|
|
Article: A shot in the arm for short kids? (cosmetic endocrinology for short children)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- December 1, 1986
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1986 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
A shot in the arm for short kids?
To tummy tucks, breast augmentation and liposuction to whoosh away unwanted fat cells, add a new weapon in the pursuit of the ideal: Cosmetic endocrinology for short kids. Pediatricians who specialize in hormonal problems are being besieged by anxious parents to treat children slightly on the short side with a substance called human growth hormone.
A subben abundance of human growth hormone, the result of a break-through in genetic engineering, has spurred these requests. Not long ago, doctors could collect barely enough of the chemical from the pituitary glands of cadavers to meet the needs of the 12,000 children in the ...