ABSTRACT
The neonate. The terms ‘ new-born infant ’ and ‘ the neonate ’ are somewhat vague ones. Professor Arnold Gesell uses ‘ neonate * as referring primarily to the first month, but covering in a general way the first three months.1 On the other hand, Miss Evelyn Dewey, in her extensive survey of the literature, physiological and psychological, of the neonatal period, says that this is usually taken to cover the interval from birth until the umbilicus is healed-about two weeks. The most careful studies, she says, indicate that, while ‘ behaviour growth is taking place in these first weeks, the changes are slight ’ and that ‘ no emergence, marked development or regression of patterns takes place’.2 This statement is certainly not true according to my own observations.
