Shaken Baby Syndrome

History of Shaken baby syndrome

In 1864, a woman by the name of Mary Ellen Connolly was the first to bring child abuse to the attention of the American public. Since then, many different types of child abuse, which include a variety of syndromes and disorders, have been developed. The term, ‘shaken baby syndrome’ was first coined in the 1970’s, before which it was known as ‘whiplash shaken baby syndrome’. John Caffey was the first to bring this issue to the table, which he found from a clinical study that he performed on children with brain hemorrhages (“Shaken baby syndrome”, 2001). Caffey found that rapid shaking of an infant causes the brain to move freely enabling it to hit the skull, creating the brain to swell and damage areas that have not yet fully developed. After discovering these findings, Caffey showed that patterns of retinal and subdural hematomas were very consistent in his patients. All of the children that he studied experienced some type of brain hemorrhaging. He was also able to conclude that these children did not show any signs of external physical injuries, making it difficult to diagnose these children (Mraz, 2007). The ethical issue brought about by shaken baby syndrome has been under investigation by doctors and medical researchers for many years.

What happens? (Signs and Symptoms)

Shaken baby syndrome, also known as shaken impact syndrome is a serious sign of child abuse that prevents the brain from receiving oxygen (Altimier, 2008). Although a sign of abuse, it is also thought of as a theory more than a proven cause of hemorrhages. Shaken baby syndrome is the result of an infant being shaken vigorously, which causes the brain to move around and tear viable brain tissue. During the early stages of huma...

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... and lets out their frustration on the child, other than letting it out in other forms. Sometimes the elder has gone through abuse themselves and this is the only form of bonding that they know of.

Conclusion:

Although SBS is a growing form of abuse in this century, we as a whole have the power to change those growing numbers, and create a less abusive environment for these children. Protection of these infants is the most important goal in trying to make a stop on this type of abuse. Until there is a set diagnosis on shaken baby syndrome, there can only be so much that research can do to further stop the abuse. Since SBS is caused by abuse, there is no way to know what happens to the child directly before being taken into the hospital for diagnosis. With the consequences being so severe, SBS has taken many infants life’s because of the abuse that is caused.