Showing papers in "Annals of Human Biology in 1975"
TL;DR: The parent-child and mid-parent-child correlation coefficients indicate that the extent of genetic determination varies considerably from one measurement to another, being greatest in the longitudinal body measurements, least in the circumferences involving soft tissues and in measures of the nose and mouth.
Abstract: SummaryStudy has been made of 37 anthropometric measurements in a socially selected sample of 125 Belgian families, comprising parents and adult children. The parent-child and mid-parent-child correlation coefficients indicate that the extent of genetic determination varies considerably from one measurement to another, being greatest in the longitudinal body measurements, least in the circumferences involving soft tissues and in measures of the nose and mouth.Further analysis of the intrafamilial correlation, and variance analysis by the method of Fisher and Gray (1937), shows that neither dominant nor X-linked loci exert any appreciable effects.
140 citations
TL;DR: It seems that sex dimorphism in adult height has a strong genetic component, making it inappropriate as a measure by which to judge the health and nutritional status of a population.
Abstract: An analysis has been made of sex dimorphism in adult height using data from 58 Negroid, 76 European, and 67 Amerindian populations. Regression analyses were carried out on the sex difference and se...
107 citations
TL;DR: The time intervals from onset to completion of secondary sexual characteristics were comparable to those reported for European girls for pubic and axillary hair development, but relatively longer for the development of the breast.
Abstract: Ages of attainment of successive puberty stages of the breast, public hair and axillary hair and of menarche were established in a cross-sectional study of 1468 Turkish school girls in Istanbul. Th...
81 citations
TL;DR: Dental records of 635 West African (Gambian) children within the age range of 4.5-14 yr yielded 2108 examinations for boys and 1863 for girls, with a clear sex difference in eruption age, which was earlier in females.
Abstract: Dental records of 635 West African (Gambian) children within the age range of 4.5-14 yr yielded 2108 examinations for boys and 1863 for girls. There was no difference between eruption ages of homologous permanent teeth on the left and the right side of the same jaw. Except for PM1 and PM2, teeth in the lower jaw erupted earlier. There was a clear sex difference in eruption age, which was earlier in females. Calendar age can be estimated from the state of permanent dentition, though the error of the estimate increases with the number of teeth, being about 0.5 years for 1 or 2 teeth and increasing to slightly over 1 year for 12 teeth or more. There was an association between the number of teeth erupted at a given age and height and weight of the children. Also children with fewer teeth at a given age contain a greater proportion of children below standard weight or height for that age. This effect disappeared when children were classified in terms of weight for height.
72 citations
TL;DR: There was a tendency for subjects who reported that they could use either hand for at least one of the questionnaire tasks to obtain higher I.Q.s, and a consistent sex difference, in that men achieved higher scores on both verbal and performance scales.
Abstract: SummaryVerbal and performance scores in a standard intelligence test (WAIS) were considered in relation to patterns of hand preference (measured by questionnaire) in a large sample of the general population.Left-handers and mixed-handers did not obtain lower scores than right-handers. Indeed, there was a tendency for subjects who reported that they could use either hand for at least one of the questionnaire tasks to obtain higher I.Q.s. Otherwise, there were no significant differences in I.Q. with the exception of a consistent sex difference, in that men achieved higher scores on both verbal and performance scales.
63 citations
TL;DR: In lower socioeconomic classes there was a relative delay of onset and attainment of the subsequent stages of secondary sexual characters, and Acne was encountered in a significant proportion of the boys and increased in frequency with age.
Abstract: Ages of onset and attainment of various stages of secondary sexual characters were assessed from cross-sectional data on 1530 city schoolboys in Istanbul, Turkey. The subjects were grouped into fou...
59 citations
TL;DR: A stratified 3-stage random sample of 50 360 children ages 0-19 drawn from the whole population of Cuba was measured in a large-scale growth study during 1972-73, and problems of planning and execution of growth surveys designed to set national standards are described and solutions given or suggested.
Abstract: SummaryA stratified 3-stage random sample of 50 360 children ages 0–19 drawn from the whole population of Cuba was measured in a large-scale growth study during 1972–73. Fifteen anthropometric measurements were taken and puberty stages and menarche status were assessed. Hand-wrist radiographs were done on 10% of the sample. Information regarding the social and educational status of the parents was obtained and parental heights were measured. One year later, 30% of the sample were re-measured and 10% re-X-rayed. The overall response rate was 96% at pre-school and primary school age, and a little less later. Quality control sessions were held at which the nine measuring teams compared results. No significant differences were found between teams working different parts of the island. Differences between duplicate measurements of stature by individual measurers had standard deviations approximating 0·20 cm. Individual measurers' means differed from the grand means of all measurers by up to ±0·2 cm for stature...
