Munchausen’s: Definition
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy was first described in 1951 by a British physician, but it was not until 1977 that the condition was labeled “Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy” by pediatrician Roy Meadow. The syndrome was defined as, “a condition in which a parent or other caretaker persistently fabricates symptoms on behalf of another, causing that […]
FASD: Legal Implications
Individuals with FASD have difficulty with assessment, judgment, and reasoning, and often repeat the same mistakes multiple times because of their disabilities. They also do not understand the consequences of their actions. These behavioral impairments make someone with FASD more likely to make bad decisions, trust the wrong people, and get in trouble with the […]
What are the effects of FASD?
The most serious and most common cause of mental retardation in the U.S. is fetal alcohol syndrome. The effects of FASD depend on the timing and frequency of alcohol consumption during the pregnancy. Some of the outcomes are: Abnormal facial features Growth defects Brain damage, including mental retardation Heart, lung, and kidney defects Hyperactivity and […]
FASD: Who is at risk?
If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, regardless of timing and amount, she is at risk of having a child with a FASD. Alcohol can affect an embryo before a woman knows she is pregnant. Women who drink early in pregnancy but stop when they discover they are pregnant are still at risk. Women […]
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: What is it?
Prenatal alcohol exposure is the single leading preventable cause of neuro-developmental disorders (Zagorski, 2015). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a blanket term for a number of effects that can occur in an individual who was exposed to alcohol in-utero. FASD affects about 40,000 infants each year (National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, 2014). The consequences […]
Traumatic Injuries: GBI/SBI
In regards to Great Bodily Injury or Significant Bodily injury: Many wounds from blunt force trauma by themselves would not qualify as permanently disabling or disfiguring. The severity of the wound oftentimes is not as readily obvious as it might seem. Many lacerations bleed heavily, especially those in the head, and are not necessarily even […]
Patterned Injuries from Trauma
Patterned Injuries: These are injuries in which the physical characteristics of the wound match the object that cause them. They can be present in all types of injuries: This month’s criminal topic is Cuts and Bruises (Blunt Force Trauma). Topics covered are: Bruises and dating of them (10/3/14) Abrasions and […]
Abrasions & Lacerations
An Abrasion is a scrape from friction between the skin and another surface. The surface does not necessarily need to be hard, but the softer it is, the more friction is needed. An example of hard surface abrasions are road rash from motor vehicle accidents, where the skin is dragged one direction across the pavement. […]
Bruises & Dating of Them
Contusion: This is a bruise and is caused by an impact with a hard object or pressure that causes the blood vessels under the skin to burst and blood to leak out into the cellular space. Typically appears as a range of colors in a localized area on the skin. Current literature states that bruises […]
Fatal Pediatric Head Injuries Caused by Short-Distance Falls
Fatal Pediatric Head Injuries Caused by Short-Distance Falls John Plunkett, MD I recently attended a lecture given by a District Attorney that discussed the investigation of child abuse cases. These are notes taken from his powerpoint regarding the report by Dr. Plunkett referenced above: Claims to prove that kids can die from “short falls” (up […]
