CHAPTER III. 

 THE PHASES OF LIFE. 



972. THE child has at birth, on an average, rather less than 

 one-third the maximum length, and about one- twentieth the 

 maximum weight, to which in future years it will attain. 



The composition of the body of the new-born babe, as com- 

 pared with that of the adult, will be seen from the following table, 

 in which the details are more full than those given in 519 ; the 

 figures in brackets are more recent observations. 



Weight of organ in percentage Weight of organ in 

 of Body-weight adult, as compared 



with that of new-born 

 babe taken as 1. 



1-7 



3-7 (3-34) 

 12 

 12 



13-6(11-05) 

 15 (121) 



20 



20 

 26 



48 

 60 



It will be observed that the brain and eyes are, relatively to 

 the whole body-weight, very much larger in the babe than in the 

 adult. This disproportion is a very marked embryonic feature, 

 and has a morphological or phylogenic, as well as a physiological 

 or teleological, significance. Inasmuch as the smaller body has 

 relatively the larger surface, the skin is naturally proportionately 

 greater in the babe ; but the same disproportion is observed in 



982 



