Omaha daily bee., 1922-06-01
BoWLEGGED CHILDREN,


eepyHsAti tsss ii
BoWLEGeED CHILDREN.
would you be willing 10 write an
article on ricketts, In children, the
cause, and what treatment IL neees.
saryy' asks NJ, A. n. lis a complete
recovery possihis'"
REPLY.
Very klad TO, Here soes
Ricketts, is a disease OF the bones
occurring In children, II seems rea.
sonabiy certain that there Ia an oc.
essionai ease Of eongenitai ricketts,,
but when We think Of the disease
We think OF the acquired type.
This starts. as a rule. In q baby
that is getting along toward tho end
OF it's first year OF life.
The mother may have noticed for
months that the baby was prone 10
sweat around the head. or that the
child was not as strong as its lex
and back development indicated that
Il ought 10 be. Maybe she noticed
that the baby was pale and chalky.
as well AS flabby.
Then comes the development Of
deformity--perhsps bowieGs are no.
ticed. or maybe II Ia the square fore.
head or flat.toppcd head. or narrow
chest. or some knobs along the
breast bone on either side.
by this time the diagnosis Is be-
yond the stage Of guesswork.
What has happened Is this: The
cartilage part of the bones has
grown as fast as II should have done.
or even faster. hut the bones hnv.
not been stiffened by the addition Of
lime az they should have been.
Reipg soft and csrtilaSinous. instead
Of iimey and stiff. they bend In va
rious directions. The legs have
bowed out. the chest has flattened
from Eide to side. the head In flat
and square instead OF being round
and circular.
Ricketts, can give an ordinary baby
regular Daniel Webster head.
What happens TO the rickety
babies?
Almost all Of them get well In the
sense that they do not die. and their
bones eventually Eet hard like the
bones OF other children. Eventually
they get over the habit OF eternally
catching cold, being nervous and
having spasms on slight provocation.
They get pretty much like other
children. except as to their looks.
Their bones are liable to set In
their crooked. unnatural positions.
and when they do the deformity per-
sists.
When you see a bowlegged,
plgeon -toed boy. set him down as
having been a rickety baby.
When a woman has a flat pelvis
or a twist in her back not due to
tuberculosis Of the spine. set her
down as having had rickets In baby
hood.
The sauare-headed men who are
not expounders Of the constitution.
they. too, were rickety babies; and
so with the narrow chested. the
pigeon breasted and the funnel
chested.
As you see them grow up, they are
in reasonably good health.
What babies have ricketts,?
As a. rule. those that do not get
enough sunlight. fresh air and good
food.
What cures it?
Sunlight, good sanitary surround
inks and good food.
Do cod liver oil and phosphates
Yes. in all probability. they do.
They help, anyhow. OF course, sun
light Ia the sheet anchor.
What causes It?
Now YOU have started the fight.
One crowd says 1t is caused by
lack Of sunshine: another crowd saws
that II is caused by lack OF certain
yitamines In the food: another
crowd says not enough lime In the
food: another crowd says not enough
Of the mordant which fixes the lime
| in the bones.
Just now nobody knows. Any one
Of the groups may be right, and
maybe all Of them are right.
But what does it matter. since COD
liver oil. phosphates. lime. good
food, good sanitary SURROUNDINGS
| and plenty Of sunshine will both
prevent it on the one hand and cure
It on the other?
Weight of the Brain.
A. G, H. writes: "Quite con-
troyersy has arisen amongst myself
and a number OF friends az to the
average weight of mans brain.
"1f you will publish the minimum,
and maximum weights on record
I'm sure it will be appreciated, not
only by myself. but by the general
public as we'll"
REPLY.
The weight Of the brain OF an
adult varies somewhere between 43
and 48 ounces. That OF a woman
is usually about four ounces less
/ than that of a man, but for each lou
pounds of weight woman generally
has a fraction Of an ounce more
brain. H.,
The weight of the brain is great
est in age period Is to IS. There J:
considerable decrease in weight II
advanced age.
The weight of the brain. in pro
portion to the. total weight OF tn
body. Is as to at birth. Nevel
thereafter is the individual SO brainy
the proportion declining to reaci
l to IA at 10 years of age, to 81
at 20 and thereafter l to 36.
I do not know what are the maxi
mum and minimum weights.
The encyclopedia says that Cuv
ier's brain weighed 64H ounces. Thi
Is the largest given. The brains Q
several idiots weighed more than g.
ounces.
The smallest brain compatibl
with normal intellectual life Is givel
at 80 ounces. Idiots have beel
known to have brains weighing a
little as s ounces.
ADvERTlsEMENT.
D1 4 "0H