Malville Nancy J.
Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0233.
Am J Hum Biol. 1999;11(1):1-11. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6300(1999)11:1<1::AID-AJHB1>3.0.CO;2-E.
This study documents the activities of 635 porters transporting goods along three traditional trade routes of eastern Nepal. Nearly 95% of the porters were male. They ranged in age from 10-65 years, and most of them had begun to perform long-distance portage at 12-15 years of age. Mean body mass and height of adult males in the combined sample (n = 438) was 49.7 +/- 5.0 kg and 155.5 +/- 6.5 cm, respectively. Adult males age 20-49 years carried loads of 73 +/- 15 kg, equivalent to 146% +/- 30% of body mass. Body size of adult males was not a strong predictor of load weight. The correlation between body mass and load was r = 0.24 (P < 0.0001), and between height and load was r = 0.16 (P < 0.001). Another significant determinant of load weight was whether the load was carried for profit or for domestic use. The most reasonable explanation for the ability of Nepali porters to carry such large loads in spite of their small body size is the ability to pace themselves by making frequent rest stops. Heart rate monitoring of 26 adult male commercial porters demonstrated how porters regulate heart rate and energy expenditure by resting the load every two to three minutes on the T-headed walking stick (tokma) and by setting the load periodically on load-resting platforms (chautaras) for longer recovery periods. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:1-11, 1999. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
本研究记录了635名搬运工在尼泊尔东部三条传统贸易路线上运输货物的活动情况。近95%的搬运工为男性。他们的年龄在10至65岁之间，其中大多数人在12至15岁时就开始从事长途搬运工作。综合样本（n = 438）中成年男性的平均体重和身高分别为49.7 +/- 5.0千克和155.5 +/- 6.5厘米。20至49岁的成年男性所搬运的货物重量为73 +/- 15千克，相当于体重的146% +/- 30%。成年男性的体型并不是负载重量的有力预测指标。体重与负载之间的相关性为r = 0.24（P < 0.0001），身高与负载之间的相关性为r = 0.16（P < 0.001）。负载重量的另一个重要决定因素是货物运输是为了盈利还是供家庭使用。尽管尼泊尔搬运工体型较小，但他们能够搬运如此重的货物，最合理的解释是他们能够通过频繁休息来调整节奏。对26名成年男性商业搬运工的心率监测表明，搬运工如何通过每两到三分钟将货物放在T形手杖（tokma）上休息，以及定期将货物放在负载休息平台（chautaras）上以获得更长的恢复时间来调节心率和能量消耗。《美国人类生物学杂志》11:1 - 11，1999年。版权所有1999年威利 - 利斯公司。
