Cry analysis in infants with severe malnutrition

Sound spectrographic investigations of the cries of 5 infants, age 7 m to 2 y, with severe malnutrition (one with kwashiorkor and four with marasmus) were compared with the cries of 15 healthy children of corresponding age. The cry of the child with kwashiorkor resembled those of the normal infants. The cries of the marasmic children showed a significant increase in the minimum and maximum pitch, and the occurrence of biphonation and flat melody types. These features have also been found in the cries of children with brain damage. We therefore believe that cry and analysis can be an additional means of investigating to what degree the brain is affected in children with malnutrition.