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36
is about three months higher than the average of the boys in
1939. Thus I investigated the average age of the lower group
of the boys in 1939 and 1943. If the difference in age would
have an influence, then one would expect that only children
of average age. or below average age were in this low group.
The average age of the boys in the lower group in 1939 regarding
height was 12 7/12, and regarding weight 12 6/12. The average
age of the boys in the lower group in 1943 was, regarding height,
13 3/12, and regarding weight 13 years. The average age in the
lower group of the boys in 1939 was the same as the average
age of all the boys investigated in 1939. On the other hand,
the average age in the lower group of the boys in 1943 is higher
than the average age of all the boys investigated in 1943 regarding
height as well as weight. Thus we can infer that the
age factor does not influence the results. There must be other
conditions causing this remarkable fact. To find out these conditions,
I have further investigated the environment of these
boys, and I found that most of them come from families in
which both parents or one of them are short and thin; some
boys showed other constitutional factors, :;uch as prematurity,
which caused lower height and weight.
The comparison between the girls investigated in 1939 and
those investigated in 1943 shows similar differences, as seen
in the table. In order to judge these figures, we have to take
into consideration two factors—the sex development and the
age factor. When we compare the Tables III and IV of the boys
with Tables V and VI of the girls, we see that the distribution
of the girls for the different height and weight groups occupies
a wider range than that of the boys. As the sex development
influences the growth of children and adolescents, we may
attribute these differences to the sex development of the girls
Considering the age factor, we find the average age in the
lower group of the girls in 1939 12 6/12, in the girls in 1943 13,
regarding height; concerning weight, the average age is 12
6/12 and 12 10/12 respectively. In the higher group the average
age of the girls in 1939 is 12 8/12 regarding height and 12 9/12
regarding weight. The average age of the girls in 1943 is respectively
13 1/12 and 13 2/12. As the average age of the girls
in 1939 is 12 7/12 and of the girls in 1943 is 13 years, these
differences show that in the lower group are the younger girls
and in the higher group the older girls. When we take these
factors into consideration, we can infer that there is no difference
between the girls in 1939 and in the girls in 1943. The finer
differences which we have found in the boys were overshadowed
in the girls by the sex development of their earlier puberty.