The authors make the case that the term Munchausen syndrome by proxy should be permanently retired and replaced with a commonsense appreciation that children can be abused by their parents in the medical environment. In the first six chapters, they define a new conceptual framework, medical child abuse, compare it to other forms of child abuse, and review the literature using the new framework. They discuss developments in characterizing specific illnesses, and look at theories surrounding motivations of the perpetrators. In the next ten chapters, they draw on data from 115 cases that the authors have been involved with over the past 12 years to make recommendations on identifying and stopping abuse, providing for the child's safety, and treating physical and psychological consequences. They also discuss the physicians and lawyers as part of the problem. Roesler teaches child and family psychiatry, and Jenny teaches pediatrics, at Brown University. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)