Physical Aspects of Puberty (1953)

[Music] GL [Music] Johnny and Janie who are past childhood are not yet quite grown into manhood and Womanhood they are in between and the in between period is known as adolescence and one important aspect of adolescence is known as puberty this name is used to describe the physical growth and change that bring sexual maturity let's see how puberty affects Johnny puberty might begin anytime between the ages of 9 and 16 but for average Johnny it comes at 14 puberty begins with a change in the functioning of certain endocrine glands or glands of internal secretion here's how the pituitary gland at the base of the brain which controls growth begins to secrete in great quantity the growth hormone the slow growth of late childhood takes a sudden spurt and for about 3 years the boy grows rapidly in height weight and strength shortly after the spurt in growth comes the secretion of a second hormone the gonadotropic hormone this brings about the appearance of the primary sex characteristics which are directly related to reproduction in boys this means the increased development of the sex glands or gonads called the testes and the genital organ which is the penis here is a diagram of the male reproductive mechanism the external glands or testes produce the spermatazoa or sex cells which are necessary for human reproduction the sex cell mix with a fluid and pass through a long tube to the seal vesicles where they are stored at the time of emission the fluid carrying the sex cells passes the prostate gland where a Milky secretion is added to form semen when these glands and organs are mature spermatazoa are constantly being formed in the testes and stored ready for expulsion occasionally they are released during sleep in nocturnal emissions this normal involuntary action is considered a definite sign of puberty in boys along with the primary sex characteristics other changes are related to sexual maturing they are called secondary sex characteristics these are physical features which distinguish the male from the female body but are not directly related to reproduction they include the growth of pubic and underarm hair increased perspiration under the arms and the growth of hair on the arms legs and chest the muscles grow stronger the shoulders broader and the down on his face becomes coarser and thicker lengthening of the vocal cords brings about a change in the voice during the change sometimes it comes out High sometimes low let's review the changes that took place for Johnny during puberty at about 14 he took a sudden growth spurt then he developed the primary sex characteristics that is his sex glands and genital organs developed and he had nocturnal emissions of seen and finally the secondary sex characteristics appeared now that all this has happened to our Johnny he is very close to being a man let's see what happened to Janie during puberty here she is at age 10 she is an average girl just as Johnny is an average boy in girls puberty is preceded for a year or so by increased secretion of the growth hormone from the pituitary gland and for about 2 years Janie grows rapidly actual puberty begins at about 13 usually a year earlier than it does in boys at this time the sex or gonadotropic hormone is secreted in Greater quantities and the sex glands and organs develop rapidly since these are all internal organs in girls their rapid development may cause the stomach to protrude the pubescent girl is usually very self-conscious about this these are Jan's primary sex characteristics here is a diagram of the fully developed female reproductive mechanism the ovaries are female sex glands in which the reproductive eggs or OVA are developed the Fallopian tubes form The Passage through which the mature ovam passes to the uterus or womb the vagina provides a passage from the uterus to the outside of the body at puberty female sex cells begin maturing within the ovaries usually one egg reaches maturity and is released every 28 days the ovam travels through the fallopian tube toward the uterus at the same time the lining of the uterus becomes engorged with blood and nutritive fluids in preparation for the development of a fertilized egg into a baby if the female cell is not fertilized it dissolves or disintegrates in the tube then the uterine wall lining no longer needed to receive a fertilized egg breaks down and is discharged from the body through the vag vagina this release of blood mucus and unused cell tissue normally takes place every 28 days and is called menstruation this is one of the primary sex characteristics of girls the first time it occurs is called the monara normally after the monara there is a period of time during which the reproductive mechanism of the Adolescent girl is still too immature for the conception of a child early menstruation ation is usually irregular and Janie may feel real physical discomfort such as cramps or headaches changes in blood pressure at this time may make her nervous and irritable for a few days before and during each menstrual period later when her glands and organs become mature and regular physical discomfort will normally disappear during the years of puberty Janie develops the secondary sex character istics of girls from a flatchested child she becomes a curvaceous Teenager her breasts fill out and her hips grow rounder and broader pubic and underarm hair grows the texture of the skin changes slightly and the tone and quality of the voice becomes lower and more melodious let's review the changes that took place for Janie during puberty first between 10 and 12 there was the sudden growth spurt then the primary sex characteristics developed that is her sex glands and genital organs developed and menstruation began and finally the secondary sex characteristics appeared now Janie is a normal teenager because along with these developments the functioning of her endocrine