GROWTH AND NUTRITION 101 



The first group we shall consider tends to minimize the evil 

 consequences of undernutrition, and we shall examine these in 

 some slight detail. The first with which we are concerned is a 

 paper by Hatai. 51 At the age of thirty days young rats were di- 

 vided into two groups, one of which received a diet limited to 

 cornstarch and water. Obviously this was a very imperfect diet, 

 as it must have been inadequate as a source of minerals, protein, 

 and vitamins, and because of its unsatisfactory composition, the 

 energy intake must inevitably have been at a minimum. The 

 control group, of course, received a presumably complete ration. 

 The period of inadequate feeding was three weeks, and at the 

 end of that time the experimental animals were transferred to 

 the complete diet. Hatai commented that the rapidity with which 

 weight was recovered by the experimental animals was most 

 astonishing, especially in the first three or four days. In that 

 time they regained the weight lost during the period of starva- 

 tion. Following that time gains were rapid, and apparently the 

 period of starvation had not been followed by any permanent 

 reduction of size. 



By way of comment we should point out that the suppression 

 of growth did not begin until comparatively late, for a rapidly 

 growing animal, and furthermore that the period was compara- 

 tively short. The possibility still remains that if the period had 

 begun earlier in life, and lasted longer, the result might have 

 been quite different. 



. Another contribution that should be mentioned is that of 

 Boas, 52 on the growth of children. Experimental evidence is, of 

 course, not available, but because of the importance of the sub- 

 ject his comments are included. He states that if the growth of 

 children has been retarded by disease or other inhibiting cir- 

 cumstances, they will recover with extraordinary rapidity when 

 the circumstances again become favorable. Obviously that leaves 

 unanswered, however, the possibility that unfavorable conse- 

 quences may ensue. The mature size may be reduced, the period 

 of "youth" may be shortened, or even life itself. 



