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Munchausen syndrome by proxy, also known as âfactitious disorder imposed on another,â is defined by the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as âthe intentional production or feigning of physical or psychological signs or symptoms in another person who is under the individualâs care.â Itâs a disorder that first emerged, with both clinical and legal ramifications, in the 1970s.
One of the first people to be successfully prosecuted for murders ascribed to the disorder was Martha Woods, an Army wife who was convicted for killing her adopted son Paul Woods in 1972. Though only convicted of the one murder, it is believed that she had nine victims (only two of whom survived) across the United States, including Marlan Rash, an 18-month-old boy who died in Colorado Springs in 1964 while in Marthaâs care.