NUTRITION AND GROWTH: I. 



41 



out increasing in weight, or, for a certain increase in weight it will need 

 more food than a normal child of the same weight. This explanation, 

 based on our observation of "Verwasserung" as a consequence of con- 

 tinuous undernourishment, may give us the key to the understanding of a 

 very remarkable fact recently reported by students of pediatrics and 

 already mentioned in this paper. As Eosenstern ^° and others have 

 shown and as I can demonstrate from my own. observations, a child of a 

 weight consideraljly lower than that which corresponds to its age will need 

 a higher intake in calories per kilo for a noiTQal increase in weight than 

 either an infant of the same weight but younger, or one of the same age 

 but heavier (normal weight). ^^ This conclusion can best be shown by 

 the following charts, which figure the food given and the weight observed 

 in children of nearly the same weight but of different ages. 



These observations are taken from milk-feeding stations established by the 

 Bureau of Public Instruction in connection with public schools and conducted by 

 Miss J. Jackson, under the supervision of the writer. I am indebted for the 

 use of the following data to Miss Jackson who made up the milk daily for the 

 children and observed them during the week, while only weekly inspections were 

 made by the writer when the weights were taken. 



Two characteristic examples are cited. 



MARIA INOCENCIO. 



From 

 week— 



To 

 week — 



Num- 

 ber 

 of 



days. 





Increase 



Calories 



From— 



To- 



Per day. 



Per day. 



1 

 Per kilo. 









Grams. 



Grams. 



Grams. 







21 



26 



35 



3,500 



3,600 



3 



350-375 



100-105 



26 



31 



31 



3, 650 



4,225 



17 



450-120 



115-120 



31 



35 



28 



4,225 



4,811 



21 



500 



125 



MIGUELA PRIEGA. 



9 

 13 



35 



28 



3,550 

 4,175 



4,175 

 4, 850 



17 

 24 



350-400 

 450-475 



100 

 105 



''^Deutsche med. Wchnschr. (1909), 35, 295, 



^' Finkelstein and other authors advise that a child be given the number of 

 calories that correspond to its age, irrespective of its weight. 



