Evening star., 1935-04-27
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Babies start to grow up feet first.
A detailed study of the growth
changes of early infancy was reported
last week before the American Asso-
citation of Physical AnthropologisS by
DR.. Helen Thompson of Yale Uni
versity.
At the Yale Clinic Of Child Develop
ment measurements were made Of
carefully selected infants at each four
week period from the eighth through
the flfty-sixth week Of life. The re-
suits show that the changes in body
proportions during this period are not
of simple, progressive character with
different rates for different parts of
the body. While the leg length and
shoulder breadth are Increased in re-
lation to the total size of the body, the
head and neck length and head cir
cumference are decreasing. The hips
retain the same proportion. The
chest circumference increases in pro-
portion to the body length up to the
thirty second week and then shows a
relative decrease.
During the period between the
eighth and fifty-sixth week" DR..
Thompson reported. the leg length
has increased As per cent, while the
total length has increased only 80 per
cent. the body length 26.5 per cent
and the head-neck length 24.5 per
cent. The shoulder breadth shows a
greater percentage increase. 395, than
the chest diameter. 35 per cent. That
these are significant differences is in
dicated by the close agreement of the
date analyzed separately for boy and
girl infants. 1t is thus seen that with
respect to longitudinal measures. the
greater the distance of the part from
the head the greater is the percentage
growth, while for transverse diameters
the greater the distance from the head
the less the percentage growth.
"At all ages studied the male in
fants were found to be larger in each
dimension studied than the female
infants and the differences were usu-
ally represented by one months
growth. In general the average girl
infant, when compared with the aver
age boy infant of the same length, has
slightly longer legs. shorter body and
shorter head-neck length. The head
curves of each measurement taken for
both sexes show a slight slowing down
of growth at the age of about 80 weeks.
This is followed by slight growth
acceleration.
Why do moulds grow on bread?
They are almost certain 10 appear,
however sanitary the surroundings. on
loaves more than q few days old.
Where do they come from?
The moulds. Of course are fungi.
Their germ cells, or spores, are car
ried through the air. The enormous
number of these spores Is shown BY
DR.. Albert F. Blakeslee of the Car
neeie Institution Of Warrington, who
calculated the number in q giant
puff ball. They amount to approxi-
mately 5000, 900 900 ,0oO-every one of
which was capable Of producing an
other fungus.
If these 5000, ,OOO, ,00O, 900 spores
we're distributed over the land sur
face of the earth," says DR.. Blakeslee,
there would be one for every space
as large as . room less than Is feet
square If the spores we're spread
over the United States only there
would be one for every space the size
of a 3-by-5-foot table. If they were
confined to the Island of Manhattan
there would be one to each horizontal
area as large as the nose Of the In
dian on a Scent piece II they were
distributed equally among the popula-
ton Of the earth, each persons share
would be 5000. Everybody could have
one to every square inch of body sur
face Every spore is theoretically Ca
pable Of terminating and growing II
It gets into the proper environment.
Since this species Of pun ball Is not
Increasing. the calculations show the
enormous mortality Of the spores.
They also show the likelihood Of some