A Study of the Physique of Some Native East Africans

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Abstract
A sample of 219 East Africans (168 Kikuyu, 32 Luo, 14 Masai and 5 Lumbwa) was studied by the use of a scopic somatotype technique. Of the Kikuyu 98 came from a village, the remaining 70 Kikuyu and all the other tribesmen were convicts. The results suggest that their somatotypes are modified to some extent by environmental factors, which may include nutrition, climate and occupation. Kikuyu physique is shown to be different from European and Japanese physique as far as these have at present been studied by the somatotype method. Kikuyu physique is low in endomorphy, highly dysplastic and somewhat linear, with moderate, though dominant, meso-morphy associated with very variable ectomorphy. The scopic technic used appears to be adequate for estimating the total somatotype and is quicker than the metric method. The meaning to be ascribed to somatotype data is discussed.

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