Fetal and Postnatal Growth of Rhesus Monkeys (M. mulatta)

Abstract

Growth in weight of the body and its major organs were defined in normal M. mulatta at six fetal and six postnatal ages. Most organs showed continuous growth with increasing age and body weight : the major exception was the brain, which largely completed its postnatal growth by one year of age. The period of maximum quantitative growth (g/day) for most organs occurred at 125-150 days gestational age. The period of maximum qualitative growth (g/g/day) was at the earliest ages studied. These data provide reference norms for planning or interpreting the results of experiments which modify the normal processes of growth in this species.