Anthropometry and its meaning in 19th century European science

Abstract

Scientific research implies theoretical and methodological agreements on the part of a community for the advancement of knowledge in the different disciplines. This set of agreements includes instrumental aspects, i. e., the procedures considered valid for collecting empirical information. Anthropometry is a technique for collecting scientific information about the human being that became widely used during the 19th century. The aim of this study is to analyze the initial uses of the term "anthropometry" and the conceptualization of this technique in nineteenth-century European science, a moment that can be considered of historical relevance since it preceded the international anthropometric agreements in anthropology at the beginning of the 20th century. Primary sources located in historiographical studies about anthropometry and others identified from these primary sources were used. It was found that the 19th century was a century characterized more by disagreements than by agreements regarding the use of the term "anthropometry" and its meaning in European science. During this period, the concept of anthropometry progressively narrowed until it became closer to that set by international consensus at the beginning of the following century.