The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-07-24

only, anu Inen only through
his column.
ard pattern. The plans, the speci-
fications of this pattern are re-
markedly rigid for the normal
average individual.
Ii may seem TO vary widely
from person to-person. There are
those who are destined TO be short
people and those who are destined
to be tall, fat, medium and lean.
But granted that you can't lay
down any mathematical rules for
those types, all of them maintain
quite exact body proportions and
rate of growth.
One fellow may be four feet,
eight and another six feet two,
but in both of them if the arms
are stretched out, and measure
ments made from finger tip TO
finger tip it will be exactly the
same as the height, and the meas
urement Of the length of the legs,
from heel to the symphysis, the
bone in the center Of the body in
front, is the same as from SYM
physis to the top of the head. In
other words, no matter what the
size of the person the proportions
are kept the same. And, tall or
short, the rate of growth of bone,
the age at which the bones are
laid down is the same.
Controlled by Ductless Glands
This phenomenon of basic
growth is controlled largely by
two of the ductless glands-the
thyroid and pituitary. Their infiu-
ence is exerted on the bones and
can be seen and adjudged by the
Xray.
Parents who know a little smat-
tering of this by having read some
of the popular accounts of the
ductless glands in current litera-
ture are always fussing and won
dering whether to give one or the
other of their children some gland
extracts to make it grow or to stop
it growing, or to make 1t thin or
fat, as the case may be.
There is just a grain or two
of reason in these ideas, enough
to make them worth considera-
ton In some cases, but such treat
ment should be given or with
held in accordance with a full
knowledge of the subject and com
mon sense.
In the first place, slight devia
tons from the rigid pattern which
i have laid down are not con-
sequence and should not be inter-
fered with by artificial feeding 0!
gland extracts. One boy may
shoot up and seem TO be all legs.
Undoubtedly there is for a time
In his body an oYer-secretion of
the pituitary, but before long Ma
ture gets control and slows the
pituitary down and he winds up a
normal, average pattern. Or this
other one is definitely short and
doesn't grow rapidly in the growth
time period Of adolescence. Very
likely the thyroid has slowed up.
But then old Mother Nature wakes
up and gives the thyroid jog and
the little fellow suddenly within a
year catches up with all his COM
panions of the same age. These
experiences are so common that
you can see examples Of them
around you every day.
Test With X-ray
Just when, or at what point,
these allowable divergences 20
over into the definitely pathologic
where treatment by gland ex-
tracts is indicated is a matter of
judgment. One test if any parent
is puzzled is to take an Xray of
the wrist and see the bone age as
shown by Justification of the carpal
bones. These little bones begin to
ossify at very definite dates on
the normal, average and the real
age Of the child mot the time age)
is shown here best.
II the bone age is behind the
time age and if the child is stunted
in growth the use of thyroid ex-
tract does wonders.
Lessened thyroid secretion takes
many different forms in childhood
and does not show up as the CLASH
cal cretinoid individual in any but
a few instances. If a child seems
backward mentally, or gains
weight at the expense Of height
anywhere from the ages of three
to eight, it is good sense to deter
mine its bony development by
the Xray and if this indicates the
necessity. to exhibit thyroid ex-
tract. 1t should be spotted in
childhood because later is too late.
KILLED BY CAR
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