ABDOMEN
The abdomen of the infant is very large in comparison with its proportion in later childhood. Up to about two years of age the circumference is the same as that of the chest, after which the chest develops more rapidly and the abdomen gradually assumes the proportions of the adult. However, the abdomen remains proportionately large up to the age of puberty. Unless this fact is recognized by the practitioner, he may suspect an abnormal enlargement of the abdomen. There are conditions in which an enlargement of the abdomen is typical, such as in various intestinal disorders and especially in rickets. In rickets the abdomen becomes gradually extended and is known as pot belly, but with this there will be other symptoms of the dis-ease. If the abdomen seems abnormally large the chiropractor should carefully analyze the child to determine whether this is the result of some incoördination or whether it is simply an idiosyncrasy of the child.