Shaken Baby Syndrome: Medical Science Or Medical Faith

“This, in addition to the other more recent developments in this area previously discussed, arguably suggests that a claim of shaken baby syndrome is more an article of faith than a proposition of science.”  – Matthew F. Kennelly, United States District Judge

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is something of an enigma. The medical profession, especially Emergency Room personnel—doctors, in particular—medically certify to legally charge adults with SBS when a child is brought in after having experienced trauma – usually diagnosed as head trauma – from supposed severe shaking by an adult, usually a parent or the last-known care giver. 

First and foremost, let it be known that this writer is not discussing genuinely-deliberate child abuse, which rightly must be prosecuted as criminal acts. What’s being discussed here is the apparent ‘blind faith’ theory that if a child has subdural hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhage and brain swelling (aka SBS triad of symptoms) then that child has been shaken violently by an adult, a parent, or a care giver even though there are no physical marks or broken bones on the child’s body.