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Article: The sinister face of child abuse. (Children in Hospitals)(Column)
- Article from:
- Pediatrics for Parents
- Article date:
- August 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Pediatrics for Parents, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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With all the child maltreatment I have seen over the years, I remain amazed at man's proficiency for harming his offspring. Perhaps we are not the only species who hurts, and even kills its own young, but I am certain that we are unique in our ability to do so out of anger, rage, frustration or perversion.
We recently cared for a child in our PICU whose father killed her by shaking her violently. It was a classic example of the recently publicized "Shaken Baby Syndrome" where the adult holds the child by the chest and shakes him or her vigorously, often out of frustration brought on by incessant crying. The tremendous forces exerted upon the brain and its blood ...