Book excerpt: This unique, comprehensive survey of virtually all aspects of sudden death in infants and childhood will be an essential source of reference for pathologists, clinicians and lawyers who deal with such cases. Individual sections deal in detail with deaths due to inflicted and non-inflicted injuries and to natural diseases. This new edition includes 1200 new references, 300 new illustrations and an extensively revised chapter on sudden infant death syndrome. The intentional injury chapter has additional material on head trauma, the biomechanics of injury, neonaticide, suicide and subtle and unusual trauma. The chapter on non-intentional injury has also been expanded to more accurately reflect its importance as a cause of death. Deaths in the first week of life are also covered. This new edition also covers the full range of natural causes of death, and their pathological investigation undertaken in light of advances in our understanding of genetic susceptibility and pathophysiology.