Growth and development of the young infant and the older child

  • G J Ebrahim
Chapter

Abstract

Growth and development are the two distinctive biological processes of childhood. Growth denotes increase in size which may be due to either increase in the number of cells or the enlargement of each individual cell. Development denotes acquisition of function by a tissue, an organ or the individual. But there is much more to growth than suggested by such a simplistic definition. There is a continuing process of incorporation of new material into cells by a process of turnover and continuous flow. Different substances turn over at different rates. For example, in the adult 2 to 3 per cent muscle protein is replaced daily and in children the turnover is about three times that in adults. Nitrogen molecules remain in the body for a week or two, calcium for a matter of months, lipids in myelin for even longer and so on. Thus, all the building blocks of the body are in a state of flux, within which a pattern of tissues and organs constitute the human frame. This continuously changing and dynamic state requires constant adaptation to environment. Body tissues grow or renew themselves by obtaining the necessary nutrients and other building blocks out of the environment. The energy for the turnover of the various substances and building blocks is obtained through metabolism by the burning of food (figure 2.1).

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  • G J Ebrahim

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