JUVENILE AND ADUI/T Bl OjD. 21 



lation that increases its weight at a much faster rate than indicated 

 in the actuarial tables (fig. 3). Consequently, no adjustment is made 

 to the given weights of the children whose parents are Blender. In 

 the case where one parent was slender and one fat, the adjustment is 



still made in the build of all the children. This procedure, undoubt- 

 edly, introduces an error which, so far as I sec. can not be avoided. 

 Baldwin (1921, p. 74) states that "as a general rule heavy children 

 remain relatively heavy during the period studied"; and his develop- 

 mental curves of individual children show that the same persistence 

 of the juvenile build is commonly true for children of Blight weight. 

 It is striking how often the children of heavy parents will be heavy 

 even in youth, and conversely, children of exceptionally great weight 

 are apt to retain, and add to, their build. 



Chambers (1850, pp. 139-143) cites the following cases of early 

 familial obesity: A boy of 3 years weighs 39.5 kg. (87 pounds) ; his i; 

 sisters and brothers are obese. A girl of 5 years 5 months weighs 89 

 kg. (196 pounds); obesity on both sides of the house. A boy of 16 

 weighs 114 kg. (252 pounds) ; there is collateral heredity. 



A striking case of early obesity persisting to maturity is that of Miss 

 Allen (plate 8). 



On the other hand, it is often strikingly true that in families with 

 a tendency to fleshy build some of the children will remain slender 

 until 20 or 25 years and then begin to grow fat. The metabolic 

 changes that induce fatness first appear in later life. 



