| Title | Accidental childhood death and the role of the pathologist. | | Author(s) | Byard RW | | Institution | Forensic Science Centre, 21 Divett Place, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia. | | Source | Pediatr Dev Pathol 2000 Sep-Oct; 3(5):405-18. | | MeSH | Accident Prevention
Accidents
Adolescent
Australia
Cause of Death
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Pathology
Wounds and Injuries
| | Abstract | The following study provides an overview of accidental childhood death. This study is based on a review of 369 cases of fatal childhood accidents taken from the records of the Department of Histopathology, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia, over a 34-year period from 1963 to 1996. Data provide information on deaths due to motor vehicle accidents, drownings, accidental asphyxia, burns, poisonings, electrocution, and miscellaneous trauma. In addition, certain categories have undergone further examination, including asphyxial deaths due to unsafe sleeping environments and unsafe eating practices, drowning deaths, and deaths on farms, following identification of significant child safety problems in these areas as part of the "Keeping Your Baby and Child Safe" program. Previously unrecognized dangers to children detected through this program include mesh-sided cots, V-shaped pillows, and certain types of stroller-prams. The production of information pamphlets and packages for parents and the recall of certain dangerous products following recommendations made by pathologists demonstrate that pediatric and forensic pathologists have an important role to play in preventive medicine issues and in formulating public health strategies. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Review
| | PubMed ID | 10890925 |
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