Nexus - 0505 - New Times Magazine-pages

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doctor in hospital or a surgery but are totally at a loss to under- long-bone fractures or other soft tissue inflicted injury, in order to stand what has happened to their baby. To their shock and dis- completely eliminate the possibility of spontaneous intracranial may, they later discover that while they were describing the haemorrhage such as might rarely occur from a vascular malfor- observed symptoms, the doctor or another staff member was writ- mation or a bleeding disorder". ing three ominous words in the medical record: shaken baby syn- While it is not disputed that some parents and care-givers may drome. cause the above injuries by mistreating infants, one must take Many of these parents end up indicted and even sentenced to great care in interpreting similar pathological findings of injuries prison for a crime that somebody else committed. Some of these caused by other insults which have nothing to do with mechanical cases have been resolved by acquittal on appeal or have been won injuries and mistreatments of infants. based on expert reports demonstrating vaccines as the cause of the I shall never forget the father of a 10-month-old infant, who, observed injuries or death. However, only God and a good after being acquitted on appeal of causing shaken baby syndrome, lawyer can help those parents or care-givers who happen to be said words to the effect, "We still don't know what killed our uneducated, or have a criminal record, particularly for violence, or baby". It did not occur to them and nobody told them that it was have a previous history of a similar "unexplained" death of a baby the vaccine that killed their baby. in their care, or, worse still, a vaccine-injured baby with a broken So what else can cause brain swelling, intracranial bleeding, arm or fractured skull. More and more often, the unfortunate par- ocular retinal haemorrhages, and broken skull and other bones? ents are given the option of a "deal": if they confess and/or plead Ever since the mass vaccination of infants began, reports of seri- guilty, they will get only a couple of ous brain, cardiovascular, metabolic years in prison; but if they don't, they and other injuries started filling pages may end up getting 20 years. of medical journals. I was told by a social worker in the Indeed, vaccines like the pertussis United States that many foster par- ...many foster parents are rotting (whooping cough) vaccine are actu- ents are rotting in US prisons. First, ally used to induce encephalo- they are forced to vaccinate their in US prisons. First, they are myelitis (experimental allergic charges, and then, when side effects | forced to vaccinate their charges, encephalomyelitis) in laboratory ani- or death occur, they are accused of mals (Levine and Sowinski, 1973°). causing them. and then, when side effects or This is characterised by brain Inevitably the possibility exists that death occur, they are accused swelling and haemorrhaging of an infanticide or child abuse is involved Da extent similar to that caused by in some of the cases. However, there of causing them. mechanical injuries (Iwasa et al., is no determinable reason why so 1985°). many parents or other care-givers Munoz et al. (1981)’ studied bio- would suddenly begin to behave like logical activities of crystalline per- this. It is incredibly insensitive and tussigen—a toxin produced by callous to immediately suspect and accuse the distraught, innocent Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent in pertussis and an active parents of harming their own baby. ingredient in all types of pertussis vaccines whether whole-cell or acellular—in a number of laboratory experiments with mice. MEDICAL STUDIES They established that minute amounts of pertussigen induced Let's now have a look at medical literature dealing with shaken hypersensitivity to histamine (still detected 84 days after adminis- baby syndrome and child abuse. tration), leucocytosis, production of insulin, increased production Caffey (1972, 1974)'° described the "whiplash shaken infant of IgE and G1 antibodies to hen egg albumin, susceptibility to syndrome" as a result of manual shaking by the extremities with anaphylactic shock and vascular permeability of striated muscle. whiplash-induced intracranial and intraocular bleedings, linked A dose of 546 nanograms per mouse killed 50 per cent of mice. with permanent brain damage and mental retardation. He referred Typically, the deaths were delayed. When a dose of five micro- to his own paper, published almost 30 years prior to the above- grams of pertussigen was administered, most mice did not gain quoted papers, which described what he called "the original six weight and died by day five; the last mouse died on day eight. A battered babies in 1945". The essential elements in this descrip- one-microgram dose of one preparation killed four out of five tion were subdural haematomas, intraocular bleedings and multi- mice. They first gained weight from days two to five, but then ple traction changes in the long bones. These findings became a _ remained at nearly constant weight until they died. Even the one benchmark of the "evidence" that a child had been shaken before that survived for 16 days (it was then killed) experienced crises developing these signs. (stopped putting on weight) on the days when the others died. Reece (1993) analysed fatal child abuse and sudden infant Had that one lived longer, it might have died on day 24. This is death syndrome (SIDS) and considered the critical diagnostic another of the critical days—identified by Cotwatch research into decisions. He emphasised that distinguishing between an unex- babies' breathing—on which babies have flare-ups of stress- pected infant death due to SIDS and one due to child abuse chal- induced breathing, or die, after vaccination. lenges paediatricians, family physicians, pathologists and child Interestingly, when laboratory animals develop symptoms of protection agencies. On the one hand, they must report instances vaccine damage and then die, it is never considered coincidental; of suspected child abuse and protect other children in the family; but when children develop the same symptoms and/or die after the and on the other, all agree that the knowledge in this area is administration of the same vaccines, it is considered coincidental incomplete and ambiguity exists in many cases. or caused by their parents or other carers. When all this fails, then Duhaime et al. (1992)* wrote that "patients with intradural it is considered "mysterious". haemorrhage and no history of trauma must also have clinical and Delayed reactions are the norm rather than the exception. This radiographic findings of blunt impact to the head, unexplained has been explained as a consequence of an immunological death occur, they are accused of causing them. MEDICAL STUDIES Let's now have a look at medical literature dealing with shaken baby syndrome and child abuse. Caffey (1972, 1974)'* described the "whiplash shaken infant syndrome" as a result of manual shaking by the extremities with whiplash-induced intracranial and intraocular bleedings, linked with permanent brain damage and mental retardation. He referred to his own paper, published almost 30 years prior to the above- quoted papers, which described what he called "the original six battered babies in 1945". The essential elements in this descrip- tion were subdural haematomas, intraocular bleedings and multi- ple traction changes in the long bones. These findings became a benchmark of the "evidence" that a child had been shaken before developing these signs. Reece (1993)* analysed fatal child abuse and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and considered the critical diagnostic decisions. He emphasised that distinguishing between an unex- pected infant death due to SIDS and one due to child abuse chal- lenges paediatricians, family physicians, pathologists and child protection agencies. On the one hand, they must report instances of suspected child abuse and protect other children in the family; and on the other, all agree that the knowledge in this area is incomplete and ambiguity exists in many cases. Duhaime et al. (1992)* wrote that "patients with intradural haemorrhage and no history of trauma must also have clinical and radiographic findings of blunt impact to the head, unexplained 36 = NEXUS AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1998