H.—3l

42

PART 6.—ANTHROPOMETRIC RECORDS.

Some interesting observations on the height and weight of the boys attending the Wanganui Collegiate School, supplied by Mr. Empson, late Headmaster, appeared in the annual report for 1908. Representing, as they do, the average of many years, they are of great value. Through the kindness of Mr. Major, Headmaster, Dr. Purdy has obtained a series of measurements of the boys attending King's College, Auckland. In height these boys almost exactly correspond with the Wanganui standards, although slightly under them between the ages of fifteen and sixteen. In weight the Auckland College boys are a good deal lighter, save between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, when they have the advantage of about 4J lb. Records from such schools, however, apply to boys drawn chiefly from one class in the community. The observations made by Dr. Purdy on the results of a series of measurements conducted by Mr. Symons on the primary-school cadets are therefore of interest, although the figures are too limited to justify conclusions being drawn therefrom. If such records are obtained as opportunity offers we shall in the future accumulate sufficient evidence to enable us to establish an anthropometric standard for the Dominion. Dr. Purdy reports as follows : — So far no systematic general medical examination of school-children has been made in the district. Opportunity has been taken, however, to collect data, owing to the courtesy of the Headmaster of King's College and the officers in charge of the cadet camp at Papakura. It is hoped that this work will be further developed in the future. Special cards have been drawn up, largely based on the recommendations of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. While the accompanying figures exhibit defects necessarily arising from results obtained from a limited number of cases, yet they afford grounds for comparisons of a general character. Several general deductions may be made which have interest, because in King's College School we have a number of boys resident in an educational institution where much attention is known to be paid to health, hygiene, and physical culture ; and in the case of day scholars, these are mostly from homes where hygienic conditions may be expected to obtain and in any case the boys at school have the advantage of physical training. I regard it as very satisfactory to find that the averages obtained by examination of the State-school boys examined at the cadet camp, Papakura, March, 1909—not, however, forgetting the fact that they are more or less picked boys—approximate so closely as they do to those obtained from King's College School, particularly when one remembers that these averages are affected by the presence of small boys from homes where the advantages referred to are not so evident. There are, however, variations referred to later which point to beneficial results coming from attention to health matters, organized physical training, and the practice of breathing-exercises.

Height. A glance at the table shows a fairly close approximation in the matter of height as between the public-school cadets and the King's College school-boys, the only considerable variation between boys from the two schools being at the age 14-15, where King's exhibit disproportionately high figures.* Taking the data obtained from these sources a standard is obtained for ages of these boys : — Ft. in. Ft. in. 10-11 .. .. .. ..46' 14-15 .. .. .. ..50 11-12 .. .. .. ..4 8 15-16 .. .. .. ..5 4 12-13 .. .. .. ..49; 16-17 .. .. .. ..57 13-14 ■ ■ 4 10J j N OTE .—I n this table only the boys whose ages are between ten and seventeen have been considered, because the numbers examined below ten years are not of sufficient import to form any basis for consideration.

* The King's College figures at this age correspond exactly with the Wanganui College averages.

I Number sxamined. Average Height. Average Weight. Ages. King's. Cadets. King's. Cadets. King's. Cadets. 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 28 10 20 20 46 86 22 15 48 96 89 40 15 3 4-6 4-8 4-9| 5-0| 5-3 5-4 5-7 4-51 4-8 4-8| 4-10 4-llf 5-4 5-6f 5-0J 5-101 5-12 7-21 7-7 8-0 9-1 4-11 5-2-/(; 5-6| 5-12 •6-8| 7-12 8-7| Totals 191 306