Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-Ro, Jongno-Gu, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Mar;147(3):433-42. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22011. Epub 2012 Jan 23.
Statural growth in human populations is a sensitive indicator of socio-economic well-being, and improvements in socio-economic status are reflected in secular increases in adult height. In the present study, we investigated the statures of historical Korean societies to show how stature changed over time. Applying Fujii's equation, derived from modern Japanese, to the measurement of femora removed from 15th- to 19th-century Joseon tombs, the average heights of Korean adults during the Joseon dynasty were estimated to be 161.1 ± 5.6 cm and 148.9 ± 4.6 cm for males and females, respectively. Plotting statures for successive historical societies against time revealed that Korean heights remained relatively unchanged through to the end of the 19th century, a pattern that differs from that seen in many Western countries in which stature transiently decreases after the Middle Ages. In contrast, a sharp increase in Korean stature was observed at the beginning of the 20th century, similar to trends seen in other nations (although exact timing varies in different countries). There were no accompanying changes of stature sexual dimorphism. The data reported in this study reflect the unique historical experience of Korea; the relative isolation of Joseon society, the late onset of modernization (at the end of the 19th century), and the later occurrence of industrialization (during the 1960s).
人类群体的身高增长是社会经济福祉的敏感指标，社会经济地位的提高反映在成年人身高的长期增长上。在本研究中，我们调查了历史上朝鲜社会的身高情况，以展示身高随时间的变化。应用从现代日本人中得出的 Fujii 方程，对从 15 世纪至 19 世纪朝鲜古墓中取出的股骨进行测量，估计朝鲜王朝时期成年男性和女性的平均身高分别为 161.1 ± 5.6 cm 和 148.9 ± 4.6 cm。将连续历史社会的身高绘制为时间的函数表明，直到 19 世纪末，韩国人的身高相对保持不变，这种模式与许多西方国家不同，在西方国家，中世纪后身高会暂时下降。相比之下，20 世纪初韩国人的身高急剧增加，与其他国家的趋势相似（尽管在不同国家的具体时间不同）。身高性别二态性没有伴随变化。本研究报告的数据反映了韩国独特的历史经历；朝鲜社会的相对孤立、现代化的迟来（19 世纪末）以及工业化的后来（20 世纪 60 年代）。
