The position of woman: actual and ideal / with preface by Sir Oliver Lodge.

Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The position of woman: actual and ideal / with preface by Sir Oliver Lodge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    that in certain respects man’s body is more specialized, going further away from the youthful and primitive type. This cannot be explained away as wholly due to difference in activities. It is partly connected with the fact that man is longer in reaching maturity. Ranke notes that the typical female form has a relatively longer trunk, shorter arms, legs, hands and feet; relatively to the short upper arms, still shorter forearms; and relatively to short thighs, still shorter lower legs; and relatively to the whole short upper extremity, a still shorter lower extremity—and so on. In short, the woman is a less muscular, less motor type. What is suggested anatomically is corroborated physiologically; for tests show that the muscular strength of men is much greater than that of women. Of course, the comparison must be made between those physically trained. Miss Helen B. Thompson’s careful experiments led her to agree with the unanimous verdict that women have much less muscular force than men. It is, of course, dificult to make absolutely fair comparisons even in regard to such a simple matter as muscular power. The rapidity with which little Japanese women will coal a vessel is said to be unsurpassable by men. Some of the feats of Newhaven fish-wives in bygone days were extra- ordinary. To cite the quick collapse of a big strong man, who tries to help his little wife in carrying the sick baby about for a night or two,