Two ‘Clustered’ Cases of ‘Cot Death’ with Identical Physical and Social Pathology

Abstract

Two cases of sudden infant death (cot death) are described, occurring within 5 days of each other, in the same house, with identical pulmonary pathology but in unrelated families. The cases illustrate the interrelationship of infection and unfavourable social factors peculiar to many cases of sudden infant death. They also point to the importance of environmental rather than genetic factors as a cause of ‘clusters’ of cot deaths in families.