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The founding of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1874 signaled the beginning of this broader concept of societal intervention on behalf of maltreated children. The Society was established in the wake of the notorious case of "Little Mary Ellen" (see http://wn.com/out_of_the_darkness_the_story_of_mary _ellen_wilson). Mary Ellen Wilson (1864-1956) was an eight-year-old New York City girl whose case of child abuse by her foster parents, Francis and Mary Connolly, led a friendly visitor, Etta Wheeler (who is often forgotten in this story-and who was, in fact, a social work hero), to seek help, unsuccessfully, from several child welfare institutions. When Wheeler saw evidence of physical abuse, malnutrition, and neglect in Mary Ellen's condition, she began to research legal options to redress and protect the young girl. Determined to do something about the abuse...