Anthropometric is a term which refers to taking quantitative measurements of the human body. Numerous measurements of the body can be taken, ranging from bone density scans to height measurements. There are a number of ways in which anthropometric information can be utilized and there are several large databases of measurements from thousands of people which can be used for the purpose of comparison and study.
The origins of taking measurements of humans is quite old, although the term "anthropometric" was not coined until the 1800s. Early anatomists were very interested in measuring and comparing different bodies, studying variations in the size and shape of the body as a whole as well as organs. In addition, artists were concerned with measurements because they wanted their work to be accurate and they were curious about proportions.
Historically, people believed that a great deal of information could be obtained from anthropometric data. Some physicians thought that measuring the body could provide information about health, for example, while psychologists theorized that the dimensions of the head might provide insight into the nature of the mind. Early anthropologists used physical measurements to argue that some races were superior to others.
While much of the earlier study of anthropometrics has been debunked, there are still a wide range of applications for measurements of the body. Parents with growing children benefit from huge studies on the growth of children, for example, which have generated growth charts against which children can be compared as they develop. Anthropologists continue to use anthropometric data to study the differences between various groups of people, though they no longer do so with the goal of promoting racial superiority.
Measuring people can also provide information about how humans are changing, with such measurements being used by people who develop clothing, furniture, and other consumer goods which are dependent on average user size. Measurements can include length measurements of various aspects of the body, ranging from overall height to individual fingers, along with weights, measurements of fat with calipers, and measurements which are taken to learn more about the inside of the body, such as density measurements and scans.
The study of human measurements is not limited to living humans. Physical anthropologists study skeletons and take a number of anthropometric measurements which have far-reaching applications, perhaps most notably in forensics where people can sometimes identify a victim on the basis of unique skeletal traits. Individual organs are also extensively studied.
