Sex determination from human patella in a Polish medieval sample.

This study aimed to address whether the anthropometric features of the patella can be used to determine the sex of the individuals on the basis of the skeletal remains and to set limit values for anthropometric measurements and indicators of the patella in relation to each sex. 71 patellas (32 female and 39 male) from the Middle Ages from Wroclaw, Poland, were analyzed. The measurements (the greatest height, width, thickness, width of the lateral and medial joint surface and the height of these joint surfaces) and ratios were calculated (height to width, height to thickness as well as width to height of lateral and medial joint surfaces) and tested according to sexual dimorphism. The best parameter in terms of discriminatory assessment was the patella's highest height, which made it possible to classify the sex in 46.5% of cases. However, an index of the sum of the height, width and thickness measurements seems to be even better for differentiating between the sexes, making it possible to correctly classify the sex in 49.3% of cases. Due to some limitations of this study and the need of population-specific standard, it is recommend to employ the patella in sex determination only in cases of fragmented human remains and when no other method can be applied. Further investigation of possible factors influencing the variability of its size and shape should be explored in larger and geographically more diverse samples, and this could contribute to forensic, clinical, anatomical, and anthropological studies in this body part.

["Splendid Human Material"-Anthropometric Constitutional Research to Statistically Determine the Normal Human Body (1914-1922)]. / "Prächtiges Menschenmaterial" ­ Anthropometrische Konstitutionsforschung auf der Suche nach dem statistischen Normalkörper (1914­1922).

At the center of this work stands the anthropometric research program during World War I for studying constitutional medicine and the connected series of investigations by the medical internists Theodor Brugsch, Hermann Rautmann and Max Berliner, their advances in the statistics of variability as well as the subsequent debate in constitutional medicine and pathology on the definition of the physical norm.In order to create a data basis for the "normal" body in the study of constitutional medicine, a series of young German internists undertook comprehensive anthropometric studies in the context of World War I, thereby taking advantage of the opportunity offered them by war to conduct a series of examinations of soldiers, but without having first reflected on methods of measurement, comparison, and evaluation. At the same time, the concept of the "normal" body, then only vaguely formed, still needed to be critically expounded. However, this changed during the subsequent period and led not only to a stronger emphasis on methodology, rather also to greater competency in mathematical statistics and philosophical cogitation on the meaning of the "norm". In this way, constitutional medicine originated the potent medical norm debate of the early 1920s which still resonates in medical theory today. By this means the few years following the end of World War I not only represented a turning point for constitutional medicine regarding the reflective use of methodology, but also introduced a new orientation of their research questions: away from the "normal" body to individuality.

New anthropometric evidence on living standards in nineteenth-century Chile.

A sample of over 44 thousand Chilean marines was used to estimate the trend of mean heights from the 1820s to the 1890s. We confirm that there was height stagnation in the last decades of the nineteenth-century Chile despite sizeable per capita GDP growth; there were hidden nutritional costs to this economic growth. This situation resembles a similar puzzle in antebellum USA or early industrial Britain, but in the case of Chile GDP growth is not explained by industrialization but by export-led-growth. Still, the results are similar: height stagnation. Regarding the determinants of adult male height, our data also convincingly showed that there was a significant correlation between height and literacy. There was a positive correlation between height and white ethnicity, and, linked to this, a strong negative correlation between stature and eyes reported as "black". Finally, living in urban environments (or environments with higher population density) also negatively affected height.

Living standards and inequality in the industrial revolution: Evidence from the height of University of Edinburgh students in the 1830s.

Trends in living standards during the Industrial Revolution is a core debate in economic history. Studies using anthropometric records from institutional sources have found downward trends in living standards during the first half of the nineteenth century. This paper contributes to this literature by utilising an overlooked source of middle and upper class anthropometric data: the height and weight of university students. Combined with more traditional anthropometric sources these data give us a snapshot into the range of living standards experienced by different sections of society in the United Kingdom. Our findings suggest that inequality was most pronounced in Ireland, followed by England. Height inequality in Scotland was still substantial, but somewhat lower in comparison.

National anthropometric reference values and growth curves for Japanese children: history and critical review.

