Professor studies correlation of height, well-being

Dr. Timothy Cuff used the Civil War as a measuring stick.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Men in Lawrence and Mercer counties were among the tallest in Pennsylvania during pre-Civil War years, a professor at Westminster College says.
Dr. Timothy Cuff, assistant professor of history, said that in the early 1800s, these two counties were among the most remote areas of the state and the men's stature was related to their nonurban status.
He has written a book, "The Hidden Cost of Economic Development: The Biological Standard of Living in Antebellum Pennsylvania," and recently presented research at a meeting of the Social Science History Association meeting in Portland, Ore., showing that though residents of economically growing areas in Pennsylvania were richer than their counterparts in the country, the city residents were shorter because of environmental stresses they suffered.
Cuff examined the enlistment records of 20,000 Civil War soldiers and noted their counties of birth. He then calculated the average height for each county after having standardized for age and found that men born in more sparsely populated areas were significantly taller than, say, men from Philadelphia.
The men from Lawrence and Mercer counties -- as well as other men away from economically developing areas -- had an average height of 681/2 inches. Males born in more populated areas averaged 11/2 inches shorter.
But that difference didn't last long.
Cuff's research is showing that a trend already shown nationally for this time period also holds true in Pennsylvania.
A turning point
He said with the advent of public sewage and water treatment systems, the height difference disappeared.
What does water and sewage have to do with height?
Cuff explained that stature is a function of net nutrition and genetics. He said that the people of West European and West African descent living in Pennsylvania at the time would all be expected to achieve about the same height.
But he said medical science had few resources to treat the infectious and diarrheal diseases that were common in economically growing areas at the time because of impure drinking water and inadequate sewage treatment. He said that the calories used to fight disease take calories from growth.
Not only that, but shorter height due to these factors also meant a shorter life.
Other findings
Cuff said some historians have shown that during the pre-Civil War period, for every centimeter shorter people were than their taller counterparts, they could expect to live 1.2 years less than those who were taller. One inch equals 2.5 centimeters.
Cuff is looking at state archives from Pennsylvania National Guardsmen born between 1850 and 1900 to see if the pattern shifts and to determine later trends.
He said that while contemporary Americans have seen successive generations becoming taller, this was not always the case. Studies have shown that from 1840 to 1890, average height in the United States declined. The 1890s, he said, is when good water and sewer systems began to be built in cities and towns.
He said trying to understand such past patterns is helpful to inform today's policymakers. He added the research shows the importance of public water and sewage, which most Americans take for granted.
Cuff specializes in the social and economic history of 19th century America. A graduate of Westminster, he received his master's degree from Bowling Green State University and the University of Pittsburgh and his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.