AMERICAN, BRITISH, AND CANADIAN EXPERTS FROM THE FIELDS OF PEDIATRICS, PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY, RADIOLOGY, LAW, AND SOCIAL WORK HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS VOLUME, APPLYING THEIR PRACTICAL AND ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE TO THE CAUSES AND TREATMENT OF MALTREATED CHILDREN. THESE CONTRIBUTORS ALSO HAVE CRITICALLY REVIEWED AND INTEGRATED THE EXISTING LITERATURE ON THE SUBJECT INTO THEIR INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES. THE TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE THE MEDICAL ASPECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, DETAILED RADIOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE BATTERED CHILD SYNDROME, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANAGING THE PROBLEM. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CHILD ABUSE IS ADDRESSD IN TERMS OF THE HISTORICAL EPISODES, CULTURAL PATTERNS, AND BIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES RELATING TO THE VARIETIES AND PREVALENCE OF CHILD ABUSE. A PSYCHIATRIST'S VIEWPOINT OF THE HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS, CAUSES, AND TREATMENT METHODS OF ABUSE CASES IS EXPRESSED, ALONG WITH ARTICLES COVERING THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILD ABUSE, THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN, AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE CHILD AS A LEGAL ENTITY. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SOCIAL AGENCIES AND THE SOCIAL WORKER ARE ALSO REPRESENTED. FINALLY, MEDICAL-LEGAL AND SOCIETAL PROBLEMS UNDERLYING CHILD PROSTITUTION, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, AND DRUG-RELATED ABUSE ARE HIGHLIGHTED, WITH DETAILED CASE HISTORIES AND RECOMMENDED LEGISLATION. REFERENCES, AN INDEX, AND TABLES ARE PROVIDED. AN APPENDIX CONTAINS A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE CONCERNING THE EXTENT OF CHILD ABUSE, WITH MOST OF THE REFERENCES REFERRING TO PUBLICATIONS FROM WESTERN EUROPE, THE U.S. AND AUSTRALIA. (WJR)