, 1885-02-20
THE WEIGHT OF CHILDREN.

How It Varies from Day to Day -Periods
of Increase and Decrease
Pastor Mailing Hansen, the director Of the
Royal Deaf and Dumb asylum in Corsn-
hagen, has published an interesting pamphlet
on The Periodically OF the Weight OF CHILD
ron" His observations, obtained by the
daily weighing OF the children under his care.
are very interesting. According 70 his evi-
donce the weight of children differs so largely
from day to day that no trustworthy result
can be obtained from weighing at long in
tervals. A child may be two pounds heavier
at night than In tue morning,
and maybe one and one-half pounds
lighter In the morning than the night
before. Eating seems to nave more influence
ON weight than exercise, bathing, or occupa-
ton The ultimate increase In weight, cor
responding to increase In growth, does not
90 on regularly throughout tho year. There
Is a period OF stoppage in the increa . Of
weight with corresponding loss, from the he-
ginning of May till pa t the middle OF July,
in which time the loss Of weight may exceed
doubls the avsrags ultimate gain.
During August, September and October
there is a very steady period OF increase in
weight, sometimes rising to five times more
than the average increase. During the rest
of the year the weight varies from less to
more around the average figure OF increase.
During the summer holidays the increase in
weight Is twice the average, and in Septem-
Der and October oven thrice. Besides the
serious period of loss from May to July.
there are at other times frequent sudden
stoppages in the increase Of weight, some
times followed by actual losx These hin
d~rances. lasting from six to fourteen days,
nre not made up for by extra periods OF in
crease, and seem to indicate real damage, 80
IA L - ----- 4
take place during about the fifth part of the
year, while the remaining timo Is occupied
with loss and its replacement There is a
decided CORE spondence between the vacilla-
ton OF temperature and accompanying
yacillations in the weight OF the child-in-
croa o OF warmth and Of weight and do
crease Of warmth and Of weight 20 hand In
hand. A decrease Of 2 degrees OF warmth
in the temperature OF the five days is
accompanied by a ninefold decrease in the
weight Of a child, and . degreei more
warmth by a thirteenfold In weight.
The hindrance and loss OF weight that ac-
company a decrease In the warmth OF the
temperature has begun to rise, as II the loss
depended on sickline5s induced by the colder
temperature A year that has had most
changes OF temperature Is far more unfavor-
able to the normal Increase Of weight in a
child than a more steady year. and a series
Of such ~unfavorabls years will for many fol
lowing years result in less strong children
The reason OF the great period OF loss from
May to July, and the rapid increase during
the autumn months. do not seem to depend
on the conditions OF warmth. The increase
of weight in the children experimental on
was always greater during tho period when
the moon WIS rsceding from the earth, and
less during the period when the moon was
approaching tho earth. During the former
period the children Increased in weight twic,
as much as during the latter period. Pastor
Mailing Hansen's inquiries are consideredrs so
important that the Danish government and
the ~Carisbergfond' have granted sums OF
such experiments