EFFECTS ON THE RESPIRATORY TRACT 



363 



of the lung is rare, and results from thrombosis in the pulmonary arteries or 

 branches. 



Lucien ('08) concluded that in athreptic infants the respiratory tract shows 

 no changes beyond the usual lesions from terminal pulmonary infections, basal 

 congestion of the lungs and catarrhal bronchopneumonia. Lesage ('11) like- 

 wise held that in uncomplicated cases the lungs are usually intact and the respi- 

 ration normal. Lesage ('14) recorded a weight of 26 g. in the lungs of an 

 atrophic infant of 4 months (normal 35 g.). In congenital spasmodic 

 atrophy, however, Lesage and Cleret ('14) claimed that the fundamental 

 lesion, sclerosis, occurs in the lungs as well as in the other viscera. Nobecourt 

 ('16) concluded that the lungs show no characteristic changes in cachectic 

 infants. 



170 ioO 



Fig. 94. — Graph showing the individual weights of the human lungs in atrophic cases, up 

 to adult. Data from various sources. The normal curve is from data compiled by Prof. R. E. 

 Scammon. In most of the cases the lungs appear subnormal, although the weight is frequently 

 increased by terminal bronchopneumonia. 



In famine-stricken children of various ages, Nicolaeff ('23) found the lungs 

 often edematous, but frequently 40-50 per cent subnormal in weight accord- 

 ing to age. 



In Fig. 94, the weights of the lungs are plotted against the body length, 

 in all available data in atrophic cases up to 20 years of age. It will be noted that 

 while in most cases the lungs appear subnormal in weight, they are quite 

 variable, and some even above normal. Many of the latter doubtless represent 

 cases with terminal bronchopneumonia, which is very common. The same 

 applies to Fig. 95, representing the lung weight in atrophic infants only. 



In Table 2, the average weight of the lungs (excluding pneumonia cases) in 

 atrophic infants is given, in comparison with the normal from different stand- 



