GROWTH OF BUSHNEGRO CHILDREN ON THE TAPANAHONY RIVER IN DUTCH GUYANA

Several criteria of growth and development have been studied in one of the few isolated Bushnegro-tribes left in the interior of Surinam (Dutch Guyana). In a group of children from birth up to 8 years old exact age was known, as all children were born in a mission hospital. Average length and weight...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human biology 1968-09, Vol.40 (3), p.396-415
Main Authors: DOORNBOS, L., JONXIS, J. H. P., VISSER, H. K. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
African Continental Ancestry Group
Anthropometry
Birth Weight
Blood
Blood Proteins - analysis
Breast milk
Child
Child development
Child growth
Child nutrition
Child, Preschool
Female
Growth
Guyana
Hemoglobins
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infants
Male
Milk, Human - analysis
Newborns
Puberty
Skeletal development
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Summary:Several criteria of growth and development have been studied in one of the few isolated Bushnegro-tribes left in the interior of Surinam (Dutch Guyana). In a group of children from birth up to 8 years old exact age was known, as all children were born in a mission hospital. Average length and weight at birth were 48.7 cm and 3040 grams in boys, 48.2 cm and 2940 grams in girls. On the 6th day after birth all infants were above their birth-weight. During the first 6 months of life the rate of increase in length and weight of the average Bushnegro child is not different from that of Amsterdam children. After this period differences are considerable, the 50th percentile for height from 6 months to 8 years old being comparable with the 3rd percentile for Amsterdam children. Skeletal development, as calculated with the Tanner-Whitehouse "maturity indicator" system, in Bushnegro children aged 1 to 8 did not differ significantly from that of normal British children; during the first three years Bushnegro boys were advanced over the British standards. Sexual development in a group of 53 girls was closely correlated with skeletal development; menarche took place in nearly all cases between skeletal ages 13.0 and 14.5, believed to correspond to the same chronological ages. Chemical analysis of umbilical blood in a group of newborn infants demonstrated no significant differences compared with data from Western countries. Chemical analysis of breast milk during lactation periods up to 1½ years revealed protein concentrations which were considerably lower than those in Western countries. Average hemoglobin-concentration in 1-8 years old children was 10 gram/100 ml.
ISSN:0018-7143
1534-6617