Emaciation as a rule is a symptom of an abnormal condition rather than a disease in itself. Certain individuals are said to be “constitutionally thin” and upon investigation it is often found that this thinness extends back in many cases for generations, many members of a family being thin no matter what measures are taken to overcome the condition. However, constitutional emaciation is not so prevalent as constitutional obesity and, as has already been stated, is more often a symptom of some metabolic disturbance or pathological condition.
Causes of Emaciation.—Errors in diet—insufficient or improper food—are accountable for most of the cases seen in infants and children. Over-exercise, that is, when the amount of exercise taken is not commensurate with the intake of food, is accountable for other cases. This type of emaciation is found especially in growing children.
Disease as a Cause.—Wasting diseases, such as tuberculosis and anemia, bring about a loss of weight, while in fevers in general and typhoid fever especially not only the febrile condition hastens the metabolic processes but also the activities of the bacteria act together and break down the tissues of the body, causing a falling off from the normal body weight. Loss of sleep, unhygienic or unsanitary surroundings, and capricious appetites probably cause some of the cases of excessive thinness.
Thinness in Children.—Parents are to blame for much of the thinness seen in children, especially the nervous high-strung children whose energies outweigh their desire for food or, as is more often the case, their willingness to eat the proper foods. It is a mistaken kindness to cater to the whims and fancies of a child’s appetite, and much harm is wrought by allowing the “trash” to overbalance the necessary building or repair food in the dietary. Not that sugar is not necessary, for it is particularly so at the age when the metabolic processes are faster than later in life, but it must be remembered that the body is being built up both in height and breadth.
The Need for Building Foods.—The skeleton and the muscular tissues cannot be constructed from sugar, hence the diet which consists chiefly of this food constituent is unbalanced and will sooner or later bring about disturbances which are very apt to result in emaciation. The causes of emaciation may be summarized as follows:
(1) Those cases which are due to pathological conditions such as tuberculosis, anemia, typhoid fever, etc.;
(2) Those induced by errors in diet and bad habits such as insufficient or improper food, loss of sleep, over-exercise, lack of ventilation in the sleeping apartment, which destroys the appetite;
(3) Malformation or deformities of mouth, throat, or stomach which make it impossible for the individual to partake of sufficient food to cover the needs of the body;
(4) Heredity (“constitutional thinness”).
Regulating the Diet.—As has been stated in a former chapter, any persistent loss of weight or failure to gain on the part of an infant whose chief business in life should be to grow, should be given immediate and careful attention. As a rule the diet is to blame; it is either improperly balanced, insufficient in amount, or poorly prepared, any of which might readily cause a disturbance to the delicate apparatus of the child.