Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
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Data on 570 mothers and their children whose development was personally assessed from birth to four years were analysed. Strong associations were found between the incidence of fetal distress during labour, birth asphyxia, and delivery by emergency caesarean section. ⋯ In only one of seven handicapped children could the handicap possibly have been attributable to delivery factors. Case histories of two children illustrate the dangers and difficulties of associating cause and effect in individual patients.