Klarinet Archive - Posting 000637.txt from 2000/05

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] an interesting article
Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 11:00:38 -0400

The head shape (and physiognomy) thing probably is crap. However, if the
data were looked at again, perhaps correlations could be found,
nonetheless. The age of bad science is contemporaneous with the age of
science, unfortunately.
Roger S.

On Fri, 12 May 2000, Ed & Carol Maurey wrote:

> Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 11:43:19 -0300
> From: Ed & Carol Maurey <edsshop@-----.ca>
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] an interesting article
>
> Yeah, it reminds me of those foolish 19th century physical anthropologists
> measuring the heads of criminals. I believe the Nazis were into crap like
> that, too.
> Ed Maurey
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Mark Thiel <thielm@-----.com>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Friday, May 12, 2000 10:32 AM
> Subject: [kl] an interesting article
>
>
> > Diane Karius wrote:
> > . . .
> >
> > > The study looked at the ratio between the length of the second
> > >and fourth fingers in musicians from "a British symphony orchestra".
> > >a low ratio indicates that the fourth finger is longer than the
> > >second finger, 1 indicates that they are the same length. The ratio
> > >between these two fingers is apparently set in utero by exposure to
> > >testosterone (at least in part) - the more testosterone there is,
> > >the lower the ratio between those two fingers. Their hypothesis was
> > >that prenatal testosterone exposure may "facilitate musical ability".
> >
> > >
> > > They found that the male musicians of the orchestra did in fact
> >
> > > have a lower ratio between those two fingers than the average male
> > . . .
> >
> > It would be interesting to hear how they measure this too. It
> > seems to me if you hold your hand up flat, you can move all
> > your fingers side to side and make whichever digit (index
> > or ring) you want appear longer.
> >
> > It strikes me as one of those obscure measurements of physical
> > characteristics that is probably utter nonsense, but at the same
> > time we all of course want to run off and check ourselves
> > out in private (Am I really straight?? Am I really a musician or
> > should I be playing drums??, etc.)
> >
> > I know personally that if my PINKIE to other finger ratio
> > were a little higher I would have an easier time reaching the
> > dozen pinkie keys on my bass clarinet; but then probably
> > people with eefer-sized hands that insist on playing bass
> > are just doing so in denial of their sexual/machismo
> > inadequacies.
> >
> > OK everybody, time to turn on your
> > pop physiology/pop psychology filters!
> >
> > Mark Thiel
> >
> >
> >
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