Variability of human internal organs size and their connection with the body build type

Abstract

The main purpose of this work was to investigate some problems connected with human internal organs variability. Particularly two important anthropological problems were taken into account: 1) the interdependences between size of the organs and their changes with age, 2) the interdependences between somatic build and the degree of organs development. This means to find to what degree our knowledge about morphological variability in man gained in the course of somatic investigations, is right when one takes into account the measurements of internal organs as additional characters.

Material was collected in the Medical Examiner's Office of the Academy of Medicine in Poznań — it consists of two samples: 1. data from section protocols on weight of: brain, heart, kindneys and liver, 2. body measurements collected in the medical legal section room. The first sample consists of 780 protoclos dated 1934 - 38 (171 male, 55 female), 1945-49 (139 male, 39 female), 1955 (135 male, 41 female), 1969-72 (150 male, 50 female). From these protocols were taken into account the following data: sex, age, measurements and weight of brain, heart, liver and kidneys, additionally the stature. Criteria on which specimen were taken for further investigations were: 1) no marked decay of tissues, 2) accidental cause of death, 3) no organs demaged. Specimen age ranged from 20 to 80 years.

The second sample was based upon measurements of males died in 1970 and 1971 in Poznań and in Poznań district, All specimens were healthy at the moment of death, which was caused by injury, suicide etc., cadavers were in a state enabling measurements.

Total number of investigated individuals in this sample was 78, their age ranged from 20 to 80 years, On corpses were taken following measurements: 1) length of head neck, 2) frontal trunk length, 3) taight length, 4) distance from heel to knee — joint, 5) arm length, 6) forearm length, 7) pelvic breadth, 8) chest breadth, 9) antero-posterior measure of chest, 10) chest circumference, 11) arm circumference, 12) taight circumference, 13) breadth of the distal epiphysis of femur, 14) breadth of the distal epiphysis of arm bone. Summing up, from these first measurements the stature was obtained.

This paper deals with three problems: 1) ontogenetic changes of organs weight, 2) interdependences between the weight of organs, 3) interdependences between the size of organs and body composition.

Interdependences between the weight of organs and the age have been estimated by means of correlation coefficients r and parameter 7. Analysis of the interdependences between the weight of organs was made using multiple cell association tables (3-dimensional), interdependences between the weight of organs and the somatic build type were analysed by means of Penrose distances and multiple cell association tables.

The most important conclusions from the above analysis enable us to make the following statements:

1) In the same age categories lower mean values of the weight of organs are observed in groups of individuals born in the first decades of 20-the century as compared to those born in successible decades, This may be due to interpopulations differences or to secular trend. The above conclusion may be reached when onę compares tle Lesulls ul present work with the data from literature published earlier. On the other hand, when one is dealing with material investigated in present work only, there exist no statistically significant differences between the weight of organs of individuals — born in various decades.

Therefore in the group of individuals of the most advanced age such difference is significant when one takes into account the average normalised weight of all four organs. This suggests a secular trend in retardation of involutionary changes in organs. This suggestion is also proved by shift of the age at which the maximal weight of organs is reached.

2) Relatively low correlation coefficients between the weights of particular organs have shown some interdependence of the degree of their development. The highest correlation coefficients with other organs were obtainer for heart, Investigations of interdependences between the size of the three organs (brain, heart, and liver) have shown also a lack of second — order interactions.

Hence one cannot take as types (characterized by particular values of measurements) surpluses of frequency in some categories of three organs weights combinations. Stature to a small degree influences strength of the interdependences between organs — elimination of this character from computations results in a slight decrease only in values of correlation coefficient for the weight of organs.

3) Lack of differences in relative and absolute values of brain, heart and liver weights among individuals representing divergent types of somatic build, do not enable use for these types names suggesting various degrees of development of endo, meso- and ektoderma. Types of body build distinguished on the ground of measurements expressing development of the skeleton, muscles and partly fat (taight circumference) refer to various degrees of development of these body components only. Such types could not be taken as constitutional types for which all processes of tissue differentiation and development follow the same patterns.