The medical controversies section of the recent issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (1) features three outstanding articles on the more and more controversial subject of shaken baby syndrome (SBS).

Together, these papers contribute immensely to the understanding of this obscure syndrome by debunking assumptions that have been accepted for some time as “proof” of abuse of young and innocent infants:

Some of us have been wondering about the existence of the so-called Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) and its relationship to recent vaccinations. It took a gutsy Australian to state it publicly.

For the past few weeks, I have been reviewing the medical records of three infants diagnosed with so-called shaken baby syndrome (SBS).

On Dec. 3, The Royal Gazette newspaper in Bermuda published an article by Elizabeth Roberts entitled “Expert witness undisciplined.” Apparently the country’s Court of Appeal “quashed” a young father’s earlier murder conviction and mandatory life sentence for killing his six-month-old daughter and criticized the way a pediatrician testified at the original trial, describing his performance as “unduly theatrical and undisciplined.” The court then convicted the young father of manslaughter and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. According to the report, the pediatrician apparently shook a plastic doll violently “before smacking its head down on the witness box, and is said to have then turned the doll over and done the same to the other side of its head.”

A SLOW-ONSET TETANUS VACCINE REACTION AND FILING FOR THE NATIONAL CHILDHOOD VACCINE COMPENSATION PROGRAM

It was a beautiful fall day, the Friday after Thanksgiving 2000, and the holiday was very enjoyable. A few months earlier, I moved to a small town in California to be closer to my family. I started a new job and purchased a small cabin. Most of my weekends were spent camping, hiking, working on my house, or volunteering at the local animal shelter. At age 54, I was very active and healthy. My hobbies included singing, dancing, and cooking.

Well-meant child-abuse laws have given rise to many inappropriate accusations of shaken-baby-syndrome, without any real evidence that the infants were ever shaken or assaulted in any way.

Is it Shaken Baby Syndrome or the negligence of medical personnel for failing to carry out extensive medical investigation, following injury or death of a child diagnosed with sub-dural and retinal haemorrhages? That is the crucial question.

When my husband Alan was convicted of our son’s death and sentenced to life in prison without parole, we were still in shock over our baby’s death in 1997 and the horrific subsequent events. We had no money and hopes were virtually nil. However, we weren’t going to give up. We began networking and researching and knocking on every conceivable door.

History is filled with examples of indoctrinated beliefs which have in time been shown to be incorrect. Copernicus was ridiculed and oppressed for believing that planets revolved around the sun. Columbus was scorned for believing the earth was not flat. Semmelweis was pooh-poohed for crusading for hand-washing and sterile conditions in hospitals. On and on, these examples mount. It would be grandiose to believe that the marvels and progress of the 21^st Century preclude such Copernican resistance. In fact, ‘flat-earthers’ and lemmings still abound. ‘Witch hunts,’ inquisitions, and ipse dixit ("Because I said so") indoctrinations still plague society. A great example of this is seen at the very core of so-called "Shaken Baby Syndrome."

After attending an Institute of Medicine’s Vaccine Safety Review Session, titled "Potential Role of Vaccination in Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy" held in October of 2002. I submitted these comments on October 28 to the IOM for the record.

Injuring or killing a child is a terrible crime, and the failure of a physician to recognize child abuse is tragic.

An erroneous diagnosis of “Non Accidental Injury” and specifically the so-called “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (SBS) is just as tragic. The resulting nightmare involving law enforcement agencies, social services and the legal system is beyond description.

Though bruises, subdural hemorrhages, retinal hemorrhages and fractured ribs are often associated with non accidental injuries, their presence singly or in combination may not be proof of guilt, unlike stab wounds, spiral fractures of long bones, depressed skull fractures and intentional drowning, smothering and strangulation.

Among the many adversities and difficulties facing the American family today, there is a relatively new and growing hazard - one featuring a parent or caretaker who may be falsely accused of murdering or injuring an infant by shaken baby syndrome, when the true cause of death or injury arises from other sources. Very tragically, child abuse does occur and deserves appropriate punishment. However, it is equally tragic when a family, already grieving from the sudden and unexpected death of their infant, finds a father or mother unjustly accused, convicted, and imprisoned for murder of the infant, a murder of which he or she is innocent. I know of an attorney, an anesthesiologist, a Mormon mother, an Amish mother, and others accused and/or imprisoned (many believe falsely) on charges of injuring or murdering an infant by SBS. It could happen to anyone regardless of race, sex, education, finances, or social status.

From A Child Abuse Consultant

Dear Judge Lawson,

I am writing to express my unqualified professional and personal support for Alan R. Yurko in his efforts to have the court recognize that a manifest injustice has befallen him and his family. My comments are based on professional experience as well as many hours of reviewing case files and personal discussions with both Alan and his wife.

General commentary on a case report

On August 16, 2003, I received the following communication from a grandmother, whose first name is Sharon, somewhat in the fashion of a desperate plea for help on behalf of her daughter, who has been accused of injuring her infant daughter by Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). As a poignant example of what I consider to be ill-advised administration of vaccines to a highly fragile and vulnerable infant, I thought that this story needs to be told, which I am now doing with the permission of the grandmother and her daughter. My response to the letter can in no way be construed as a medical report but rather as a general commentary on my observations in reviewing numerous cases of the SBS during the past 4 years.