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6 - History, Methods, and General Applications of Anthropometry in Human Biology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2012

By
Noël Cameron  and
Laura L. Jones
Edited by
Michael P. Muehlenbein
Michael P. Muehlenbein
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

If it is accepted that a core element of human evolutionary biology is about understanding the nature and meaning of morphological variation within and between the various species of primates that form our phylogenetic ancestors, then anthropometry is the essential tool used in describing morphological variation. Without a standardized form of measurement comparisons between the morphological characteristics of any two or more individuals is impossible. In the acceptance of that simple principle, the complexity of anthropometry is glimpsed. For anthropometry to be useful in describing morphology it must involve standardized instruments being applied to defined landmarks. The instruments must measure in the same units, to the same degree of precision, and the ability of the observer to repeat the measurement and obtain the same result must be within a range of error that does not significantly alter the outcome of the measurement.

So, modern anthropometry requires a universally understood terminology applied to morphological landmarks, universally applied units of measurement (or at worst units of measurement that have a constant relationship), and instrumentation that is appropriately designed to measure to a degree of precision that will be useful in describing similarities and differences in size. In addition, the anthropometrist must be able to use anthropometric instruments with an acceptable degree of reliability. It has taken over 350 years since a German physician, Johann Sigismund Elsholtz (1623–1688), submitted his graduate thesis entitled “Anthropometria” to the University of Padua in 1654 (Tanner, 1981) for us to be able to be reasonably certain that most of these requirements have been met.

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Human Evolutionary Biology , pp. 92 - 112
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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