Body Composition in Severe Infantile Malnutrition*

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Abstract
A whole body chemical postmortem analysis was made of nine children between 6 and 16 months old. Mean values for two children who died of marasmic kwashiorkor were 20% of the fat, 123% of the water, 76% of the protein and 68% of the potassium which a normal child of the same height would have contained. Two children who died of kwashiorkor had 54% of the fat, 81% of the water, 62% of the protein and 44% of the potassium of a normal child of the same height. Brain, liver, other viscera, lower leg and carcass were analysed separately. Liver fat represented 0.4% to 39.6% of total body fat. The significance of these results, and their bearing on attempts to measure body composition in vivo is discussed. The severe deficiency of protein and potassium which has been found also has therapeutic relevance.