Infectious Myth - Shaken Baby Syndrome with Law Professor Deborah Tuerkheimer - 11/04/14

David interviews Deborah Tuerkheimer, a law professor at Northwestern University, about the invalidity of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), which is sometimes known as AHT (Abusive Head Trauma). Cases based on a ‘triad’ of bleeding in the brain, bleeding in the retina, and swelling of the brain, with no other evidence of abuse (such as bruises, grip marks, cuts, scratches or broken bones) have resulted in thousands of convictions, and there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people still behind bars.

 

Recently there has been a shift and obtaining an SBS conviction has become more difficult. Some of the convicted have been released from prison. But this shameful medico-legal episode is not yet over. 

 

Deborah lucidly explains both the legal and medical context of SBS, and the negative interactions that occurred to produce the SBS medical dogma.

 

Deborah’s book is available from the publisher at: http://global.oup.com/academic/product/flawed-convictions-9780199913633;jsessionid=2B339D42F99785A4A57DCA39EFB2111B?cc=ca&lang=en& or through other book sellers such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

 

For a link to a database of more than 3,000 Shaken Baby Syndrome legal cases, see: http://www.medilljusticeproject.org/visualization/