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Originally Posted by meeera
How does the neglect tie into the eugenics experiment? Is it a genetically typical baby being neglected, or does it have genetic issues also? If so, what kind?
How old is the baby? What/how much is it being fed? How underweight/close to death is it?
As I said, if this is severe failure to thrive, you'd expect maybe some irritability, but lethargy, excessive sleeping, and gaze avoidance might be much more prominent behavioural signs than frequent crying. These babies can lack the energy to cry; in addition, when hungry cries are ignored for long enough, babies learn not to cry. (Along with the failure to gain weight and hit developmental milestones.) If micronutrients are insufficient you might also expect, for example, a severe nappy rash and possibly rashes elsewhere such as the face. And if left lying in one position all the time, flattening of the skull in that area.
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Thanks for the great info, meeera. In the book the protagonist hears second hand about the eugenics experiments and so the medical specifics are not a focus.