For women, Boyd gives the following figures:
THE GROWTH OF THE BRAIN IN WOMEN
(Figures Given by Boyd)
| Age | Weight | Proportion to the maximum reduced to 100 |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | 283 | 22.8 |
| Three months | 452 | 36.5 |
| From 3 to 6 months | 560 | 45.2 |
| From 6 months to 1 year | 728 | 58.8 |
| From 1 to 2 years | 844 | 68.1 |
| From 2 to 4 years | 991 | 80.8 |
| From 4 to 7 years | 1,136 | 91.7 |
| From 7 to 14 years | 1,155 | 93.3 |
| From 14 to 20 years | 1,244 | 100.4 |
| From 20 to 30 years | 1,238 | 100.0 |
| From 30 to 40 years | 1,218 | 98.3 |
| From 40 to 50 years | 1,213 | 97.9 |
| From 50 to 60 years | 1,221 | 98.2 |
| From 60 to 70 years | 1,207 | 97.4 |
| From 70 to 80 years | 1,167 | 94.2 |
| From 80 to 90 years | 1,125 | 90.8 |
The rhythm of growth of the female brain is analogous to that of the male, except for the more precocious attainment of the maximum weight, which corresponds to the more precocious evolution of the female organism.
It should be noted that in the tables above cited the maximum is actually given as occurring at the age of twenty; and that after this period the weight diminishes again, subsequently increasing up to an age that varies according to the sex. But this maximum at the age of twenty must be considered as one of the false results of mean averages; and it must be explained on the ground that after the twentieth year the death rate has eliminated a series of individuals whose heads were abnormally large, and that a majority of the survivors were those whose heads had developed within normal limits.
This fact is further confirmed by Wagner's figures, cited by Broca:
MEAN WEIGHT OF THE BRAIN
(According TO Wagner)
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 years | 985 | 1,033 |
| From 11 to 20 years | 1,465 | 1,285 |
| From 21 to 30 years | 1,341 | 1,249 |
| From 31 to 40 years | 1,410 | 1,262 |
| From 41 to 50 years | 1,391 | 1,261 |
| From 51 to 60 years | 1,341 | 1,236 |
| Above 60 years | 1,326 | 1,203 |
Here again we have a false maximum at twenty, which nature subsequently corrects through mortality.
From such knowledge we obtain certain important rules of hygiene.