100 years of lost opportunity. Missed descriptions of child abuse in the 19th century and beyond

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2008-10, Vol.32 (10), p.920-924
• Main Authors: Williams, A.N, Griffin, N.K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambroise Tardieu; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse - diagnosis; Child Abuse - history; Child labor; Child, Preschool; Craniocerebral Trauma; Diagnosis, Differential; History, 19th Century; Humans; Industrial development; Infant; Medical sciences; Meningitis; Mortality; Non-accidental injury; Pediatrics; Poverty; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Samuel West; Social history; Victimology
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.12.007

The 19th century marked the dawn of industrialization upon the world, and the effects of this upon society and its attitudes during this period were dramatics. In the early 19th century, conditions for families and children were very hard indeed with child labor having a high prevalence. Although child labor is now considered to be abhorrent, the issue is not so clear cut: The costs of working at a tender age had to be set against the benefits of earning a wage and combating the debilitating effects of poverty. In 1828, Villerme had already recognized the multitude of interacting factors which contributed to the excess mortality and morbidity of children from poorer backgrounds. Here, Williams and Griffin explore the 19th century cases of likely or certain child abuse which were either not considered as such at the time, or if confirmed, sadly forgotten until the rediscovery of child abuse as a serious pediatric condition in the latter half of the 20th century.