Notebook

Notebook, 1993- RELATIONSHIPS

Allometry

The change of proportions of a biological organism during its development is brought about by differences in the growth rates of the various parts, some of which grow faster than others. There is very often a simple relation between the growth rates of well-defined parts, such as the limbs, head, and so on. This relation--which is certainly not universal, but is very common--is a simple constant proportionality, which exists not between the sizes of the parts, but between their rates of growth... this type of relationship is spoken of as "allometry" [or "allometric growth"]; instances in which a is greater than 1 are referred to as positive allometry, the opposite situation as negative allometry. In the growth of man, the legs show positive allometry, the head negative, in relation to the body as a whole . . . . [p. 32]

[Waddington, C. H. "The Modular Principle and Biological Form." In Module, Proportion, Symmetry, Rhythm. Vision and Value series. Gyorgy Kepes, ed. New York: George Braziller, 1966.]

R  E  F  E  R  E  N  C  E  S

Allometry n [1936]: relative growth of a part in relation to an entire organism or to a standard; also: the measure and study of such growth

[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield, MA, USA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1995.]

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