Chapter
The Dark Origins of the Body Mass Index
14:16 - 21:33 (07:17)
The Body Mass Index (BMI) was initially created to quantify averages regarding normal people, but it quickly became popularized in doctor's offices, and then used for corporate profit. This podcast delves into the dark history of how the BMI was once intertwined with criminology theory and eugenics.
Clips
In this episode, we learn how the idea of criminal profiling was born in the late 19th century through the work of Francis Galton and others who believed there were physical features that could identify "inborn criminals."
14:16 - 17:07 (02:51)
Summary
In this episode, we learn how the idea of criminal profiling was born in the late 19th century through the work of Francis Galton and others who believed there were physical features that could identify "inborn criminals."
ChapterThe Dark Origins of the Body Mass Index
EpisodeThe Body Mass Index
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The Body Mass Index (BMI) was created in the 19th century by Adolphe Quetelet, and although it was initially intended to be a tool for population studies, it has since been misused, leading it to be used as justification for eugenics and by insurance companies to charge fat policyholders more.
17:07 - 18:36 (01:28)
Summary
The Body Mass Index (BMI) was created in the 19th century by Adolphe Quetelet, and although it was initially intended to be a tool for population studies, it has since been misused, leading it to be used as justification for eugenics and by insurance companies to charge fat policyholders more.
ChapterThe Dark Origins of the Body Mass Index
EpisodeThe Body Mass Index
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The idea of a normalized body starts to be used by insurance companies for corporate profit after 25 years since the BMI was created.
18:36 - 21:33 (02:56)
Summary
The idea of a normalized body starts to be used by insurance companies for corporate profit after 25 years since the BMI was created. However, the data used for BMI charts is self-reported and can be flawed.