GROWING TALLER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 193, 15 August 1936, Page 20

GROWING TALLER.

THE EUROPEAN RACES

CITY DWELLERS WINNING. LONDON. Europeans are growing taller; city dwellers in general are bigger than country men, and people living in the north of Europe are bigger than those in the south.

These are the conclusions reached after a study of human growth over a number of years, details of which are given in the "British Medical Journal."

Children of to-day, according to the experience of many countries, compare favourably with children of the same age before the war, and it might be said that a tendency to increase of growth has long been observed.

Figures for measurements of army recruits in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland,'and Italy over a period of years all - show an increase .in. the average height, while measurements in German cities of school children show an increase in weight as well as height.

Even in Japan measurements on students record increases of growth, while in the United States there has been a great increase in growth during the last 80 years.

"In general, however," it is said, "the bodily build, of both sexes has tende.d to become slimmer, especially for women in the region of the hips, an observation also made in Germany."

This change is .attributed' primarily to environmental influences, including general improvements in hygiene, improvement in general diet, and the result of sport and gymnasium.

"It is noticeable," goes on the report, "that the inhabitants of cities in general are bigger than country men. Those of the north are bigger than those of the south. Hence one can hardly attribuH the change to the effect of sunlight, which some have occasionally regarded as the primary factor of growth."