The role of intrapartum asphyxia and cerebral birth trauma as an important cause of perinatal mortality is well known and its contribution to perinatal morbidity as a cause of cerebral palsy is widely appreciated. This has led to more careful monitoring of pregnancy and labour, although monitoring techniques are not without hazard. The widespread availability of intensive care facilities for the newborn has resulted in the survival of many infants, particularly those of low birth weight, who might previously have died. Efficacious modes of treatment may, unfortunately, bring in their wake serious problems in the form of iatrogenic disease which may cause or contribute to rapid demise or whose effects may be fully apparent for many years. Ante natal investigations have also become frequently used and have their own hazards.