As we near the 50th anniversary of the landmark article by C. Henry Kempe and his colleagues entitled "The Battered Child Syndrome," which ushered in the modern era of professional attention by pediatricians and other child health professionals, we have reason for both celebration and concern. We can take heart that over the recent ve decades, a great deal of professional attention focused on the problem of child abuse and neglect. In every state of the country, there are mandatory repo- ing laws that require nurses, physicians, and social workers to report suspicions of maltreatment to the...

This eye-opening monograph challenges professionals across disciplines to take a more thorough and focused approach to addressing child physical abuse at the practice and policy levels. Positing child physical abuse as a public health crisis (as opposed to a more vague "social" one), the authors use empirical findings and clinical insights to advocate for wide-scale reforms in screening, assessment, responses, treatment, and prevention. The book's social/ecological perspective delves into root causes of physical maltreatment, analyzes the role of family and community risk...