Athletic Sports (extract)

The Physical Proportions of the Typical Man must, in the light of the present day, be regarded as a trifle mythical. Is this love of symmetry in form a myth, or has it a deep moral significance? I hold that it has not only a moral significance, but also a physiological significance, and that the size, shape, and structure of the body have a direct dynamic re­ lation to all the vital organs, and appreciably influence the func­ tions of the brain and nervous system. Aside from the investigations of the Provost-Marshal-General's Bureau, of the Sanitary Com­ mission, on recruits during the late war, and of the Anthropo­ metric Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, but little systematic effort has been made to obtain reliable information by means of physical measurements. As to the actual size or propor­ tions of the body at various ages and among different na­ tionalities, there are absolutely no data to which we can turn for assistancein shaping the course of growth and development. True, there is an abundance of data on the Figure B. 14