Context: Child health statistics are a critical component of child health assessment. However, the importance of nationally representative data on growth is not well recognised for Japanese children. Objective: The aim of this paper is to review the national growth surveys for Japanese children and to discuss the clinical use of the national growth reference values and growth curves. Methods: There are five governmental organisations surveying health and growth in Japanese children. Based on these studies, several aspects of the current governmental policy on child growth assessment have been examined. This review focussed on national anthropometric studies reported by Japanese investigators in English for international readers to understand Japanese issues. Results: A variety of growth reference curves have been developed since the early 1980s in Japan. However, these references have several limitations: incomplete data for both infants and young adults, limited description of socio-economic factors and continued governmental use of weight-for-height rather than BMI. Conclusion: Japanese child health statistics use measures that are applicable only to Japanese children.

The Human Wallace Line: Racial Science and Political Afterlife.

This paper examines racial science and its political uses in Southeast Asia. It follows several anthropologists who travelled to east Nusa Tenggara (the Timor Archipelago, including the islands of Timor, Flores and Sumba), where Alfred Russel Wallace had drawn a dividing line between the races of the east and the west of the archipelago. These medically trained anthropologists aimed to find out if the Wallace Line could be more precisely defined with measurements of the human body. The paper shows how anthropologists failed to find definite markers to quantify the difference between Malay and Papuan/Melanesian. This, however, did not diminish the conceptual power of the Wallace Line, as the idea of a boundary between Malays and Papuans was taken up in the political arena during the West New Guinea dispute and was employed as a political tool by all parties involved. It shows how colonial and racial concepts can be appropriated by local actors and dismissed or emphasised depending on political perspectives.

Growth and maturity: A quantitative systematic review and network analysis in anthropometric history.

This paper reviews the current wealth of anthropometric history since the early efforts of Robert Fogel in the 1970s. The survey is based on a quantitative systematic review of the literature and counts a total of 447 peer-reviewed articles being published in the main leading journals in economic history, economics and biology. Data are analysed using network analysis by journal and author and the main contributions of anthropometric history are highlighted, pointing to future areas of inquiry. The contributions of books and book chapters are also quantified and analysed.

Huellas dactilares a través del mundo transatlántico: las vidas paralelas de Juan Vucetich y Federico Olóriz / Fingerprints across the transatlantic world: the parallel lives of Juan Vucetich and Federico Olóriz

Se estudia la adopción de las huellas dactilares como método de identificación en Argentina y España durante los primeros años del siglo XX. A través de su epistolario conjunto se analizan los intercambios entre Juan Vucetich (1858-1925), creador del sistemaargentino, y Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912), principal impulsor de la dactiloscopia en España. Se reconstruye a continuación la llegada de las clasificaciones de Vucetich a España a partir de 1906. Se estudian los factores que facilitaron su adaptación al nuevo escenario, debido a la posición privilegiada de Olóriz a caballo entre el mundo académico y profesional. También se examinaron las primeras propuestas de extensión de las huellas dactilares más allá del entorno policial a uno y otro lado del Atlántico. Se analizan de forma comparada las resistencias a la implantación de las huellas dactilares por parte de académicos, identificadorese identificados. A continuación se revisan las campañas de propaganda y legitimación que emprendieron ambos protagonistas a través de cartas, viajes, congresos, publicaciones, cursos y experimentos públicos. El artículo se cierra con la visita de Vucetich a España, lo que permite conocer los múltiples escenarios y personajes interesados en las nuevas técnicas de identificación alrededor de 1913. Pretendemos mostrar que, más allá de los usos policiales y coercitivos, sobre los que se han centrado la historiografía anglosajona, las huellas dactilares fueron percibidas también como herramientas para acceder (o limitar) derechos sociales y para realizar (o denegar) actividades administrativas y económicas, dando lugar a una variedad de estrategias de legitimación, controversias y respuestas (AU)

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Two worlds apart: Determinants of height in late 18th century central Mexico.

