Psychosocial outcome and CT findings after gross undernourishment during infancy: a 20-year developmental study.

This prospective 20-year follow-up study contrasts the development of a group of 20 children grossly undernourished during infancy (index group) with that of a matched control group. There were significant differences between two groups in head circumference, height, weight, full-scale IQ, verbal quotient, non-verbal quotient and in visuo-motor perceptual function. Despite their disadvantages, the index group have integrated effectively into the community, and their children have not experienced the nutritional deprivation they suffered during their own childhoods.

On bringing up children.

Parents should strive for two objectives in bringing up children: that their children should be happy and brought up prepared to face and deal with adult life. Happiness requires love, which is incomplete without respect, and much respect derives from discipline. For adulthood children need to be taught self-control, have a sense of responsibility and service, and recognize that you can't go through life doing just what you like.

15-Year developmental study on effects of severe undernutrition during infancy on subsequent physical growth and intellectual functioning.

This third 5-year follow-up on the effects of severe undernutrition during infancy on subsequent brain growth and intellectual development confirms the level of gross retardation of intellect in the undernourished group when compared with the controls. As the subjects are now 15-18 years of age this must be permanent. All but 5 of the undernourished group are now living in conditions comparable to the controls. Improved nutrition is manifest by catch-up in height, in that the mean difference between undernourished subjects and controls has decreased by 2-73 cm. Remarkably, the difference in head circumference has increased by 0-5 cm, the mean head circumference of the undernourished now being 2-8 cm less than that of the controls. The Bender Gestalt and Human Figure Drawing tests did not correlate with the intelligence tests, indicating a separate deficit of a marked disturbance of visual-motor perception in 17 of the undernourished subjects, in 9 of whom these tests were highly significant of minimal brain dysfunction (5 of the controls). In retrospect there is much evidence to suggest the controls were also suboptimal; 8 controls had abnormal electroencephalograms as did 6 of the undernourished group.

Humoral immune response in children with measles.

Twenty-eight Black children with complicated measles were investigated for their capacity to produce antibodies when stimulated with TAB antigen. Their measles antibody titres were also measured. Antibody production to TAB was defective, especially the "H" antibody. Production of measles antibody was sometimes delayed in its appearance but subsequently reached normal levels.

Treatment of tetanus neonatorum with muscle relaxants and intermittent positive-pressure ventilation.

Intermittent positive-pressure ventilation and muscle relaxants were first used in Cape Town in 1958 in an attempt to reduce the mortality from tetanus neonatorum, which was then over 90%. Problems of effective ventilation, of tracheostomy, and of infection in the neonate were gradually overcome so that between 1967 and 1972 the mortality in 186 cases was 21%. In a consecutive series of 97 cases the mortality was 10%.