Árbók Háskóla Íslands - 02.01.1925, Blaðsíða 253

241
Suecica. Only a few Danish averages have been published.
I have, therefore, measured 20 Danish mariners, mostly from
Jutland. This sample of course does by no means represent
the averag'e of Denmark and, therefore, it is not safe to draw
inferences from it.
II. Anthropological measurements.
A. Measurements of the body.
As several measurements change wifh t'lie cliange from re-
cruiting age to maturity, I am content to take as a starting
point the average measurements of more than 230 Icelanders
of recruiting age (20—22 ys). They are, mostly, in full agree-
ment with the average measurements taken of 850 men of the
age of 20—40 years, as will be seen from the table on p. 232.
1. S t a t u r e a n d’ w e i g h t.
The average stature of adult Icelanders is, accord-
ing to my measurements, 173.55 cm., and that of men of re-
cruiting age 173.05 cm. It is a little higher than in Norway
and Sweden. The stature of Norwegian and Swedish recruits
may be assumed to be to-day approximately 172 cm., tliat of
Danish recruits about 170 cm. It is difficull to determine the
real value of tliese measurements for the stature continues to
groAv and the older measurements thereby lose their value.
Can any value be attached to these figures, since the average
stature in the Scandinavian countries continues to increase?
Will all Scandinavians at last l)e of the same stature?
I quote here some figures from E. Ph. Mackeprang1) and
from the recruiting slatistics of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden:
Denmark
1852-56: 165,4 crn.
1890-1900: 168,4 cm
1904-05: 169,1 cm.
1924: 169,5 —
Norvvay
1855-59: 168,6 cm.
1893: 169,8 —
1903: 170,2 —
1921: 171,6 —
Svveden
1841-45: 167,3 cm.
1887-94: 169,5 —
1897-98: 170,9 —
1916-20: 171,7 —
This table shows that the stature of Norwegians and Swedes
was always similar at the same period, while that of the Danes
wras lower. The stature of the Scandinavians is divided into
two groups by the Sound and for stature the Icelanders must
1) Meddel. om Danmarks Anthropologi I., p. 44.
31