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Deaths in Infancy and Childhood

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Atlas of Forensic Pathology

Pediatric forensic pathology deals with forensic issues arising in childhood and covers a wide spectrum of case types, ranging from abandoned fetuses/infants to birth-related deaths, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), natural childhood deaths, suicides, and homicides.

Abandoned Fetuses/Newborn Infants

Cases that have presented difficulties for centuries are those where the concealed body of a newborn infant or fetus is found where the birth was not attended by medical personnel or witnessed by other individuals. A number of questions need to be answered including whether the infant was born alive, was stillborn, or died during delivery? If the infant was born alive, the cause of death needs to be established. Other points that need to be addressed are whether the infant was of sufficient gestational age to survive, and who the mother might be. Unfortunately, there are many problems in this area, not the least of which lies in trying to determine whether live birth has occurred....

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South Bend Medical Foundation and Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend at the University of Notre Dame, 530 N. Lafayette Blvd, South Bend, IN, 46601-1098, USA

    Dr. Joseph A. Prahlow

  2. Medical School North, The University of Adelaide, Frome Road, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Dr. Roger W. Byard

Authors
  1. Dr. Joseph A. Prahlow
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  2. Dr. Roger W. Byard
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Correspondence to Joseph A. Prahlow .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. South Bend Medical Foundation and Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, 46601, USA

    Joseph A. Prahlow

  2. Medical School North, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Roger W. Byard

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Prahlow, J.A., Byard, R.W. (2012). Deaths in Infancy and Childhood. In: Prahlow, J.A., Byard, R.W. (eds) Atlas of Forensic Pathology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-058-4_20

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