A Battered Child or Electrocution?

The medical and social service records of the 130 battered children under 10 years of age admitted to San Francisco General Hospital during a six-year period, July 1, 1965, to June 30, 1971, were reviewed. Only children with physical injuries were included. A control group was selected from concurrent admissions. The findings showed a steadily rising number of admissions for child abuse. Many of the children suffered from emotional, physical and medical neglect as well as intentional trauma and 44% had been abused previously. Six children died. Sixty-three percent of the battered children were less than 2 years old. Their parents were significantly younger than parents of controls and also much more transient. White children rather than nonwhite children were battered more often than expected when compared to the ethnic distribution of the control group.

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Child Abuse Control Centers: A Project for the Academy?

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.45.5.894 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 894-895

Author(s):

Jacob Brem

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

Good Deal ◽

Battered Child Syndrome ◽

Battered Child ◽

Child Syndrome ◽

Grass Root ◽

Grass Root Level ◽

Social Agencies

A good deal of literature on child abuse has accumulated since Kempe and his group first described the "Battered Child Syndrome."1 Enlightened laws have been passed in the various states and management transferred from the police into the hands of social agencies. Furthermore, the reporting physician was protected from libel. However, at the grass root level, conditions are far from ideal. Physicians are unfamiliar with the various laws and are reluctant to report for fear of getting involved in unpleasant situations.

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When to Obtain Roentgenograms in Suspected Child Abuse

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.61.2.330b ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 330-330

Author(s):

Rowland L. Mindlin ◽

William M. Palmer

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

Preschool Child ◽

Pediatric Radiologist ◽

Battered Child Syndrome ◽

Physically Abused ◽

Battered Child ◽

Child Syndrome

The Committee on Infant and Preschool Child and its Subcommittee on Child Abuse have received a number of requests for recommendations on the roentgenograms that should be taken routinely on a child suspected of being physically abused. We have consulted, among others, Frederic N. Silverman, M.D., a pediatric radiologist and a co-author with C. Henry Kempe, M.D., of the landmark article1 in which the term "battered child syndrome" was coined. We would like to bring Dr. Silverman's clear and reasoned response to the attention of all pediatricians, indeed to all physicians encountering children who may have been abused.

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