being measured.
Besides answering for stability and accuracy they answer also as springs, which
prevent an incidental slip or sudden fall of the sockets.
If the screws were fixed without having a plate so as to press against the staff
at the same place as the extended portion of the plate it would answer the purpose,
but not so safely. I therefore prefer using plates as above described; and have
the position of the pinching screw to be as near to the extended portion of the
plates as is convenient for the nuts to be fixed to the inside of the sockets.
(H fig. 2) Sitting height measuring staff, about 46 inches long, 2 broad, and
inch thick; (d) socket with arms and pinching screw and peg (g); (e) simple
socket with pinching screw; c the lower end of the staff to be moved up & down
perpendicularly in the hole in a chair bottom and can be easily taken out or placed
in again.
Fig. 7 Ear-pobe-headed calipers; (1) the beam 18 inches long 1 broad thick;
(2. 2) the arms 13 inch long 1 thick 14 broad: (3.3) the ear-probes & of an inch
=

page_text: long round diameter; (4, 4) straight edges four or five inches long from tip of
ear-probe.
In employing this improved Anthropometrical measuring staff. The person to
be measured stands on the foot board (A) centrically under the bar of C, erect,
(chin turned a little upwards) the bar is then allowed to fall upon the frontal bone
of his head and pinched. His arms and fingers being straight down by his side
the arms (m) are raised to his longest fingers and the socket of G pinched. The
extremities of the arms (n) are adjusted so as to be above the collar-bones, then
allowed to fall upon them and the socket of D pinched. Then socket of E is
raised to that of D and pinched there. The socket of D is loosened and raised
until the arms at n are an inch or two higher than the ear-holes and pinched.
The ear-probes (3, 3,) are inserted into the persons ears, and the calipers given
into his own hands to hold the ear-probes against the upperside of the ear-holes.
The arms are then allowed to fall upon the straight edges (4, 4) and the socket
pinched, the probes taken out and himself removed.
To find the length of his legs, he sits in the sitting height chair. The socket (d)
is pinched at the top of H for a tall person, and lower down the staff for a short
one. The end c is inserted into the hole provided in the chair bottom with the
socket (e) on loosely. The staff is then lowered till the arm of (d) will touch his
head then the socket (e) is pinched and the, staff removed out of the hole and placed
alongside the staff B with the peg (g¹) in the hole (h). F is then brought up to the
lower side of the socket (e) and pinched: the remaining part of the longer staff
to A will be equal to the mean length of the persons legs.
All the sockets having being thus pinched the measurements of the aforesaid
parts of the body remain to be noted and for the sake of facility in doing so the inches
forming the scales on the six measures-sliding and fixed-are so numbered as the
measurements are indicated at the undersides of the sockets; and the measures so
arranged that the same consecutive order of the measurements as the aforesaid
parts of the body are to be measured, can be read off (excepting for depth of head)
from the measures consecutively from left to right; stature being indicated at C on
the left of the groove; depth of head also at C on the sliding measure in front of
the staff; length of neck at D, on the sliding measure in the left of the groove
length of trunk at E on the measure in the middle; length of arms, also at E on
the measure in the right of the groove; length of legs at F by the scale on the
right of the groove.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The four sockets with their appendages; I mean the appendages which are
moved up and down parallel to the staff by the sliding of the four sockets on the
staff between the foot-board and the bar, as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the said drawings.
Second. The sitting height measuring staff, as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the said drawings.
Third. The ear-probe beaded calipers, having streight edges as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the said drawings..
JOHN WILLIAM WADDINGTON.