SOME PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF ADOLESCENCE IN CHINESE STUDENTS

1.In view of physiological and educational importance,throughquestionnaires and medical examinations,we attempted to study theadolescence of 1,000 boys and 336 girls in schools at Shanghai and atWuchang.2.The four standard criteria of adolescence adopted for boys werethe presence of 1)pubic hairs and 2)axillary hairs,3) change of voice,and 4)night emissions;for girls,1)pubic hairs,2)axillary hairs,3)mammary development,and 4)first menstruation.3.The means for the four signs of puberty in boys were:1)firstemission,age 15.48±0.03 years;2)first pubic hairs,age 15.24±0.03;3) first axillary hairs,age 16.01+0.04,and 4)first signs of change ofvoice,age 15.2±0.03.4.The means for the four signs of puberty in girls were:1)firstmenstruation,age 13.56±0.05 years;2)first signs of enlargement ofbreasts noted,age 13.56±0.07,3)first pubic hairs,age 14.83±0.16,and 4) first axillary hairs,age 15.33±0.10.5.In the group of 665 school boys examined,pre-pubescents werefound extending over 8 years,at II years 100 per cent being pre-pubes-cent,and at 18 years,1.2 per cent;the age of pubescents ranged from12 to 19 years;and of post-pubescents,from 13 to 20 years.