Differences in body mass indices for males imprisoned in the 19th century American South

A limited but increasing amount of research is being done on historical body mass index values. This paper uses 19th century Tennessee State Penitentiary records to demonstrate that Southern BMI values were in the normal range. There is little evidence of a Southern mulatto BMI advantage. Farmer BMIs were consistently heavier than non-farmers. Southern black BMIs remained constant throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries; however, white BMIs declined during the early 20th century.