A study to define the major factors involved in human growth is underway at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. The program, under the direction of Donald B. Cheek, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, began officially in April. Its aim is to find out how the individual changes when he grows, aside from just getting bigger.
Australian-born Cheek has been working toward establishing such a study for several years in cooperation with Robert E. Cooke, MD, director of the department of pediatrics of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. It is supported by a $600,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health and will be free of expense to participants.
The investigation is based on the study of four children over a two-week period. Two of the children will have growth problems, originating from either congenital heart disease or pituitary deficiency in the initial stages. Some of these children