News Blurb on ayres Prosecutor

There is a brief new article posted in the San Francisco Chronicle (pdf) about prosecutor McKowan, the prosecutor in the william hamilton ayres child molester criminal case.

 The article is similar in detail to other recent news blurbs, but with additional quotes from Victoria Balfour.

Notably, the article reads in a very non-biased manner, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Here's a quote from the article:

Balfour had accused McKowan of a number of transgressions, including failing to contact doctors who trained with former child psychiatrist William Ayres and who, she said, would have strengthened the molestation case against him.

Just to refresh everyone's memory about just a few of the doctors that Balfour chased down and asked if they were trained to perform "medical exams" as part of their therapy:

➲ Dr. Morton Kurland [ Did his child psychiatry residency at Yale New Haven Children Center during  the same time frame that ayres was getting his “training”]: 

Kurland was shocked at the notion of giving physical exams to children and states: “We were taught not to put even a hand on the shoulder of a child” and “For him to use this as an excuse for his behavior is pathetic. The idea that child psychiatrists do this sort of thing is just off the boards."

➲ Stephen Shaffer, [Judge Baker Children’s Center COO]:

"The idea that our psychiatrists were trained to give physical exams like that in therapy is just preposterous. It's absurd. It's horrifying. I've been in the field for a long time and I have never heard of child psychiatrists being trained to do this. We've trained close to 1000 psychiatrists and we have never taught this. I just can't imagine it."

➲ Gordon P. Harper MD, [Did his residency at Judge Baker Children’s Center in early 1970’s]:

"In my Judge Baker training, we didn't even do a neurological exam on children." And "It's a dodge that other child psychiatrists use who are molesting children."

➲ Dr. Lee Willer, [trained WITH ayres at Judge Baker Children’s Center in the 1960’s]: 

"In fact, we were advised not to do physicals on children"

➲ Psychologist Nicholas Verven, [ at Judge Baker at the same time as ayres, and knew both william AND Solveig ayres]: 

"Physical exams of children would not be supported by the training we had. Ayres was certainly not trained to do this at Judge Baker."

➲ Psychologist Irving Hurwitz, [supervisor at Manville School and also remembered both ayres and Solveig]:

“There were very strict rules as to how therapy with children would be done, and physical exams were not done. Any hint that any therapist would be doing physicals would raise serious concerns."

➲ Psychologist Roger Bibace, [worked at Judge Baker in the same time frame that ayres was there]: 

"Nobody was trained to give physical exams at Judge Baker, " he said. "This is revolting! This sounds just like that Mel Levine case!"

➲ Dr William Beardslee, [professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital]: 

Said he “knows of no child psychiatrist either at Judge Baker or anywhere else who was ever trained to give physical exams to kids in therapy.”

➲ Dr. Pauline Hahn, [psychologist and research director at Judge Baker for 54 years recalled "Bill" Ayres]:

States that child psychologists were "NEVER trained to give physical exams."

➲ Dr. Joan Zilbach, [(now deceased) worked with william ayres at Judge Baker]: 

Stated that “Neither she nor Ayres nor anyone else in their group was trained to give "physicals" at Judge Baker.”

➲ Dr. Milton Shore, [On staff at Judge Baker in the general time frame that ayres was there]: 

"Never, never, never did you touch a child in therapy!" he said, forcefully. "It was very implicit. You didn't do physical exams. Period.You just didn't do it !

➲ Dr. Richard Hinckley Wolff, [Did residency at Judge Baker with william ayres]:  

"I never heard of anyone doing a physical at Judge Baker. I never did one myself and I never remember anyone presenting a case where they had done a physical. I've never heard of it."

➲ Dr. David Reiser, [Trained at Judge Baker in 1954-1956]:  

“If there had been any instance in which a child needed a physical exam, the physical exam would have been done at Children's Hospital, which was right across the street.”

➲ Dr Jacqueline Amati Mehler, [Trained with ayres, and remembered him well]: 

"At Judge Baker, child psychiatrists treated the children's minds only.  The pediatricians examined the children. "

➲ Dr Stanley Walzer, [at Judge Baker while ayres was there, Director of Judge Baker in the 1970s]:

“Me, I didn't do physical exams on kids. To suggest we did at Judge Baker is crazy!!” 

➲ Dr. Joseph Mullen, [at Judge Baker while ayres was there]: 

“We didn't do physical exams in psychiatric sessions with children. That's not part of the psychiatric treatment. No way!!” 

➲ Dr. Dan Ditmore, [at Judge Baker while ayres was there]:  

"I didn't do physical exams on children and neither did anyone else there."