Effect of Malnutrition in Infancy on the Development of Bone, Muscle and Fat

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Abstract
Falling-off in weight gain during the first year of life is frequently noted in children in tropical regions, and is associated with inadequate protein intake. From welfare clinic records, a group of children has been selected who showed this falling curve of growth, and others who did not. Soft tissue radiographs of the legs and surface measurements of the arms of these groups showed that the measurements of bone width and of muscle of the “falling” group were significantly different from those of other groups. Bone length and subcutaneous fat measurements were not significantly different. It is suggested that this selective effect is not genetically determined, nor the consequence of limitation of activity, but that it is consistent with the application to man of Hammond's “heterogonic” theory of growth.
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