Shaken Baby Syndrome: "On SBS" blog uses the National Registry of Exonerations to document the numerous conditions that have been misdiagnosed as abusive head trauma. (Must, Must Read. HL);

STORY: "My visit to the Ivory Tower," by Sue Luttner, posted on her informative blog "On SBS" on Juy 3, 2014.

GIST: "Now I realize I could have saved us all a lot of trouble if I had just gone first to The National Registry of Exonerations, a joint effort of the innocence projects at the Michigan and Northwestern University law schools, a reputable source that offers a sobering list of overturned shaking convictions, with case histories. The registry documents a number of conditions that have been misdiagnosed as abusive head trauma:

• Sickle cell disease, in the case of Melonie Ware (registry entry,  radio treatment)
• Stroke, in the case of Julie Baumer (registry entry, press treatment)
• Seizure disorder, in the case of Drayton Witt (registry entry, press treatment)
• Sepsis infection, in the case of Adrian Thomas (registry entry, film about his first trial)
• Urinary tract infection and hypoxia, in the case of Brandy Briggs (registry entry)
• SIDS, in the cases of Teresa Engberg-Lehmer (registry entry) and Joel Lehmer (registry entry), whose case helped unravel years of misdiagnoses by Dr. Thomas Bennett in Iowa (Los Angeles Times treatment, by reporter Barry Siegel)
• Accidental injury, in the cases of
  • John Peel (whose registry entry includes a second case where charges were dropped when other doctors realized the child had died of pneumonia)
  • Warren Hales (registry entry—this case also featured timing issues)
  • Ken Marsh (registry entry)
  • Michael Hansen (registry entry)

Some cases were overturned because they rested on timing:

• Audrey Edmunds (registry entry, press treatment, book about her ordeal)
• Mary Weaver (registry entry, press treatment, book about her ordeal)
• Abilgail Tiscareno (registry entry)
• Rashawn Greer (registry entry)

The registry now contains 1,388 exonerations, a number that’s likely to change soon, as the last entry seems to have been added yesterday, July 2, which I know because their case browser offers a handy sorting tool that also helped me find the cases above."...What this database doesn’t include are the dropped charges, as in the cases of Tammy Fourman and Kristian Aspelin; the not guilty verdicts, as in the cases of Richard Britts and Russell Van Vleck; or the many innocent people who either remain in prison or have served their terms. Still, it’s a valuable resource and a solid record of shaken baby syndrome in the courtroom, a record that’s respected in academia."

The entire post can be found at:

 http://onsbs.com/tag/national-registry-of-exonerations/

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;