Epidemiology of the Cerebral Palsies

This book draws together a number of major epidemiological studies of the cerebral palsies from many different countries. The first chapter is a historical review by Dr. Tom Ingram, who translated much of Freud's original writings on cerebral palsy, and is an acknowledged expert in this field. The editors have then drawn together critical evidence from several countries on prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal risk factors contributing to cerebral palsy and have also considered the role played by social factors. An excellent chapter by Jonathan Wigglesworth examines how these adverse factors may modify brain development and result in handicap to the child. The methodological problems of classifying and counting the cerebral palsies and assessing their frequency are fully discussed, and the difficult question of how far the perinatal health services have an impact on outcome is considered. Altogether, this is a comprehensive book on this topic, and an invaluable reference source for anyone workingin the field of cerebral palsy or epidemiology.