HEALTH NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 9 November 1927, Page 8

HEALTH NOTES

CARE OF THE CHILD PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT NORMAL AND SUB-NORMAL (Contributed by the Department of Health.)

Throughout the world to-day the desire to protect and Salvage human life generally has led to a- fixing of our attention on the child as never heretofore.

Just as for plant life we recognise that early care is necessary, so for the child we find no perfect maturity is to he reached if Nature is not assisted in every possible wuv. The child signifies hope and encouragement to. the parent, hay, to the whole world. What mother, as she gazes on her infant, hut feels the possibility of human achievement and greatness for him, yet how little she may know of this wonderful being' committed to her care and of tlie natural laws governing his growth and development. The wise mother does not lose sight of the fact that her child is essentially an animal. She realises that man originally did not wear the constricting clothing of to-day. nor live indoors; that lie exercised his body in (lie pursuit of food which was suited to bis needs and that bis ill-hei’iltli to-day is largely due to infringement of Nature’s original plan for him. She knows that for good nurture, therefore, her child must live in accordance with the laws of Nature, and any dVe'r-anxiety arid undue coddling on her part would interfere with his normal development. In regard to children, we speak of the normal child as- one who has at* tained the standard of physical growth and development which experience tells us should be reached by-a' healtlrY' child of his age. It is worth while to consider some of the characteristics of the growth of the child’s body, that wonderful structure in which he ( lives his daily life, very often hindered physically, mentally, or spiritually ,by its defective mechanism.

SIMPLE STANDARDS Our estimate of correct physical proportion in children and our knowledge of the proper mechanical functioning of- the body, are based on a multitude of observatipns made at birth and throughout the growing period. We fetm our judgment of an infant’s progress partly from consideration of the age at which the development of his faculties becomes apparent. We know, far instance, that a healthy, and intelligent baby makes voluntary movements at three to four months, sits up’ at six or seven months, stands at nine months, and begins to walk at- twelve to fifteen months. He begins to talk' about the end of the iirst year. His first teeth appear at about six moritlis,; the first set being completed by, tlie end of the second year. We are fir-; tlier guided in our judgment by ’rioting whether tlie actual growth of the child is in accordance with the known standard for health. For instance, we know that at birth the average weight of a boy is 7Alb. and of a girl 71b., and we have at our command weight tables showing us gradual increase until at the end of the first year the average boy weights 2211 b. and the average girl 211 b. In tlie same way throughout the whole period of childhood and adolescence we are able to judge from known standards whether a child is developing in accordance, . with the rules of healthy growth. In h healthy: growing child the increase in height; is represented by a corresponding increase in weight and a given height ati a known age should lie accompanied by a known weight within certain limits. The simplest standards, therefore, by which nutrition arid growth may ]>e estimated are tlie following: —;(,i) The relationship of weight to height; and age (2) the.annual gain in weight, arid height; (3) the general appearance of the child. *

Weight for age . alone is hot a reliable index of a. child’s nutrition. ft shows wide variation in different races, communities, families, and individuals. Weight for height also shows some variations, hut these are within a comparatively small range, and in general weight for height is a reliable index for a child’s nutrition and one which varies very little even in those of different races. Age also cannot be ignored in relation to normal weight. Of two children of the same height but of different ages the older one should weigh more than the younger one. A record of a child’s weight and height kept throughout his school life affords valuable evidence as to whether his nutrition is satisfactory and growth is proceeding, in accordance with the laws of health.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT j While the relation of weight to ; height and age is significant as a) starting point to determine a child’s nutrition, however, liis rate of gain in weight and height is even more important as showing his progress. In healthy children growth in height and gain in weight go on together, and usually at the same rate. In neither of these is the increase uniform or con-: tinuous for long periods of time. There are seen with nearly all children periods of a few months in which both are slower. Gain in height is most marked in the late spring and summer,, while gain in weight is usually more rapid in the autumn and early winter months and less rapid in the spring s and summer. A stationary weight fori a few months is consistent with per-' feet health, but a prolonged period of stationary weight or a steady loss- at, any time indicates malnutrition or latent disease, and demands attention. It is not generally recognised that a, girl in her early teens is both taller’ and heavier than her brother at the' Same age. Girls gain at the samerate as boys up to the age of ten years,;, during the next year more rapidly, and pass the boys, remaining ahead until about fifteen years, when the boys overtake and pass them permanently/ Though there are considerable individual variations, depending on race, family characteristics, etc., and not every child below the average weight for height and age is, tq be considered, under-nourished, it is -pretty generally agreed that for practical purposes, children between tin: ages of- five and) thirteen years who are 10 per cent.j or more below the normal average b'fj weight for height and age should be* considered under-nourished. S.uch chil-.> dren will usually, on closer oxamina-; t.ion, show other evidence of being: physically below par. For children from thirteen to eighteen years slightly wider variation from the average may he regarded as normal. Monthly weighing of all children, if regularly practised, makes possible the recognition of many conditions at; a comparatively early period which might, be-

corite seridus. Eor children who .Ire not progressing .satisfactorily a . complete medical exatitination should be niatle to deteriilUi'e whether ; they are siiii'orilig from actual disease, or some defect . which is interfering with growth, or. whether it is simply that they are ndt obeying the common rules of health. TJieit home surroundings and habits should’ be investigated and considered-ill order to ascertain whether tlioir food is proper for a growing child arid; whether It is Sufficient iti amount. Also, .whether they are getting enough fresh air, enough rest and hours of sleep, too hitfch or too little ptuscdlilri.exercise.

A HEALTHY CHILD In. determining a child’s nutrition his general appearance gives valuable additional information. His face tells much—whether his expression • shows keen interest, with bright eyes, red lips, and plurftp rosy cheeks, or whether his expression is dull and listless;' .with thin, pale cheeks and dark rings about the eyes, for the latter indicates undernourishment, fatigue, exhaustion, or illness. If the clothing is removed his posture is tin index to his health,Where vitality is depressed there is a general bodily slackness and a loss of muscle tone, drooping bend, winged shoulders, and narrow or flat chest furnishing unfavourable evidence.

We thus see that faulty hygiene may 1 permanently injure a child. Ho is moreover exposed to the risk o’f infectious disease arid susceptible to diseases such as rheumatism —a much more insidious arid deadly enemy to childhood than is'.often'recognised. When jve 'Consider that early childhood .is -the age most '.trainable to infection from tuberculosis, we cannot fail to he iiripressed with the value of a periodic medical examination for all children and with the necessity qfpraviding for, their vulnerable, growing anj/erivjrOitirierit favourably ? to the acquirement’ of vigour. A healthy child is not only free from, evidence of. malaise &h&.lack-of vitality, Imp has a definite' feeling of physical well-being and jov. in activity, .We know how nurture. Let, lis endeavour, therefore, to see that the next succeeding genera-' tlbii of human beings enjoys .increasing freedom . from bodily weakness by safeguarding its infancy from hygienic errors arid from infection, arid by building up its resistance to the onset of disease. Every illness, it is said, must be regarded as it least a temporary victory for .llacTte'ria; - 4 _ v v