Although climatic conditions in New -eft land differ widely from those prevailing in most parts of the Australian Continent, there is sufficient kinship between us to lend interest to the results of Dr. Marten's researches in Australian physical develop ment, which he has recently made public in the columns of the Australasian Medical Gazette. In stature, it appears, the Aus tralian is rather above the European ave rage. While the average height of Eng lishmen is given as 5 feet 7| inches, and of English professional men 5 feet 9 inches, the average height of the adult Australian males examined by Dr. Marten for life insurance Was just over 5 feet 8 inches. After notic ing the characteristic stoop of "bushmen, through bending forward in riding, he goes on to remark that the '"general develop ment is that of thin, lithe, muscular men, who as a rule carry no unnecessary fat, ex cept in certain few families, where this is the very opposite, and one or all appear to run to enormous fatness. 1 " As for the muscles, though there is no abnormal development, they are as a rule hard and useful. Maturity ia reached by both sexes from one to two years earlier than in the Old Country. Dr. Marten, considers that the reproductive powers of Australians are about equal to those of Europeans in cooler lati tudes. The greatest number of births take place in March. Men and women are alike inclined to an_mia. and this is odd, for Australians have no lack of fresh air, and any quantity of meat- It is probably attributable- to excessive heat, which is certainly to be held accountable for what the doctor particularly deplores, tho early fading of good looks. For con sumption of meat and tea, the Australians lead the world. The latter accounts for the bad digestions which are a by-word in Aus tralia; the former for the exceedingly bad teeth which rejoice the heart and fill the pockets of the colonial dentist.
