Read Without Consent for Free Online Page A

pneumonia and sepsis. The endotoxins released by the bacteria are the most likely cause of the increased bleeding tendency, which resulted in the skin bruising, retinal hemorrhages and the large intracranial bleed.

2. Probable scurvy, from chronic Vitamin C deficiency or an accelerated metabolism of Vitamin C. This would account for the excessive fragility of blood vessels, exacerbating bleeding problems, and the increased tendency for bones to fracture. Metabolism of Vitamin C would have been rapidly increased in the presence of sepsis and intercurrent viral infection. The history of recurrent respiratory infections can be attributed to scurvy, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of the immune system.

3. Fractured ribs due to excess force during cardiac massage in the failed resuscitation attempt, irrespective of pre-existing brittle bones.
     
          In conclusion, the child died from natural causes. The history of recurrent viral infections, bleeding and bone fractures are most likely the effects of chronic Vitamin C deficiency. This death would have been prevented if the emergency doctor had administered large doses of intravenous Vitamin C on the initial presentation.
     
    Anya re-read the conclusion in complete disbelief. Not only did Carney ignore the possibility of child abuse and murder, he accused the treating physician of negligent homicide! He had failed to state that cardiac massage could cause fractures of the front, not the back ribs. There was no comment at all about the suspicious marks on the child’s back, and no slides were taken to confirm the pathology. In this case, all the physical evidence pointed to severe physical trauma from child abuse. A statement from Community Services mentioned that the family was under investigation following a complaint from the child’s maternal grandmother, who suspected abuse. Another, from a neighbor, claimed that the night before the child died she had heard a male voice screaming at a crying baby.
    Based on the pathology report, the police would have been unable to pursue a case of abuse. Anya put the report on the rug and unpacked her laptop. She plugged in the power cord just as the phone rang. Unable to locate the handset, she pressed the microphone on the base station.
    “Mummy!”
    “Hi, Ben! I’ve just been thinking about you.”
    “Hey, me too.”
    “How are you feeling? Yesterday you sounded terrible.”
    He took a deep breath to prove the lack of snuffles. “All better.”
    “That’s great news. Did you go to preschool?”
    “Yeah, but it’s a little bit boring.”
    Ben rarely talked about preschool over the phone. There was no point asking any more about it.
    “Mummy, what are we doing when I come to sleep over?”
    “Well, I’ve been practicing a new song on the drums. Maybe we can play it together. And we might go to the Powerhouse Museum again. There’s a huge Star Wars exhibition.”
    “I love Star Wars ! How did you know?”
    “Maybe I just know you.”
    There was silence for a moment. Then Ben’s voice almost whispered, “Love you, I miss you.”
    “Me too, Speedie. Me too. Love you all the way to forever and back again.”
    “And way past there…Uh, Dad’s calling. It’s bath-time.”
    “Then you’d better go and get clean. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Okay. Bye.”
    Before hanging up, she waited to hear the click at the other end.
    At least her son was over his latest head-cold. Like other preschoolers, he had a constant runny nose, ear-infections and skin rashes that could only be described as “viral.” Any mother knew that the first years of contact with other children brought an endless string of respiratory and gastric infections. He was owed more swimming lessons than he’d been well enough to attend.
    She wondered whether Alf Carney had children. Surely not, she thought, otherwise he would have known that was a normal process in young children, not pathological, and certainly not diagnostic of