Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/808

 788 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

The proportion

was :

1890.

1895.

1899.

1900.

12.88

14.91

13.19

13.17

26.03

29.21

27.15

29.52

34.01

32.50

33.85

32.75

20.14

17.76

19.36

18.11

5.91

4-74

5.45

5-43

0.95

0.80

0.90

0-93

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.09

0.0 1

o.oo

o.oo

0.00

According to Quetelet 1 the number of the militia coming under this relation of stature in Belgium from 1842 to 1850 was 322,756, the number of whom the stature was taken being 307,462.

51,105 were 1.56 m. and below, or 16.62 per cent.

158,796 " 1.561 m. to 1.66901. or 51.64 per cent.

94938 " 1.67 m. to 1. 799m. or 30.88 per cent.

2,619 " J .8o m. and above, or 0.86 per cent.

The fact that the unit of measure was borrowed in the first place from the stature of man shows in itself that its variations are limited ; later the measure was taken from a part of the circumference of the earth.

However, these variations are important ; thus, in Belgium the regular militia measuring i.8om. and over were in the follow- ing proportion :

1842-1850 - - 0.86 per cent.

In 1888 - 0.70

1890 - 0.92 "

1895 - - 0.96 "

1899 - 0.99 "

1900 - - 0.90 "

In France, according to Bertillon, there are, from the point of view of stature, two fairly distinct regions separated by a line which extends from Cherbourg to Lake Geneva. To the north of this line the average stature has risen, varying between 1.67111. and 1. 64m. To the south it is equal to or below the average (1.64111.). In two provinces of Brittany and in three provinces of the center it falls to i.62m. and even 1.61 m. Broca explains

1 Anthropomitrit) p. 187.