The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 10.1871  Tuesday, 2 November 1999.

From:           Annalisa Castaldo <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date:           Monday, 1 Nov 1999 14:59:06 -0500 (EST)
Subject: 10.1854 Re: Ages of Puberty
Comment:        Re: SHK 10.1854 Re: Ages of Puberty

>So, perhaps the debate about actual physical puberty is more complex
>than it seems to be? Does it come down in this context at least to a
>definition of puberty that is not strictly physiological?

What small research I have done in the field of puberty suggests that it
is not only a diet higher in protein, but also that the protein we eat
these days is impregnated with growth hormones (used to make the animals
mature faster, after all). And yet I agree that puberty is not strictly
physiological. The modern definition of a "pre-adult" seems to run all
the way to 22 or sometimes even later, no matter when the body matures.
This is the direct opposite of earlier centuries, when a person we would
consider a child -- 14 or 15--is treated as an adult legally as well as
realistically.

Annalisa Castaldo
Temple University

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