Anthropometric literature on the American territories of the Hispanic monarchy before their independence is still scarce. We attempt to expand the field with a case study that includes some important novelties. Albeit our main source, the military records of the Censo de Revillagigedo (conducted in the early 1790s), has already been used, the sample size and the geographical scope are unprecedented: 19,390 males of four ethnicities (castizos, españoles, mestizos, and mulatos) aged from 16 to 39 from 24 localities, including towns and villages scattered across central regions of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. We build a database that, complemented with information on resource endowments obtained from other sources, permits to analyze the determinants of height. Our results show the importance of spatial differences as well as the significance of ethnicity, occupation, rurality, age and resource endowments as determinants of height. Unprivileged mulatos are only 0.5cm shorter than, assumedly privileged, españoles in the "first world" (El Bajío) and 1.3cm taller in the "second world" (Eastern Central Highlands). In turn, living in the "first world" implies being between nearly 1.5cm and 5cm taller than the inhabitants of the "second world". Our estimates of physical statures are placed within an international comparative context and offer a relatively "optimistic" picture.

Reforma sanitaria, salud pública y bienestar biológico durante la industrialización española: el caso de Alcoy, 1840-1915 / Sanitary reform, public health and biological welfare during spanish industrialization: the case of Alcoy, 1840-1915

En este artículo analizamos los efectos que la reforma sanitaria tuvo sobre el bienestar biológico y la salud de las poblaciones españolas durante el proceso de industrialización. Examinamos el caso de Alcoy, una de las ciudades pioneras de la industrialización española. Los presupuestos municipales en salud pública y los datos de estatura de los reemplazos militares constituyen las principales fuentes para su estudio. Los resultados muestran que los comienzos de la reforma sanitaria, a finales del siglo XIX, supusieron una mejora no sólo de las condiciones ambientales y de salubridad de la ciudad, sino también del estado de salud de su población residente. Hasta que los políticos liberales no incrementaron las dotaciones presupuestarias en el campo de la salud pública y las infraestructuras urbanas, Alcoy sufrió los lastres iniciales del urban penalty con secuelas negativas que se manifestaron directamente en el aumento de la morbi-mortalidad y la caída de la estatura. Los datos sugieren una relación positiva entre políticas activas de salud pública y bienestar biológico (AU)

This article analyses the effects of the sanitary reform on the biological welfare and the Health of the Spanish population during the industrialization process. Examines the case of Alcoy, one of the pioneer hubs of the Spanish industrialization. The main sources of the study are the municipality budgets of Public Health and the stature of the conscripts. Results show that the starting of the sanitary reform, in the late 19th, meant not only an improvement of the conditions and the salubrity of the city, but of the resident´s state of health. Until the liberal politicians did not increase the public health and the urban infrastructures assignments on the Budgets, Alcoy suffered the initial problems of the urban penalty, with negative effects that were revealed directly in the increasing morbi-mortality and the falling stature. Data suggest a positive correlation between active public health politics and biological welfare (AU)

La evaluación de la composición corporal 'in vivo'; parte I: perspectiva histórica / 'In vivo' body composition assessment; part I: a historic overview

El estudio de la composición corporal humana ha cobrado una relevancia creciente en las últimas décadas, debido a sus enormes aplicaciones en los terrenos clínico, deportivo y de la actividad física saludable. Sin embargo, no es un área de conocimiento de reciente creación, y su estudio dentro de la biología data ya de la segunda mitad del siglo xix. En este documento resumiremos los tres grandes periodos en los que se divide la investigación de la composición corporal humana, dando especial relevancia a los descubrimientos y avances para el estudio in vivo. Aunque históricamente podemos situar los primeros descubrimientos en la antigüedad, la primera etapa (temprana) comienza en el 1850, y está caracterizada principalmente por los datos obtenidos de la disección de cadáveres, y la utilización de los primeros métodos bioquímicos para el estudio in vivo y la observación de las alteraciones. En la segunda etapa (reciente) está protagonizada por el desarrollo de los primeros modelos matemáticos para estimar componentes corporales y por los grandes desarrollos tecnológicos de la segunda parte del siglo xx. En la tercera etapa (composición corporal en el siglo xxi o contemporánea) los estudios se están centrando en validar los modelos clásicos para poblaciones específicas, conocer los determinantes genéticos de la composición corporal (primero fenotipos y recientemente genotipos) y recuperar el estudio de la composición corporal dinámica (AU)