49 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that the total-birth sex ratio of triplets is underestimated in national vital statistics records and that the hypothesized low sex ratio in monozygotic twins is reminiscent of that in some congenital malformations.
Abstract: 1. Data on more than 2 1/2 million twin births suggest that the regression of sex ratio in twins on maternal age does not decline monotonically like that of singletons, but, like the incidence of dizygotic twinning, seems to rise and then fall with maternal age. 2. Accordingly it is hypothesized that the sex ratio in monozygotic twins is lower than that in dizygotic twins or that in singletons. This would account also for the low overall sex ratio in twins. 3. The data are consistent with the hypotheses that the monozygotic twin sex ratio is constant for all maternal ages at a value of about 0.496, and that the dizygotic twin maternal age-specific sex ratios are the same as the singleton sex ratios for the same maternal ages. 4. The hypothesized low sex ratio in monozygotic twins is reminiscent of that in some congenital malformations: possibly some aetiological factor is common to monzygotic twins and such congenital malformations. 5. It is suggested that the total-birth sex ratio of triplets is underestimated in national vital statistics records.
48 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that seasonal variations in light and temperature exert at most only a small effect on growth rate and perhaps none at all.
Abstract: The growth rates in stature of 300 children in the Orkney Islands, measured at monthly intervals over 2 years, were negatively correlated with various measures of light and temperature. All correlations were small but statistically significant, the highest being with the mean of the maximal daily temperatures (-0.32) for the boys and with hours of bright sunshine (-0.29) for the girls. The children's mean growth rates reached maxima at midwinter and minima at midsummer but the maximum in the winter 1971-72 was much lower than those at the beginning of 1971 and at the end of 1972. The climatic variables were not appreciably different in the two years. Only about 35 per cent of children showed cycles of growth rates which could be regarded as seasonal in that they rose to peak values at approximately the same time in the two successive years. The difference between the maximal and minimal rates exhibited by Orkney children (5.26+/-0.12 cm/yr for boys; 5.46+/-0.14 cm/yr for girls) was almost identical to that in London children. The synchronization of the maximal growth rates was no more precise in Orkney than in London. It is concluded that seasonal variations in light and temperature exert at most only a small effect on growth rate and perhaps none at all. The influence of other factors, as yet unidentified, is greater.
45 citations
TL;DR: A series of 60 innominate bones of known age and sex were measured producing 17 absolute measurements from which 7 indices were created, likely, however, that the accuracy achieved here would not be reached by applying information from this reference group to new material.
Abstract: SummaryA series of 60 innominate bones of known age and sex were measured producing 17 absolute measurements from which 7 indices were created. These bones were used in forming reference groups to develop a computer-applied discriminant function for sexual allocation. One set of data was discarded because the sexual attribution of the bone was found to be inadequate. From the remaining 59 bones 58 were sexed correctly when the discriminant function was applied to them retrospectively; 54 were sexed correctly with a probability exceeding 0.95. It is likely, however, that the accuracy achieved here would not be reached by applying information from this reference group to new material.
37 citations
TL;DR: The shorter stature of the rain forest populations seems to be largely genetic in origin; it probably results from selective pressure exerted by the thermal stres in this hot and wet biome where sweating is of low thermolytic efficiency.
Abstract: 25 populations of the rain forest and 44 of the open country, all descended from the West-Central African stock which lived in the latter biome, are compared for body weight and height. On a log weight/height diagram, the 69 populations cluster along a straight line which intersects the lines of equal body weight/surface ratio: the shorter the body size, the lower the ratio tends to be. The rain forest populations are concentrated in the lower part of the bivariate distribution. The shortest one, the Mbuti Pygmies, has a very low ratio despite a relatively heavy weight. The shorter stature of the rain forest populations seems to be largely genetic in origin; it probably results from selective pressure exerted by the thermal stres in this hot and wet biome where sweating is of low thermolytic efficiency. The amount of reduction of adult stature depends for a large part on the number of generations spent in the forest by the population. Line A (in figure 1) is similar to a growth trend. The 69 populations differ genetically by the target that growth has to reach on a common log weight/height trend line. They achieve this differentiation through different speeds of growth.
TL;DR: A new method, based on the observation that the curves of the total number of teeth erupted are parallel and similar in shape in different individuals provided that logarithms are used for both age and number of erupted teeth, is presented.
