HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCHES OF BELARUSIAN CHILDREN, TEENAGERS AND YOUTH (the end of 19th– the beginning of the 21st century)

The work purpose is to present history of anthropological study of physical development of the Belarusian children, teenagers and youth. This story originates at the end of the 19th century, at that time the anthropological science endured the period of the formation. In 1920 one of national objectives was health protection of younger generation; systematic study of physical development of the children’s population of BSSR began to be carried out. In the same time uniform methodical approaches were developed, mathematical data processing was introduced. Standards of physical development of the Belarusian children were for the first time created. In 1950 mass researches of health and physical status of children and teenagers in our republic were conducted by forces of doctors and hygienists. Results of their work allowed to establish dynamics and to reveal the main regularities of formation of a children’s organism. New age and sex standards of physical development of school children were created. Since 1970, the staff of department of anthropology of Institute of history NAN of Belarus conducts systematic complex researches of physical development of children, teenagers and youth. Researches include studying of intra group distinctions taking into account growth rates and definition like somatic development. Researches include studying of intra group distinctions taking into account growth rates and definition like somatic development. Thanks to this work in our republic the results illustrating the most important epoch-making regularities of physical development of newborns, preschool children, pupils of schools including acceleration process were received. In historical aspect the most important direction of anthropological researchers at the present stage is monitoring of physical development of the children’s population of Republic of Belarus. Reduction of massiveness of a skeleton was observed in consequence of which a thinner constitution of modern children at the age of 7–17 years is noticed.

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