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JAMES D. FROST, JR, MD; DANIEL G. GLAZE, MD
Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics Baylor College of Medicine One Baylor Plaza Houston, TX 77030

CAROL LYNN ROSEN, MD
Department of Pediatrics BHS 101 Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons 630 W 168th St New York, NY 10032

Am J Dis Child. 1988;142(9):917-918.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Sir.—In their informative article in the October 1987 issue of AJDC describing various aspects of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, Zitelli et al¹ made the statement, "Practices such as secretly going through mother's possessions, unannounced home visits,² and concealed videotaping³ may be unacceptable to many professionals, difficult to carry out, and in some instances illegal [reference numbers changed]." We strongly disagree with the authors' inclusion of concealed videotaping (with reference to our 1983 article³) among unacceptable or illegal practices. We also find such an inclusion surprising, since the authors emphasized the difficulty of achieving a favorable outcome in legal proceedings initiated to protect the child. Our decision to use hidden camera surveillance in this instance,³ and in subsequent cases,⁴ was based on the knowledge that a definitive diagnosis, supported by incontrovertible evidence, is crucial in such court proceedings. We believe that our primary obligation, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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