NCJ Number
171006
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1998) Pages: 117-127
Date Published
1998
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper explains folk remedies that might be confused with child abuse and challenges the idea existing in the literature that treatment for the Hispanic folk illness called caida de mollera (fallen fontanelle) can caused the injuries seen in the shaken baby syndrome.
Abstract
The discussion is based on a literature review plus case analyses. The literature review reveals a wide variety of folk remedies that have the potential for confusion with child abuse. These include practices such as coining, cupping, and therapeutic burning. Caida de mollera is a folk disease in which a depressed fontanelle is through to result in a variety of symptoms. Restoration of the fontanelle to its original position is considered the folk treatment of choice. However, the treatment for caida de mollera consists of a number of gentle, nonviolent maneuvers that are quite different from the violent shaking that is believed to cause the shaken baby syndrome. The analysis concludes that child protection workers should become familiar with folk remedies and realize that the treatment of caida de mollera is unlikely to be the cause of injuries resulting from the shaken baby syndrome. Photographs and 69 references (Author abstract modified)