Abstract
IN 1927, the Industrial Fatigue (now Health) Research Board published a report of an inquiry on “The Physique of Women”. The results of this inquiry appeared to be of such value that the Board decided to institute an investigation of the same kind amongst men. Prof. Cathcart directed the work, assisted by Messrs. Hughes and Chalmers, and in the analysis of the data by Miss Blair and Miss Werner, and their report has now been issued (“The Physique of Man in Industry”. Med. Res. Council. I.H.R.B. Report No. 71. H.M. Stationery Office, 1935. Is. 3d. net). It records the physical examination of 13,656 male volunteers aged fourteen years and upwards in fifteen areas in England and Scotland. The total includes 10,593 employed men, 1,328 unemployed men and 1,735 students. The data recorded were height, weight, grip (both hands), pull when standing, and distance of middle finger tip from the ground. The student group had the highest average height and weight, but were inferior in strength to those in manual occupations. The unemployed group was slightly inferior in weight, and definitely inferior in strength, to the employed group. No certain index of physical fitness, industrial or other, was discovered. From the average elbow height (43 in.) of the employed, it is deduced that the comfortable height of a working bench for the average man standing should be about 38 in.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
The Physique of Man in Industry. Nature 136, 1022–1023 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/1361022d0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1361022d0