Stature and stature distribution in recent West German and historic samples of Italian and Dutch conscripts

Based on the standard for the natural distribution of stature obtained from 11,851,168 West German conscripts (born in 1938-1971), stature and stature distribution were investigated in historic samples of Italian (born 1854-1963) and Dutch (drafts of 1863-1970) conscripts. Both stature and stature distribution in the historic Italian and Dutch samples showed a variety of characteristic deviations from the natural stature distribution of the modern populations, which strongly suggest that there are at least two developmental periods that are sensitive to socioeconomic events with regard to final stature. Environmental disasters during pregnancy and the first year of life lead to a ubiquitous reduction of mean stature in the total cohort affected. This is obvious in Italians born in 1945, who are 3.7 mm shorter than those born in 1944, and 7.9 mm shorter than those born in 1946. An even stronger suppression of final stature by more than 12 mm is obvious in Italians born in 1899 and 1900. Stature distribution, however, is influenced by environmental factors during adolescence. Particularly small persons become numerous during periods of war and economic depression. This is evident in the 19th century Dutch and Italian samples, and during the early 1920s. Changes in developmental tempo seem unlikely to cause these effects. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.