author's abstract op this paper issued 

 by the bibliogr-u-hic service, october 13 



THE EFFECTS OF INANITION IN THE YOUNG UPON 



THE ULTIMATE SIZE OF THE BODY AND OF THE 



VARIOUS ORGANS IN THE ALBINO RAT 



C. M. JACKSON AND C. A. STEWART 



Institute of Anatomy, University of Minnesota 



FIVE CHARTS 



The question as to the effects of malnutrition during infancy 

 and youth upon the capacity for later growth is of especial 

 interest at present, on account of the prevalence of famine in 

 connection with the world war. It is generally believed that 

 early starvation may result in permanently stunting the later 

 growth of the body, although accurate data for the human 

 species are lacking. The results of animal experiments on this 

 subject are somewhat contradictory. Aron ('10, '11, '14) 

 and Briining ('14) found that severe underfeeding of young 

 dogs and rats apparently prevents them from reaching normal 

 adult size upon later full feeding. On the other hand, Hatai 

 ('07) and Stewart ('16) obtained complete recovery upon re- 

 feeding rats w^hich had been underfed for short periods beginning 

 at three or four weeks of age. Osborne and Mendel ('14, '15) 

 also found no suppression of growth capacity in young albino 

 rats whose growth had been retarded for long periods by various 

 inadequate diets. The object of the present investigation is 

 to determine the ultimate effect of such underfeeding when 

 begun earlier (in the new-born) or when prolonged over a very 

 extensive period. The study is also extended to include the 

 effects upon the final weights of the various component parts, 

 systems, and organs of the body. 



97 