Abstract: SummaryA new method for the evaluation of dental age in healthy children, using the curve of the total number of erupted permanent teeth, is presented. The method is based on the observation that the curves of the total number of teeth erupted are parallel and similar in shape in different individuals provided that logarithms are used for both age and number of erupted teeth. The chronological age for a specific reference point on the eruption curve was determined graphically in individual subjects. At this age each child has reached the same degree of dental maturity. A group of 133 healthy boys and 137 girls was examined annually for seven years. The mean age at the reference point of the tooth eruption curve was 8·75 years for the boys and 8·44 years for the girls.
TL;DR: A theory of cultural evolution is proposed based on a general linear mode of cultural transmission that considers transmission matrices of the teacher/leader type, and of parental type have been specifically considered, as well as social hierarchies.
Abstract: A theory of cultural evolution is proposed based on a general linear mode of cultural transmission. The trait of an individual is assumed to depend on the values of the same trait in other individuals of the same, the previous or earlier generation. The transmission matrix W has as its elements the proportional contributions of each individual (i) of one generation to each individual (j) of another. In addition, there is random variation (copy error or innovation) for each individual. Means and variances of a group of N individuals change with time and will stabilize asymptotically if the matrix W is irreducible and aperiodic. The rate of convergence is geometric and is governed by the largest non-unit eigenvalue of W. Groups fragment and evolve independently if W is reducible. The means of independent groups vary at random at a predicted rate, a phenomenon termed "random cultural drift". Variances within a group tend to be small, assuming cultural homogeneity. Transmission matrices of the teacher/leader type, and of parental type have been specifically considered, as well as social hierarchies. Various limitations, extensions, and some chances of application are discussed.
TL;DR: A standard readily reproducible position is proposed for the foetus when recording its length and it is suggested that crown-rump length should be related to "conceptual" age instead of the more conventional "menstrual" age.
Abstract: SummaryWhen data from various sources were compared, it was found that estimates of foetal age based upon crown-rump measurements varied considerably. These variations are probably related to the positions in which the foetuses were measured. Tables relating foetal age to foetal length should therefore specify the precise posture in which the foetus was placed for measurement. A standard readily reproducible position is proposed for the foetus when recording its length and it is suggested that crown-rump length should be related to “conceptual” age instead of the more conventional “menstrual” age.
TL;DR: Body composition changes during lactation in women of Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea, suggest that body fat reserves, measured by changes in weight, diminish during the course of lactation and that subcutaneous fat reserves diminish with parity.
Abstract: SummarySome body composition changes during lactation in women of Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea, suggest that body fat reserves, measured by changes in weight, diminish during the course of lactation and that subcutaneous fat reserves diminish with parity. The data are discussed in terms of the possible nutritional control of fertility of women in a subsistence economy.
TL;DR: Wights and a number of linear measurements were related to crown-heel length in fresh apparently normal foetuses ranging from 8 to 21 weeks' post-menstrual age, and there was no evidence of sex differences.
Abstract: SummaryWeights and a number of linear measurements were related to crown-heel length in fresh apparently normal foetuses ranging from 8 to 21 weeks' post-menstrual age. The average relationships agreed remarkably well with results reported many years ago on the basis of preserved specimens mostly from spontaneous abortions. There was no evidence of sex differences.
TL;DR: Weight and several linear measurements have been related to postmenstrual age in a series of fresh, apparently normal foetuses, ranging in age from 8 to 21 weeks, including those based on spontaneous abortion material.
Abstract: SummaryWeight and several linear measurements have been related to postmenstrual age in a series of fresh, apparently normal foetuses, ranging in age from 8 to 21 weeks. Although the correlation between these variables and age was high, the prediction of foetal age from such measurements can never be precise, due in part to difficulties inherent in the concept of postmenstrual age. The average relationships agreed in general with those in previous reports, including those based on spontaneous abortion material.
TL;DR: Estimates of total leg volume, calculated from X-ray or from anthropometric measurements, were essentially interchangeable in both the injured and uninjured legs, and muscle volume in the injured leg was still approximately 11 per cent small than the uninjured.
