Why do the proportions of the human body change with age? The essential meaning of that question cannot be understood without unraveling the process of human evolution. Moreover, even if the mechanisms of evolution were to be elucidated, the reasons why proportions must be changed or why we must evolve in that way and how far humans will continue evolving are likely to remain mysteries. However, the mechanisms for the changes in human body proportions can be explained. This review explains not only the mechanisms for changes in body proportion but also, to construct a standard growth system for humans, confirms the reverification process of the growth curves proposed by Scammon almost 90 years ago and seeks to solve problems by offering the Fujimmon growth curves proposed by the author. In addition, the Fujimmon and Scammon growth curves are described on the same scale and the two are compared. The results indicate the basic ambiguity of curves described freehand and the clarity from the exactness provided by the mathematical functions described by the wavelet interpolation model. The validity and efficacy of the Fujimmon growth curves are then shown.

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Many of the studies on the development and promotion of physical education and sports in modern Japan focus on the names of foreign contributors and the achievements of Japanese physical education leaders at that time. In contrast, few of the achievements of Japanese medical scientists playing important roles around the same time have been reported.
This study therefore focuses on Hiidsu Miyake （1848－1938）, the chair of the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo University and the only Japanese medical scientist who participated in the Kenjutsu-Jujutsu-Chosa held in 1883, and aims to reveal the opinion he expressed about Japanese traditional martial arts, especially Jujutsu, based on his remaining handwritten notes for presentations and handwritten drafts.
As a result, the study found that he showed no negative opinion on Jujutsu and rather held a high appreciation and understanding for it.
However, it was found that in a presentation performed in 1900 Miyake recommended “sports” for women at that time instead of Jujutsu.

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Handgrip strength is said to be a convenient representative measure of muscle strength, but there are no findings showing that it necessarily reflects body muscle mass. In this study, by investigating the relationship between body composition and various muscle strength indices in young women, we attempted to construct a muscle strength index that reflects body muscle mass. The subjects were 773 female university students. Body profile measurements in the subjects were height, weight, fat mass （whole body, arms, legs, trunk）, muscle mass （whole body, arms, legs, trunk）, body fat percentage （whole body, arms, legs, trunk）, body mass index （BMI）, and muscle index （whole body, arms, legs, trunk）. Muscle strength measurements were back muscle strength, leg muscle strength, vertical jump, handgrip strength, and sit-ups. The relationships between body measurements and muscle strength measurements were tested using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Handgrip strength was found to be closely correlated with absolute muscle mass in all parts of the body. Conversely, leg muscle strength was found to be closely correlated with relative muscle mass in all parts of the body. However, leg muscle strength was also closely related to body fat. Therefore, handgrip strength is thought to be a useful index as a specific muscle function that reflects absolute muscle mass in the whole body.

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　In certain sports, players are required to recover rapidly within a relatively short time. A common way to reduce fatigue after exercise is using massage or icing. However, the effectiveness of the methods in facilitating recovery from muscle fatigue is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a combination of regional icing and massage on recovery of muscle strength and endurance after muscle contraction. Three male and five female students volunteered for this study. All subjects performed a maximal repetitive elbow flexion–extension exercise at 50% maximum voluntary contraction twice. Between the two exercise sessions, the participants were randomly assigned one among three types of recovery treatments: 1）rest for 10 min, 2）5 min rest after 5 min regional icing, and 3）5 min regional massage after 5 min icing in a seated position. The following measurements were performed prior and after the elbow flexion–extension exercises: muscle strength of elbow flexion, rating of perceived exertion, and perceived fatigue degree. There were no marked differences observed in muscle strength and endurance of the elbow flexion muscles and the rating of perceived exertion or perceived fatigue degree among the treatments. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the combination of regional icing and massage during the recovery period following exercise did not accelerate recovery when compared to rest alone.

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