Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-09-18

~ = esting. Science. having III
yesigated what curious phy-
s,cal conditions could bring about
healthy white men that measured Tess
than two feet or over ten ieel III
height. speedily discovered that
dwarfism and g!antsm were actually
The results Of the same disease.
The trouble is caused by diseased
condition of the cartilage, when AT
each end Of every bone connects s"'u
hona with the rest of the skeleton.
This cartilage in the newborn child
forms practically all of the skeleton
and n Is not until after birth that the
cartilage breaks out into little points
OF OPAQUE. osseous matter that uries
out into the real bone.
When this becomes hardened the
frame of the body becomes stiner ana
stronger and enables the child 10
walk upright. Where this Done-mak-
ing process is not well done the skei'
eton remains soft and weak and the
legs become much bent and may even
refuse TO carry the weight OF the BODY
altogether.
But The point at issue here Is not
ordinary diseases OF the bones, Dut
the real origin Of excessive lack OF
bone growth making tho dwarfs
shown at theatres and in the circus,
and also the excessive supply OF bone
making that makes the giants That
can be seen in the same shows.
The soft cartilage at the end or
each bone secretes the hard. bony ma
terial, and this happens inside the
bone and out and along its whole
length evenly and equally, so that the
healthy bones grow at all parts at
the same rate ana the same time.
In dwarfs this bone making carthage
loses its healthy condition and falls
Ia secrete. s..
The result is no more bone material
and dwarfs are turned out by Nature.
Usually this condition is uneven so
that dwarfs have almost natural sized
bodies and very short legs. Also with
giants the body itself is not so very
much overgrown. but the bones OF the
legs suffer from Over-actiye glands
and grow enormously long, raising
the head and body far up above nor
mai manklHu.
The middle road, where walks av-
erage mankind is the only fortunate
one. Both dwarfs and giants are sick
people. and both are usually much
shorter lived than normal sized hu-
manity. Dwarfs are rroverDialiy
cross tempered and giants are sup
posed TO enjoy a sort of slow-witted
good nature.
The condition that brings about
awarfs is more easily understood than
that which produces the giants Inc
glands that produce bone material
seem to be in some curious manner
under the mysterious control OF the
thyroid gland. In the dwarfs this
gland fails to reach normal activity.
and IN giantism the thyroid gland
over does its work. The bone max
ing cartilage In the legs naturally Is
called on to do most of the growing
process. and where there is oyerpro-
duction the leg bones take up most
of this unhealthy excess.
For giantism no cure has been sug-
gested. but for dwarfed children
number of most startling results have
been brought about by injections OF
secretion from thyroid glands taken
out of calves. The whole subject OF
dwarfs and giants is one OF great
popular interest, and 1t is interesting
also to know that cruel-hearteo
! science boldly denies that such
thing as a race Of giants could ever
have existed. and that today the av-
erage man is taller than his ances-
tors of prehistoric times.