This study was undertaken primarily to obtain data concerning the osseous ages of a group of diabetic children, to observe the variations from the chronologic ages and the incidence of anomalies and developmental defects.
Ninety-five boys and 74 girls are included, a total of 169 consecutive patients. The material included at first only retarded children and later all children who reported for physical examination. This gave a high incidence of retarded children, 30 per cent, as contrasted with an incidence of 10 per cent among 1,400 diabetic children. White1 has classified as significantly retarded any patient who measures 4 inches (10 cm.) below Baldwin's and Wood's average height for age.
The hands and wrists were selected for study because more centers of ossification are present in this region than in any other, because a more thorough investigation has been made of this area and because excellent standards for comparison