The brush inquiry: An opportunity to investigate health outcomes in a well-characterized cohort.

The Brush Inquiry was conducted in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1926-1942 to longitudinally document the growth and development of healthy children and adults. The Brush population was a heterogenous group with a broad representation of racial and socioeconomic groups. Data collection included radiographs of several parts of the body; motor, mental, and psychological tests; health, nutrition, and prenatal history; body measurements and family history. The early results of the inquiry were used to establish standards for normal childhood growth and development. Today, many of these subjects (88%) are in the age range of 60-80, facilitating the continuity of the inquiry to study early indicators for later health outcomes. This article reviews the origins of the inquiry, characteristics of the population, and the prospects for future research using this cohort. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:1-9, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.