Research
Height, Health and History: A Reassessment
Abstract
This paper illustrates that there persisted a definite gap between the heights and living standards of lower and upper class Britons in the latter half of 19th century. Through observing scale data on aggregate nutritional status up to the age of 18, this paper is able to make strong inferences about living standards experienced by both poles of the social hierarchy. By analysing pooled cross-sectional data from 1865-1879, this paper finds that, despite some narrowing, there persisted a gap of around 2 inches between the mean heights of the British upper and lower classes.
How to Cite:
Wallace, J., 2020. Height, Health and History: A Reassessment. Knowles Review of Economic History, 1(1), pp.1–15.
Published on
25 Jun 2020.
Peer Reviewed
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