NEGRO-WHITE DIFFERENCES IN PULMONARY FUNCTION (VITAL CAPACITY, TIMED VITAL CAPACITY, AND EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE)

In the course of an anthropometrie survey of U. S. Army drivers at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, pulmonary function was tested among 392 white and 61 Negro soldiers, aged 18-29. The Negro soldiers had 13% smaller 1-second and total vital capacities (p-values < 0.001), as well as a 10% slower mid-expiratory flow rate (p < 0.01). Mean age, height, weight, and chest circumference were similar in the two groups.The white soldiers smoked more than the Negroes. Motivation was apparently equivalent, as shown by the stronger grips of the Negroes, who were also much more mesomorphic and "masculine" in physique.The shorter trunk and reduced chest expansion of the Negroes could not account for much of the difference. Differences of this magnitude have been reported for almost 100 years, and prior pulmonary disease is unlikely to account for them. Implications for disease and for athletic performance are speculative at present.