Shaken Baby Syndrome

Diagnose and treat shaken baby syndrome with advice from experts in the field! When an angry adult shakes a baby, the child may suffer brain damage, broken ribs, deafness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, coma, or death. Often there are personal, ethical, and legal consequences as well for everyone involved. The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A

This book surveys the scientific, cultural, and legal history of Shaken Baby Syndrome from inception to formal dissolution. It exposes extraordinary failings in the criminal justice system's treatment of what is, in essence, a medical diagnosis of murder.--Publisher's description.

In 1971 Norma Guthkelch, retired neurosurgeon, published the first description of the Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). Within the next several years John Caffey, pediatric radiologist, wrote several articles supporting the SBS theory. Very soon after, when infants were brought into hospital emergency rooms in the U.S.A. with brain hemorrhages without known accidental explanations such as auto accidents or high distance falls, almost routinely the hemorrhages have been attributed to SBS or related diagnoses resulting in criminal conviction of parents or caretakers. These and other issues such as inflicted child abuse, non-accidental trauma, failure to protect, and other diagnoses are reviewed in this book Since the original introduction of the SBS theory, conclusive evidence has emerged proving that these prosecutions have been founded upon tainted medical opinions and fundamentally flawed scientific methodology (i.e. junk science). It requires little imagination to understand the significant mental pain which parents undergo while grieving over the death of a child, as frequently occurs in these cases. Accusing this parent of murdering their child (with no real evidence) and putting the entire strength of the state behind this accusation is monstrous, when the entire accusation pivots upon facts which are now known to be false. Loss of job, loss of family and community ties follow the accusation. Moreover, the general public, the grand and petite juries, the states and the parties, all have an overwhelmingly strong interest in knowing if these prosecutions are founded upon reasonable interpretation of the facts or if the accusations are built around falsehoods and scientific impossibilities. Quoted from the writings of Kent Holcomb.

Examines the trial of Gary Lynn Gould, convicted in 1995 for the shaking death of nineteen-month-old Christopher Attig, featuring interviews with the child's parents and grandparents, as well as officials involved in the case; and provides information about Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Silenced Angels: The Medical, Legal and Social Aspects of Shaken Baby Syndrome delves into the realms of child abuse that has never been explored before in such detail. The book examines how the physical assault of violent shaking on a young body can lead to a lifetime of despair or even death. Every important detail of this tragic form of child abuse is analyzed, providing the reader a more definitive understanding of the condition known as SBS. This is the first book written exclusively about SBS, which is 100% preventable. SBS cases can be frequently misdiagnosed and are more frequently under-investigated and poorly prosecuted, leading to a sense of injustice among families and child abuse prevention advocates. The author breaks through the barriers of miscomprehension, misdiagnosis, and misrepresentation that typically lead to further tragedy and injustice in SBS-related cases. Advocates for child abuse prevention will gain greater information about SBS to further their cause of establishing hospital and community-based prevention and education programs. Parents and family members of SBS victims will find this book indispensable when seeking medical and legal assistance with their cases.

This is a comprehensive reference text that examines the current state of Legal Medicine, which encompasses Forensic Medicine, in the 21st century. It examines the scope of both legal and forensic medicine, its application and study and has adopted a wide ranging approach including multinational authorship. It reviews the differences between and similarities of forensic and legal medicine, the need for academic qualification, the applications to many and varied fields including international aid, military medicine, health law and the application of medical knowledge to both criminal law and tort/civil law, sports medicine and law, gender and age related factors from obstetrics through to geriatrics and palliative care as well as cultural differences exploring the Christian/Judeo approach compared with that within Islamic cultures, Buddhism and Hinduism. The book looks at practical applications of legal medicine within various international and intercultural frameworks. This is a seminal authoritative text in legal and forensic medicine. It has a multi-author and multinational approach which crosses national boundaries. There is a great interest in the development of health law and legal medicine institutes around the world and this text comes in on the ground floor of this burgeoning discipline and provides the foundation text for many courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate. It defines the place of legal medicine as a specialized discipline.​

All it takes is two or three violent shakes -- in as little as five seconds by an angry parent or caregiver -- to punish or quiet a crying child. Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is the leading cause of abuse related deaths among infants. Nearly one-third of shaken babies die, with as high as 80 percent of survivors suffering permanent brain damage. InLosing Patience, James Peinkofer provides an encompassing look into the famous and recent cases (Virginia Jaspers, Patience Gill, and Louise Woodward) and key medical personnel that helped shape and define Shaken Baby Syndrome. He identifies the victimology (which infants and children are most vulnerable), what to look out for in a caregiver, and what a family should do if they suspect SBS. He also provides prevention efforts, ways to soothe a crying baby, and stories from the families and survivors. Losing Patience is a must-read for every parent, grandparent, and caregiver. The life that's saved may be your tiny loved one's.