Abstract: SummaryAnthropometric and X-ray data were collected on 20 young male patients undergoing a systematic programme of exercise therapy following fracture of the leg and consequent immobilization for 25–254 (mean 117) days. Estimates of total leg volume, calculated from X-ray or from anthropometric measurements, were essentially interchangeable in both the injured and uninjured legs. A procedure for estimating muscle volume from total leg volume is given.At the start of rehabilitation, muscle volume was significantly smaller (860 ml, 16 per cent) in the injured than in the uninjured leg. By the end of rehabilitation (mean 50 days) the injured leg had significantly increased by 360 ml (8 per cent) over its initial volume, and the uninjured one had increased but not significantly (120 ml, 2 per cent), so that the injured leg was still ∼11 per cent (620 ml) smaller than the uninjured.The initial degree of atrophy and the period of immobilization were not significantly correlated, although the latter showed a neg...
TL;DR: A high rate of concordance was found for MZ twins at every age in spite of the general change toward darker colours with age, indicating a strong genetic influence in the timing of eye colour changes.
Abstract: SummaryEye colour was assessed routinely from 3 months to 6 years for children participating in a longitudinal study of twins. There were 169 female twin pairs, 161 male pairs, and 60 opposite-sex pairs. Age trends, established by sampling only one member of every pair, showed a marked decrease in lighter colours and a corresponding increase in darker colours with age. The eye colour of females was more represented by darker shades, and was more likely to be changing rather than remaining stable with age. Within-pair concordance rates were calculated for same-sex pairs whose zygosity had been determined independently through bloodtyping. A high rate of concordance was found for MZ twins at every age in spite of the general change toward darker colours with age, indicating a strong genetic influence in the timing of eye colour changes. In contrast, the rate of concordance for DZ twins decreased regularly so that, by 6 years, only about 50 per cent of fraternal pairs were concordant for eye colour. Results ...
TL;DR: Adecrease of about 463 000 live births occurred in Japan in 1966, constituting a sharp departure from the linear trend before and after, partly caused by contraception and partly by induced abortion.
Abstract: SummaryA decrease of about 463 000 live births occurred in Japan in 1966, constituting a sharp departure from the linear trend before and after. This was partly caused by contraception and partly by induced abortion. The induced abortion rate, 43·1 per 1000 births in the year (a total of 65 000), was significantly higher than the 30·6 expected (46·200 total) from the regression trend computed from the years 1963 to 1969. No epidemics were reported in 1966 which might have caused the increase in abortion. It is more likely to be due to observance of Hinoe-Uma (Elder Fire-Horse), which comes round every sixty years by zodiac almanac. This event represents a superstition observed only by the Japanese, in which it is a bad omen for female babies to be born in the year. 1966 was the most recent year of Hinoe-Uma.
TL;DR: To test the correctness of the common assumption that the proportion among Africans is the same as that for negroes in the United States, records over seven years for Yorubas of south-western Nigeria have been examined.
Abstract: SummaryAmong European and North American whites, the proportion of males among live births is about 51.4%, while among negroes in the United States the figure is 50.7%. To test the correctness of the common assumption that the proportion among Africans is the same as that for negroes in the United States, records over seven years for Yorubas of south-western Nigeria have been examined.Among 548 558 hospital live births the male proportion was 51.37%, while vital registration records for one urban and one rural town showed a figure of 51.39% in 315 735 live births. Of the total 864 331 live births, the overall proportion was 51.4 ± 0.05%, significantly higher than the 50.7% for American negroes.
TL;DR: It is possible to predict final body height from the age at which the eruption of the first twelve permanent teeth occurs plus the height at that time, and the residual standard deviation of predicted adult height was 2.3 cm.
Abstract: The relationship between height and dental development was studied in 56 healthy girls by the use of the chronological age at the references point of the eruption curve of the permanent teeth. There was a high correlation between age plus height at this reference point and adult height. When growth rate was taken into account, the correlation increased. It is thus possible to predict final body height from the age at which the eruption of the first twelve permanent teeth occurs plus the height at that time. The residual standard deviation of predicted adult height was 2.3 cm.
TL;DR: Multivariate analysis of variance of the growth data showed that while there were significant differences in all six parameters favouring the normal over the Down's children, there were no significant differences with respect to error of fit.
Abstract: SummaryA double logistic model was used to compare six parameters of growth in standing height of 31 children with Down's syndrome with 136 children from the California Guidance Study.Multivariate analysis of variance of the growth data showed that while there were significant differences in all six parameters favouring the normal over the Down's children, there were no significant differences with respect to error of fit. Multivariate analysis with final height as a covariate revealed that differences between the normal and the Down's children in the prepubertal and adolescent components were explainable by differences in final height.In summary, the double logistic model, when applied to this sample of Down's children, identified those well defined logistic components which are characteristic of the growth of normal children, the differences being those of degree, not of form.
