A notable case of nephrosis.

How a boy of 10 developed nephrosis more than 60 years ago, how he came to be seen by Sir Frederic Still with interesting later consequences, how his nephrosis cleared following measles, and how all this led to his becoming a distinguished paediatrician is told in a case history based on the diary kept by the boy''s mother.     

Assessment of total body fat in infancy from skinfold thickness measurements

A formula is given, allowing a value for total body fat to be calculated from skinfold thickness measurements at two sites (subscapular and triceps), in conjunction with nine body dimensions. For newborn infants total body fat so calculated accorded satisfactorily with published data from cadaver analyses. The formula has been tentatively applied to infants up to the age of 40 weeks, and to preterm infants. The difference between the growth of male and female infants was analysed in a series of 27 normal infants; the greater growth of musculoskeletal tissue in the male contrasted with the relatively greater growth of fat tissue in the female.     

Size of adipose cells in infancy.

Seventy-three samples of adipose tissue from 59 infants, aged from 25 weeks' gestation to 18 months of age, were obtained at necropsy, or at operations, or by needle biopsy. Adipose cell size was measured by microscopy. During fetal life the mean cell diameter increases from about 40 mum at 25 weeks' gestation to 50-80 mum at term. Adipose cells from the buttocks are larger than those from abdominal wall. After birth, adipose cell size continues to increase so that by 3 months the mean cell diameter is about 90 mum. Observations made on infants that had been born preterm showed that the growth of adipose cells proceeds at the same rate whether development in intrauterine or extrauterine.