Body Build and Obesity— Who Are the Obese?

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Abstract
Although THE importance of genetic and constitutional factors in animal obesities is well-recognized and documented,1 surprisingly little information is available on the role of constitutional factors in human obesities. We need to know whether or not there are people who, under favorable environmental circumstances, are more predisposed than others to the development of obesity by their constitutional make-up and related genetic endowment. Since the expression of obesity is so overtly morphological, any systematic approach to this problem must include a study of the morphological constitution of obese subjects. Among the many questions to be answered are the following: (1) Do obese subjects differ from nonobese in morphological features other than differences in amount of fatty tissue? (2) Does obesity occur among all varieties of physical types? (3) Does obesity occur with greater frequency in some physical types than in others? The present study attempts, on the basis of data