Death of a child following a superstitious ritual of exorcism

Abstract

Introduction: Diseases, especially those related to the psyche produced by demons, are an accepted belief in many communities. This paper elaborates on the death of a child, a victim of an exorcism ritual, and calls for adequate awareness and preventive measures. Case report: The deceased, a 9-year-old child, was taken by her mother to an exorcist to ’expel a demon from her body. The exorcist caned the child for two days while giving ’water’ to drink. On the second day, the child lost consciousness and was pronounced dead on admission. On direct questioning, it was revealed that the child had been made to consume some medicinal syrups forcefully by the mother and the exorcist. The autopsy revealed multiple abrasions, tram-line contusions and burns on the body. There was mottling and consolidation in the lungs. Blood-stained secretions were found in the trachea, bronchi, and stomach. Musculoskeletal dissection revealed subcutaneous haemorrhages and muscular contusions over the buttocks and limbs. Histology revealed evidence of well-established aspiration pneumonia. There was no other significant pathology, especially no evidence of acute kidney injury due to rhabdomyolysis. Toxicological analysis was negative for common poisons, therapeutic drugs, and heavy metals. The cause of death was concluded as aspiration pneumonia in a child subjected to physical violence. Conclusion: With the forceful feeding of the syrup, the child can have aspiration, resulting in aspiration pneumonia. At the same time, it appears that even after the child became symptomatic, she had not been brought for medical treatment but had continued with the same exorcistic therapy. While the caregivers become responsible for the child’s death, the lessons to be learnt are enormous. Thus, banning such practices against children is a need of the hour.