The study of body composition (BC) has gained in relevance over the last decades, mainly because of its important health- and disease- related applications within both the clinical and the sports setting. It is not a new area, and its especial relevance as an area of biology dates from the second half of the nineteenth century. In this paper, we have reviewed the three historic periods of BC, with special reference to the most important advances in in vivo assessment. Even though the earliest findings about human BC date from antiquity, the first (or ‘early’) stage of discovery began in 1850. Said early stage was mainly characterized by data obtained from the dissection of cadavers and by the application of biochemical methods in vivo. Longitudinal changes in body composition were also a concern. The second (so called ‘recent’) stage, in the second half of the twentieth century, was marked by milestones such as the formulation of the first mathematical models for the estimation of body components, and technological advances. Within the third (‘contemporary’ or ‘current’) stage of research, several groups have focused on validating the classical BC models in specific populations, on analysis of the genetic determinants (i.e. phenotypes and, more recently genotypes) of body composition, and on re-instigating the study of dynamic BC (AU)

«Influencia del roce y desgaste epidérmico en el dibujo papilar»: experiencias inéditas sobre dactiloscopia de Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912) / 'Influence of epidermal friction and wear on papillary patterns': unpublished fingerprinting experiments by Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912)

Federico Olóriz fue el introductor en España de un método de identificación por medio de las huellas dactilares, actualmente en vigor en diversos países. Para ello realizó numerosos trabajos, entre otros, la experiencia, hasta ahora inédita, que presentamos. Olóriz se propuso comprobar si los pulpejos de los dedos sometidos a manipulación mantenían los pliegues dérmicos de forma que pudieran seguir sirviendo para la correcta identificación. En caso de un simple lijado, comprobó que los pliegues dérmicos no representaban problemas graves de identificación. En caso de alterarse con elementos punzantes, las dificultades eran algo mayores, pero en modo alguno insalvables. Previamente se ofrece una breve biografía del personaje y un resumen de sus estudios sobre antropología y, de forma más amplia, su dedicación a la antropología forense, que le llevó a poner en marcha el denominado «Método Olóriz» de identificación por medio de las huellas dactilares (AU)

Federico Olóriz introduced in Spain a method of identification based on fingerprints that is now used in various other countries. Among the numerous studies he performed for this purpose is a hitherto unpublished experiment reported in this paper. The objective was to test whether fleshy parts of fingers that undergo manipulation can maintain their dermal folds in a manner that permits their correct identification. Olóriz found that dermal folds produced by a simple ligation did not pose serious identification problems, while alterations resulting from sharp elements generated greater but in some way surmountable difficulties. A brief biography of Olóriz is first provided, with a summary of his studies on Anthropology and, in greater detail, his dedication to Forensic Anthropology, which led to the development of the so-called "Olóriz Method" of identification by means of fingerprints (AU)

Artificially deformed crania from the Hun-Germanic Period (5th-6th century ad) in northeastern Hungary: historical and morphological analysis.

From an anthropological point of view, artificial deformation of the cranial shape in newborns is one of the most interesting human customs, which has been recorded in all continents and in different cultures. However, the main goals of this procedure were basically the same everywhere; that is, to distinguish certain groups of people from others and to indicate the social status of individuals. In the Carpathian Basin all artificially deformed skulls are dated to the late Iron Age, especially to the early Migration Period. The authors examined 9 artificially deformed skulls from the Hun-Germanic Period (5th-6th century ad) excavated from two cemeteries in the northeastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain (Hungary). The extent and the type of the deformation as well as the technique were determined in each case. The authors also attempt to shed light on the probable origin and the historical context of the custom practiced in the Carpathian Basin (Hungary), relying on the anthropological and historical literature on the Hun-Germanic and preceding periods. It seems possible that this custom, which is associated with the finds in the Carpathian Basin, first appeared in the Kalmykia steppe, later in the Crimea, from where it spread to Central and Western Europe by way of the Hun migration. Neither the cranial find described presently nor the special literature on the subject furnish convincing evidence that the cranial deformation resulted in any chronic neurological disorder.

