An Introduction to the Scientific Controversy over Shaken Baby Syndrome

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2024-04-02 11:30:09

The scientific controversy over the so-called Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) (also known, with a few key differences indicated later, as Abusive Head Trauma, AHT) is a rich and highly complex multifaceted topic.

It involves a wide range of academic disciplines: pediatrics, neonatology, obstetrics, neurology, neuropathology, radiology, hematology, evidence-based medicine, biomechanics, statistics, epidemiology, psychology, among others. There are also ramifications in epistemology, medical ethics, criminal law, sociology...

As such, the mass of data and information collected in the past half-century is phenomenal. There has been hundreds of popular press articles and documentaries in the past decades, while the academic publications number in the thousands.

Yet, contrary to many other contemporary academic topics, it remains practically feasible for a single, or a small group of, highly-motivated individual(s) to read a large part of the literature available and gain a deep comprehension of the relevant issues.