It is interesting to know how the mean will be affected, according to the number of individuals examined, because it is obvious that the mean stature of Italians cannot be based upon measurements of all Italians, but upon a larger or smaller number of individuals. Now, if we take various different numbers of individuals, shall we obtain different mean statures? And if so, what number of subjects must we have at our disposal in order to obtain a constant medial figure, and hence the one that represents the real mean average? It has been determined that a relatively small number will suffice to give the mean, if the measurements are taken with uniform method and from the same class of subjects (sex, age, race, etc.); for the cranium, 25 subjects are sufficient, and for the stature, 100 subjects.
This method furnishes us with an abstract number, insofar as it does not correspond to any real individual, but it serves to give us the synthetic idea of an entirety. In anthropology we need this sort of fundamental synthesis before proceeding to individual analysis for the purpose of interpreting a specified person.
Now, it is evident that the figures representing the mean stature for each region in Italy give us a basis for judging of the distribution of this important datum, while an accumulation of a hundred thousand individual figures would lead to nothing more profitable than confusion and weariness.
The following table, however, is quite clear and instructive:
MEAN STATURE IN ITALY
(According to Departments)
| Departments | Stature in centimetres |
|---|---|
| Piedmont | 162.7 |
| Liguria | 163.7 |
| Lombardy | 163.6 |
| Venetia | 165.4 |
| Emilia | 164.0 |
| Tuscany | 164.3 |
| Marches | 162.4 |
| Umbria | 162.7 |
| Latium | 162.5 |
| Abruzzi and Molise | 160.6 |
| Campania | 161.3 |
| Apulia | 160.4 |
| Basilicata | 158.9 |
| Calabria | 159.4 |
| Sicily | 161.1 |
| Sardinia | 158.9 |
Yet the interpretation of such a table is not simple; it is necessary to read the numbers, to remember them in their reciprocal relation; and it demands effort and time to acquire a clear and synthetic idea of the distribution in Italy of this one datum, stature.
On the other hand, we must lose as little time and spare our forces as far as possible. The value of positive methodology lies in the extent to which it accomplishes these two subjects.