This specifically relates to the work of one team of medical researchers, under the direction of Dr. David Southall, during the 80’s and 90’s.
The nature and consequences of certain experiments that were carried out on babies into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have been kept secret from the parents. Some of these experiments involved reducing levels of oxygen in the air and in some cases administering Carbon Monoxide to babies with breathing difficulties. A number of parents have since alleged that these experiments brain damaged their children, and that they were never given an opportunity to give permission for the experiments to go ahead. It has been reported that South Wales Police are investigating these allegations for some time. John Hemming has reported these experiments to the General Medical Council a number of months ago, and is awaiting their decision regarding whether they will be in a position to investigate and try the doctors involved.
The idea behind the research
was to collect data about the effects of smothering on babies so that in future, with proper covert monitoring, doctors would be able to get good evidence concerned whether a parent has smothered their child. It is alleged that there was no potential benefit of the research to the children involved, only potential harm.
The results of these experiments were kept in special medical files, known as Special Case Files. Many families whose children have been experimented on do not know of the existence of these files, and those that do have been fortunate to find out that such files exist.
At a hearing in November 2006 the General Medical Council was made aware of the existence of these files, and John Hemming has been trying to get the current holders of these files, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, to tell the parents of the children to whom the files relate that such files are held.
This is important not only because of the moral issues about the hospital holding information about these experiments without their knowledge, but because some of the children to whom the files relate have been connected to Criminal or Family Court proceedings. In such cases children have been taken off their parents on the basis of medical evidence, but that medical evidence has been incomplete because the Secret Medical Files were not known about.
It is crucial, to make proper sense of the files, that they remain together as a whole, and do not get separated out.
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