Longilineous

LONGILINEAR. – A designation used to indicate a human morphological type in which the developmental proportions of the body are shifted toward the predominance of the longitudinal diameters over the transverse ones, and of the limbs over the trunk; consequently, the organism as a whole assumes an appearance that is sometimes slender and well developed, at other times slender, frail, and drooping. The longilinear type type (v.).

The Italian constitutionalist school, particularly N. Pende, describes two varieties: the sthenic-tonic longilinear biotype and the hyposthenic-hypotonic longilinear biotype. In the former, there is marked longitudinal development of the bodily forms, with predominance of the thorax over the abdomen; the body is well-proportioned, slender, and harmonious; there is no excess of fat, and the muscles are rarely very highly developed, though they are toned; height, in both sexes, tends to be above average. From the endocrine standpoint (v. ENDOCRINE, GLANDOLE, GLANDOLÉ), hyperfunction of the thyroid and pituitary glands is always present, either with or without that of the gonads and adrenals, giving rise to a series of subvarieties. The conditions of functional equilibrium of the organism are good, sometimes excellent, in the harmony and resistance of its systems. From the neuropsychic standpoint, they are tachypragic and tachypsychic, that is, rapid in moving and

particularly of the limbs gives the individual a frail, hypotonic, drooping appearance, with pronounced curves and humps (kyphosis and lordosis) of the spinal column, especially in the cervicodorsal and dorsolumbar regions; the muscles are frail and hypotonic, and there is little fat; the sexual characteristics are poorly developed. From the endocrine standpoint, hyperthyroidism with hypogenitalism, hypoadrenalism, hypoparathyroidism with spasmophilia; the hypoadrenal variety is particularly predisposed to tuberculosis. From the psychic standpoint, they are not tachypragic or tachypsychic; the mood is sentimentally depressed; the intelligence is often very good, at times brilliant, but rapidly exhausted, of a fanciful rather than concrete or practical type.