Socio-economic conditions of the family and somatic and physiological properties of parents and offspring.

Abstract

This paper discusses problems related to the formation of the somatic and physiological traits of the human body seen against a social and economic background. Source material for the study was collected upon the examination in 1975-1982 of a group of 1,108 families (altogether 3,830 persons including 1,756 men) from urban, rural and industrial areas of Poland. Their biological status was described by fourteen somatic and nineteen physiological traits. Social standing and material well-being were defined by four factors: culture, living conditions, genetic factor of mother and the same factor of father. These formed the criteria for a division of the families into sixteen types. It was only within such sub-groups that biological development of individual family members was assessed. In every type of family and in every one of its members we can distinguish positively and negatively developed traits. In couples where both spouses were tall, the biological development of the majority of traits was rather satisfactory. In the cases where husband and wife differed in stature (mother taller than father in categories specific for each sex), then blood properties of offspring had higher values than in the reverse type of mating. Analysis of traits unrelated to body height showed fathers more sensitive to family environment factors than mothers, while their offspring showed a much weaker sensitivity than either parent.