[100 Years of anthropological examination of school children in Jena (GDR)].

The present paper gives a review of the aims and the importance of the anthropological examinations on Jena school children, which have been carried out since 1880. It is shown that secular acceleration of stature and body weight was greater between 1964 and 1975 than the changes found in previous investigations. Special importance is attributed to a comparison of the results of the investigation made in 1880 with those of 1975.