Doctor spock

Spock, Benjamin (McLane) (b.May 2, 1903, New Haven, Conn., U.S.), American pediatrician whose books on child rearing, especially his Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946; 6th ed., 1992), influenced generations of parents; translated into some 30 languages, it sold tens of millions of copies. The book, urging parental understanding and flexibility, made his name a household word.

Spock received his medical degree in 1929 from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and trained for six years at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. He practiced pediatrics in New York City and taught psychiatry and child development at various universities, including Western Reserve, Cleveland (1955-67), from which he resigned in order to devote himself more fully to the antiwar movement. Spock's bitter opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War during the 1960s led to his trial and conviction (1968) for counseling draft evasion - a conviction overturned on appeal. In 1972 he was the presidential candidate of the pacifist People's Party.

Spock's many other books on child care include Dr. Spock Talks with Mothers (1961), Raising Children in a Difficult Time (1974), and Dr. Spock on Parenting (1988). Spock also wrote Decent and Indecent: Our Personal and Political Behavior (1970). In 1989 Spock on Spock: A Memoir of Growing Up with the Century, edited by Spock's second wife, Mary Morgan, was published.

Раздел 3. Рост и развитие ребенка. Педиатрическое обследование и лечение. Общение с больным ребенком

What is growth and development?

Growth means physical maturation and development means functional or physiological maturation but in practice both the terms are usually used synonymously.

Which factors affect growth and development?

• Genetic. * Nutritional.

• Socioeconomic. * Prenatal and intrauterine.

• Emotional. * Growth potentials.

• Chronic diseases.

What are the types of body built?

Ectomorphic, endomorphic and mesomorphic. Ectomorphic means good linear growth with small musculature and subcutaneous tissue. Endomorphic means stocky body built with large amounts of soft tissue. Mesomorphic are those who have body built in between ecomorphic and endomorphic structure.

How would you roughly calculate expected weight of a healthy child in relation to his age?

Weight (kg) at 1 to 7 years = (Age in years + 4) X 2.

Weight in kg at 7 to 12 years = Age in years X 3.

What is the linear growth pattern in children?

A full term infant at birth measures 50 cm. He becomes 60 cm at 3 months; 70 cm at 9 months; 75 cm at one year, 85 cm at 2 years; 95 cm at 3 years; and 100 cm at 4 years. Thereafter he grows by 5 cm each year till puberty.

Which body ratios are of importance to pediatrician?

Upper VS lower segment ratio. This ratio is 1.7:1 at birth and becomes 1:1 at 10 to 12 years. Stem stature Index - It refers to sitting height as percentage of total body height or recumbent length. It is 70 at birth, 66 at 6 months, 64 at 1 year, 61 at 2 years, 58 at 3 years, 55 at 5 years and 52 at puberty.

Span - it is the distance between tips of middle fingers measured when the arms are fully stretched. It is roughly equal to height or 1 to 2 cm less.

What is the head circumference at different ages?

It measures 35 cm at birth, 40 cm at 3 months, 43 cm at 6 months, growth

of human brain.

What are the causes of small head (microcephaly)?

* Mental retardation. * Craniostenosis.

What physiological changes occur during teething?

Excessive salivation and drooling, irritability, painful gums and disturbed sleep. Teething diarrhoea and fever are not truly scientific.

What are the features of a full term normal infant?

• Cries soon after birth.

• Nails cover pulp of finger.

• Skin is supple and pink.

• Has fully developed neonatal reflexes.

What factors influence perinatal mortality?

• Maternal age and maternal height.

• Parity and medical care of mother.

• Social class, and maternal nutrition.

• Toxaemia of pregnancy.

• Maternal anaemia.

• Chronic debilitating maternal diseases, infections.

• Congenital defects in the newborn.

• Haemolytic diseases of newborn.

• Birth asphyxia and birth trauma.

What are the causes of early neonatal death?

• Respiratory distress syndrome. * Congenital malformation.

• Asphyxia. * Extreme immaturity.

• Intracranial birth trauma. * Haemolytic disease.

• Infections.

What is a small for date baby?

Baby whose birth weight is below 10^th percehtile of birth weight for the gestational age

The most powerful diagnostic maneuver available to the pediatrician is the clinical evaluation: the process of observing the child, taking a history, and performing the physical examination. In order for the pediatrician to maximize the benefit of the clinical evaluation, some of the complexities of this process must be appreciated.