Abstract
An eight-month old infant, thought to have died of gastroenteritis, was found to have general peritonitis, due to rupture of the proximal jejunum. This and other injuries, initially suspected of being non-accidental, were due to the father's practice of forcible compression of the upper abdomen after feeds, to make the baby bring up bile, as well as wind, before being put down. Full investigation led to the conclusion that there had been no conscious intention of hurting the infant and that the injuries were not non-accidental in the accepted sense. One more condition must be added to the differential diagnosis of abdominal upsets in infants.
The first thought of the pathologist who discovers unsuspected skeletal or visceral injuries at the autopsy of an infant must be that their probable cause was non-accidental injury. Any other explanation must satisfy full police investigations and will rarely be acceptable. A case is reported in which the authorities were satisfied that the injuries were the result of a misconceived practice associated with infantfeeding and were inflicted with no concious intention of harming the infant.
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