TL;DR: The mean age at menarche calculated by the recollected-age method for 524 Somalian girls, all over 16 years of age, was 14.78 +/- 0.07 years.
Abstract: SummaryThe mean age at menarche calculated by the recollected-age method for 524 Somalian girls, all over 16 years of age, was 14·78±0·07 years. The subjects, gathered from schools and other communities in the capital and from the Catholic Missions in Benadir and Upper and Lower Giuba, originated from all the regions of the country. Regions showed a significant difference in menarcheal age.
TL;DR: Premature slowing of growth then occurred, bringing the trunk to normal values and supine length to very low values for age, ascribed to premature pubertal growth of the trunk.
Abstract: In a hospital supervising prolonged orthopaedic treatment of children suffering from neurological affections, isolated premature pubarche appeared very frequently in children suffering from severe paralytic sequelae of acute anterior poliomyelitis. These subjects had a greater progression of scoliosis and segmental disproportion than comparable subjects of the same age. Supine length and crown-rump length were studied during growth in 16 paralysed boys and 22 paralysed girls with premature pubarche. The results were compared with those of two control populations, one normal group (274 girls, 246 boys), the other a paralysed group (49 boys and 38 girls). Paralysed children (group with premature pubarche and control group) all show considerable shortening of the legs. Up to age 11 for girls and 13 for boys, children with premature pubarche had longer trunks than normal, while supine length was normal. Premature slowing of growth then occurred, bringing the trunk to normal values and supine length to very low values for age. This is ascribed to premature pubertal growth of the trunk. The roles of hormonal changes and neurological damage are discussed.
TL;DR: Hadza (Tanzania) males, including members of both western and eastern groups, were tested for red-green colour blindness with the Ishihara non-numeral plates, and three closely related individuals were considered to be protanopes.
Abstract: Summary211 Hadza (Tanzania) males, including members of both western and eastern groups, were tested for red-green colour blindness with the Ishihara non-numeral plates. Three closely related individuals were considered to be protanopes. It is possible that they received the gene from an Isanzu ancestor. 118 individuals (both sexes) were tested for taste-deficiency to PTC using a single solution and a sorting test. 22% of the males and 27% of the females were considered to be non-tasters. Since this appeared to be a high figure for an African population a sample of 53 eastern Hadza males was later tested using solutions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. A conservative interpretation of the threshold distribution gave an estimate of 43% non-tasters. Corrections were applied for the inclusion of close relatives in the samples. The results are discussed in relation to other African data.
TL;DR: An analysis of the early neonatal mortality rate of accidents and violence revealed a remarkable increase for girls but not for boys in 1966, the most recent year of Fire-horse, consistent with the superstition that women born in the year ofFire-horse are ill-fated.
Abstract: Although it was expected by observers in Japan that the potency of belief in the superstition of the year of Fire-horse would be made apparent by a decrease in births and an increase of the induced...
TL;DR: The skin reflectance values at three EEL filters: 601, 605, and 609 of 100 inhabitants of Holy Island, Northumberland, are reported and a method for examining regional differences in skin colour is introduced.
Abstract: SummaryThe skin reflectance values at three EEL filters: 601, 605 and 609 of 100 inhabitants of Holy Island, Northumberland, are reported. They show no sex differences but a significant age difference and a marked regional difference. A method for examining regional differences in skin colour is introduced.
TL;DR: There are significant differences between the haemoglobin types of 1487 of the East Senegal Bedik and Niokholonko populations, the most likely explanation of which is that the populations are of different origins.
Abstract: SummaryThe haemoglobin types of 1487 of the East Senegal Bedik and Niokholonko populations have been studied. There are significant differences between them, the most likely explanation of which is that the populations are of different origins. The Bedik appear to be the most ancient known settlers in East Senegal: they possess only A and S haemoglobins. The Niokholonko came later, probably from Mali: they have a lower frequency of S genes but AC and AD phenotypes are also encountered among them.
TL;DR: The effect of parity on placental weight and birth weight is examined through a series of birth records from an Indian population in Calcutta, finding the three common placental alkaline phosphatase enzymic genotypes have no effect on determining foetal development.
Abstract: SummaryThe effect of parity on placental weight and birth weight is examined through a series of birth records from an Indian population in Calcutta. Placental weight and birth weight increase with parity, the maximum increment occurring between parities 1 and 2. This is compatible with a hypothesis of sensitization of the mother to foetal, paternally derived, antigens.The three common placental alkaline phosphatase enzymic genotypes have no effect on determining foetal development.