NORMALITY OF CHILDREN STUDIED. 33 



tions of our report. While this investigation was undertaken pri- 

 marily with the idea of contributing to the abstract knowledge of the 

 pure physiology of youth, it is gratifying to note that these results, as a 

 natural consequence of the increased interest in the physiology of 

 youth, have to-day a distinct practical value. 



In the discussion of our findings we shall consider, first, the normality 

 of our children as shown by the relationships between body-weight, 

 height, and age and by the anthropometric measurements indicating 

 growth, particularly the body-surface area, with a view to establishing, 

 if possible, the normal, average, and ideal states of nutrition. We will 

 then consider the ideal physical proportions of children, and fixing 

 these clearly in mind, will pass to a consideration of the physiological 

 functions with special reference to pulse-rate, rectal temperature, and 

 particularly the gaseous exchange and total energy metabolism. 



NORMALITY OF CHILDREN STUDIED. 



In all of our investigations thus far on the basal metabolism of 

 humans of both sexes and of varying ages, one of the prerequisites has 

 been that the subjects be individuals "presumably in good health." 

 In this stage of our study, representing the metabolism of children 

 from birth to puberty, it seems to us particularly necessary to scrutinize 

 the normality of the children measured. Throughout the entire 

 investigation we held firmly in mind the idea that we were primarily 

 interested in physiological observations and should avoid, in so far as 

 possible, any pathological or seemingly pathological cases. Conse- 

 quently, there was more or less of a natural selection, which eliminated 

 obviously pathological cases. In the course of our investigation, 

 however, it so happened, due either to the scarcity of subjects at the 

 time or to the special features of an individual case, that subjects 

 not obviously pathological were studied, who on closer scrutiny would 

 not be considered strictly normal. It was necessary to decide arbi- 

 trarily, as we proceeded, what was and what was not physiological. 

 No hard and fixed lines could necessarily be laid down; indeed, such 

 lines do not exist. Ocular impressions of examining physicians, 

 nurses, and attendants were relied upon to indicate whether or not 

 the subject was normal. In all cases, however, there was a distinct 

 mental reservation that before final publication the material would 

 be thoroughly tested and only such as measured up to a reasonable 

 estimate of normality would be included in the discussion on basal 

 metabolism. 



The dominant thought in our consideration of the question of the 

 normality of our children is to determine what degree of success 

 attended our efforts to eliminate incipiently pathological material 

 from our subjects and so enable us to state with accuracy that we are 