glands has been normal once puberty has been accomplished the sex glands secrete sex hormones these slow down the secretion of the growth hormone by the pituitary gland and the Adolescent gradually stops growing it is this balanced interaction of the sex and pituitary glands that brings about normal development and this is important because if the functioning of the glands is not balanced the Adolescent May differ from others of the same age for instance the girl who reaches sexual maturity earlier than her friends may get the reputation of being boy crazy actually the behavior that bothers her friends may be the result of early glandular activity on the other hand if sex hormone secretion is delayed while the growth hormone is active the Adolescent May grow much taller than his contemporaries yet remain much less mature in primary and secondary sex characteristics although these differences are likely to even out in the end they may cause emotional disturbances which could have an effect on personality during adolescence and even later in life Johnny's glandular balance has been normal but the rapid growth of his muscles gives him a great need for activity both organized and unorganized which gives him a feeling of strength and achievement and this need for physical activity May Express itself in many ways another aspect of normal growth is nervous tension which makes Johnny Restless he may twitch and squirm when he tries to sit still adolescence just can't sit still for too long his bones are growing too but not as fast as his muscles and this new ratio of bone to muscles upsets his coordination this embarrasses him just when he is trying his best to be grown up if adults don't realize that this awkwardness is just part of rapid and uneven growth the Adolescent feeling of inadequacy is increased and Janie has problems too blemishes on her skin are a source of great unhappiness they develop when the oil producing glands beneath her skin suddenly become larger and more active at the time of puberty while the ducts leading to the surface of the skin remain disproportionately small the resulting congestion causes blackheads and pimples recognition of the cause of these blemishes usually will encourage cleanliness and attention to diet but even if she has no blemishes there is still a great adjustment for Janie to make she sees herself now as she is going to be throughout her life perhaps in childhood she dreamed of becoming a glamorous Beauty now she must realize that she is just an ordinary looking girl she doesn't say much to anyone about this but to her it's a big thing and just because Johnny's a boy don't think that appearance and physique aren't important to him too Johnny and Janie both need reassurance that they are accepted and respected for what they are often too there are problems which seem to be emotional but are really based on physical growth it has been established that the functioning of the glands has an effect on the emotions at the time of adolescence there is a change in the whole system of endocrine glands the position of these glands are shown on this figure which represents both male and female the thymus which has no secretion and is not a true gland is no longer considered part of the endocrine system the adrenals which affect circulation and muscular action increase rapidly in size and activity during adolescence the thyroid glands function irregularly and of course the pituitary and sex glands are more active this gradual and irregular Readjustment of the glandular system is almost certain to make Janie or Johnny nervous excitable and a little emotionally unstable of course all this sudden development of bone muscle and tissue together with great expenditure of energy give Johnny and Janie ravenous appetites between meals as well as at regular meal times they satisfy this with a tremendous food intake especially concent foods like desserts and Candy but because of all the physical and emotional stresses and strains their appetites may be up one day and down the next this may cause friction with mom who may be annoyed if her specially prepared meal is not appreciated problems may arise from sudden mental development too he wants to think things out for himself which may take the form of arguing with his Elders during the years of puberty the number of mature brain cells increases greatly the intercommunication system of the brain strengthens and develops there is a new craving for mental activity Johnny begins to question authority again recognizing the physical basis of this increased mental capacity could lead to Patience by parents and the encouragement of real family discussion we have seen that Johnny and Janie have developed great capacity for activity mentally emotionally and physically they have grown much stronger and they are able to do many things much better besides all this physical growth and activity there is a sudden expansion of their social Horizon their relationship with their friends is new and tremendously exciting they are likely to carry some of their activities to excess they may burn the candle at both ends and if they don't watch out fatigue General achiness digestive troubles susceptibility to infectious diseases or even imaginary illness caused by emotional maladjustment May develop these are common dangers during adolescence and to guard against them Johnny and Janie must have enough sleep lots of fresh air plenty of nutritious food and regular medical checkups to make sure that their physical health is good for we have seen that even with the best of health there are many aspects of normal physical growth especially during puberty that may strongly influence social and emotional growth therefore each Johnny and each Janie need the sympathy understanding and cooperation of parents and teachers to help them through these in between years that we call the age of puberty [Music]