Relação entre o estado nutricional de estudantes e a escolaridade dos país de uma escola municipal em Embu das Artes / Relationship between students' nutritional conditions and their parents educational background at a district school in Enbu das Artes

Introdução: Os índices de obesidade vêm aumentando nosúltimos anos, e pode ser que o grau de escolaridade dos pais tenhainfluência nesse aumento. Objetivo: Avaliar o estado nutricionalde estudantes do Ensino Fundamental I, em uma Escola doMunicípio de Embu das Artes, e relacionar o estado nutricionalcom o nível de escolaridade dos pais. Métodos: Foram avaliados204 estudantes com idade entre 7 e 11 anos. Foram medidos opeso e altura para calcular o Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC).Para avaliação do estado nutricional, utilizou-se o programada Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) AnthroPlus versão1.0.3.0.; para a classificação do estado nutricional utilizouseas curvas da OMS (2007), representadas por percentis deIMC para idade, e para análises estatísticas utilizou-se o testede normalidade de D’Agostino & Pearson e teste do Quiquadrado.Os dados de escolaridade dos pais foram coletadosno prontuário dos estudantes. Resultados: Verificou-se que70% de estudantes encontravam-se em estado de eutrofia,24% com excesso de peso e 6% com baixo peso. Em relaçãoà escolaridade de pais houve uma significante associação(p < 0,05) entre ao grau de escolaridade da mãe, em que a maiorescolaridade implicou em valores mais baixos de IMC de seusfilhos. Conclusão: Conclui-se que houve um maior índicede estudantes eutróficos, mas houve índices de baixo peso,sobrepeso e obesidade. A escolaridade da mãe teve influênciasignificante no estado nutricional dos estudantes.

Introduction: Obesity rates have increased in recentyears, and the degree of parents’ educational backgroundhas contributed to that rise. Purpose: To evaluate students’nutritional status in an elementary school - level I, locatedin the city of Embu das Artes. Methods: 204 students - aged7 to 11- have been studied. Weight and height have beenmeasured to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). To evaluatethe nutritional state, the BMI for that particular age hasbeen taken into consideration. Data on parents’ educationalbackground were collected from students’ school records.Results: It has been found that 70% of the students arein eutrophic state, 15% are overweight, 9% are obese and6% are underweight. Regarding their parents’ educationalbackground, there was a statistically significant (p <0.05)regarding their mothers’ educational background, where thehigher educational level resulted in lower values of theirchildren’s BMI. Conclusion: Thus, it has been concludedthat there was a higher rate of eutrophic students, but therewere also levels of underweight, overweight and obesity. Amother’s educational background had significant influenceon students’ nutritional status.

Internal social processes of discipline formation: the case of kinanthropometry.

In 1972, the term 'kinanthropometry', derived from the Greek words 'kinein' (to move), 'anthropos' (human) and 'metrein' (to measure), was launched in the international, Francophone journal Kinanthropologie by the Canadian William Ross and the Belgians, Marcel Hebbelinck, Bart Van Gheluwe and Marie-Louise Lemmens. The authors defined this neologism as 'the scientific discipline for the study of the size, shape, proportion, scope and composition of the human being and its gross motor functions'. Presenting a theoretical framework for the analysis of the internal social processes of discipline formation - derived from the social history-of-science tradition - this article critically examines whether kinanthropometry was indeed promoted and developed by its community members as a scientific discipline. Therefore, the focus will be on its conceptualisation and positioning within the field of kinanthropology/kinesiology and on its development by a scholarly association, i.e. the International Working Group on Kinanthropometry (IWGK). The strong emphasis of the kinanthropometry community on the standardisation of measurement techniques and its practical and professional application hampered its disciplinary development. Findings of this study could serve as a basis for future 'fundamental' investigations addressing questions of disciplinary development within the field(s) of physical education, kinesiology and sport science(s).

Pitirim A. Sorokin's early contributions to the development of anthropometric history.

The genealogy of the field of anthropometric history has received relatively little scholarly attention over the years. This paper discusses the contributions to the development of the field made by sociologist Pitirim A. Sorokin and colleagues in the 1920s and early 1930s. In so doing, attention is also called to a number of important, but little-utilized anthropometric sources employed by Sorokin.

Anthropometric studies on the Turkish population--a historical review.

A historical review of anthropometric studies conducted on Turkish children and adults is presented. In view of observed differences in growth status between children of different societies, the need for local reference standards and the methodology to be used for such studies have been stressed. The importance of local studies in reflecting the state of health and nutrition both in children and adults has also been mentioned. While a number of studies in children cited in this paper are designed to compare the growth of children from different socioeconomic levels, other studies aim to establish local reference data for Turkish children. While the historical studies in adults aim to define racial characteristics, the more recent studies aim to bring out nutritional characteristics with emphasis on increasing frequency of obesity.