I thought you might be amused by this email nugget I just got from a journalist friend who was covering the GMC yesterday.
it was tragi-comedy at the GMC this morning… really sad to see the deification of Wakefield by all these desperate parents who cling on to him as their hero in absence of any other answer for their children’s problems.
But true comedy was when I was offered, in all seriousness, the stars of 1980s police show – Dempsey and Makepeace – as credible interviewees on the subject by the good doctor’s supporters. Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber, in the flesh, I saw them with my own eyes. Not quite clear what their credientials on the subject matter was – the Jabs woman was most surprised when I politely declined.
You should have come down, you would have enjoyed it, though you would probably have got into an arugment with them and might even have been booed along with Brian Deer and Evan Harris.
But more importantly: we’ve all seen the MMR blogs, by the sensible evidence based medicine posse. But where are the rabid anti-MMR people? Where are the conspiracy theorists? Where are the cranks? Is there anyone out there making interesting threats?
There will be a modest prize for the person who finds the loopiest anti-MMR blog on the internet. That’s right: you can win an actual child.
Despard said,
July 17, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I really want that slogan on an adult-sized T-shirt. Come on Ben, update your shop!
Daniel Rutter said,
July 17, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Those of us who’ve been Healthfraud list subscribers for years have, of course, an unfair advantage in this competition.
I immediately searched for “mmr” and “autism” and added the magic loony-magnet, “aspartame”, and was led directly to the fiercely independent thinkers at MSG Truth. They’re happy to decry the MMR vaccination, but their chief thesis is that autism is caused by monosodium glutamate.
And gelatin.
Which can apparently be found in vaccines, and is ten per cent glutamic acid!
WAKE UP, PEOPLE!!1!!one!
Don’t miss their flow chart. It makes everything perfectly clear.
(It also doesn’t render properly in Firefox, but IE reveals it in all its glory.)
factician said,
July 17, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Pick me! Pick me!!! There’s this quote among other good quotes:
“The United Kingdom is a relatively small country. What will its society look like, with 1.2 million autistic adults in its midst? Imagine this as the opening scene of a movie, set in 2037:
“…The opening camera shot scans a British street, typical and narrow, bustling with activity. As the camera zooms in, it becomes apparent that something is disturbingly wrong. Dozens of adults with blank stares are wandering aimlessly through the streets flapping, drooling, and shouting frequent, unintelligible words. Shopkeepers are concerned for their safety as these over-sized, unemployed adults, mostly men, bang on doors and nearly break windows, searching for food and shelter. Overwhelmed social workers do their best to keep these strong, frightened creatures under control…”
Taken from http://sayingnotovaccines.blogspot.com/2007/07/inquisition-of-international-hero.html
factician said,
July 17, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Oh, for folks who want to find more crazy, type “andrew wakefield is a hero” into the google blogsearch. That’s how you find the real crazies out there.
coracle said,
July 17, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Man, just reading about the prize instantly wasted about half an hour for me. I haven’t found much, rather surprisingly.
I did find a rather emotive but unreasoned video and petition. Apart from that there was a fairly pedestrian libertarian rant about it being the government’s fault that MMR uptake fell because they didn’t offer single jabs.
Disappointing.
The Nigel Thomas Petition (Youtube)
The Nigel Thomas Petition (Petition)
Critical Faculty Dojo (blog)
le canard noir said,
July 17, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Althoug a little old news now, I must put forward Dr George Carlo and Tamara Mariea with their theories about autism being caused by a lethal combination of vaccines and wi-fi.
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/07/autism-if-you-cant-blame-mmr-lets-try.html
Plus, me and the missus are thinking of having a baby, and winning one might cut out the messing in-between stuff.
But, that baby is a little ugly. Can we choose another substitute if we win?
Tontine said,
July 17, 2007 at 6:40 pm
I think factition (post 3) is doing well here. The apocalyptic description of autism, sustained through much of the post, not just in the extract above, suggests great ignorance of the ‘autistic spectrum’. It is quite simply insulting to people diagnosed with autistic disorders, which run from minor tics through to levels of clear impairment of function in daily life, to suggest that they are some kind of zombie horde.
The link is well worth visiting…
theholyllama said,
July 17, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Factition’s movie pitch is clearly leading the field, but [url=http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/autism.htm]Shirley’s Wellness Cafe[/url] is worth a look. A US site, and doesn’t look as though it’s been updated recently, but plenty to get your teeth into. As an aside, it includes a link to [url=http://www.hundredyearlie.com/toxicity.shtml]this toxicity test[/url], where you can find out how toxic you are (and yes, one of the questions is about how many vaccinations you’ve had). Apparently I’m “generally toxic” even though I ticked ‘yes’ on most of the things that they probably think cause ‘toxicity’ but ‘No’ on most of the things they obviously think are symptoms of ‘toxicity’ (hair loss, learning diabilities?!?!).
theholyllama said,
July 17, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Those links again (not sure what I’m doing wrong):
Shirley’s Wellness Cafe: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/autism.htm
The Toxicity Test: http://www.hundredyearlie.com/toxicity.shtml
j said,
July 17, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Macchiavelli‘s still doing us proud, too.
Do I get to pick the child?
bk said,
July 17, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Found another video. Listen to the lyrics of the song, it’s awesome. Had a little boogie to it I don’t mind admitting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC1j4cka_3Q
I feel pretty sorry for this kid though in all honsety.
Stuu said,
July 17, 2007 at 8:41 pm
I have to say, that YouTube video is sick, as are the people that recorded it.
The song’s pretty catchy though.
raygirvan said,
July 17, 2007 at 8:42 pm
> Dempsey and Makepeace … Not quite clear what their credientials on the subject matter was
Glynis Barber has something to do with supporting the Asperger’s Syndrome Foundation. Dunno about him (they are an item BTW).
gadgeezer said,
July 17, 2007 at 9:03 pm
You asked for it – do not follow these links if you are of a sensitive disposition. Seriously.
David Ayoub on vaccines and mercury as a form of population control: The slide show pdf; the 5 part video downloads (scroll down) or the his Black Helicopers and Social Movement with feminism, illuminati and vaccines thrown in (links to a description at Kevin Leitch the video is 90 mins long). Mercury, Autism and The Global Vaccine Agenda.
Oldie but goldie – Vaccination – the hidden truth – learn how having measles can transform you into a creative painter in 24 hours or so. Fact.
Vaccination – Vatican’s Inquisition Revealed at Last!!
Vaccination 100 Years of orthodox research (basically, all wrong). Scheiber is a star of the Hidden Truth video.
pol said,
July 17, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Please don’t pile on, and sorry if this is an inappropriate place to post this:
I am the father of a child not far off MMR age. I’m a badscience fan, and I’d like to think a natural sceptic, but this whole MMR thing hits me, like most parents, where I live and breathe. People are not rational about their children: i’d be quite happy to have the jab myself, but there’s something about bringing a child for a jab that touches a sore point.
Digging around some of the sites above is upsetting compared to sniggering at Gillian McKeith or Holcroft. I’m damned if I’m going to expose my child to avoidable risk just because I think Ian Thorpe et al are pricks.
So, can anybody point me to a website where the Wakefield claims are addressed from top to bottom? Might just sound like the converted looking for a preacher, but a link would be appreciated.
thanks.
jpmg said,
July 17, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Pol:
Addressing, just for the moment, the question of MMR vs separate jabs.
What do you suppose are the risks involved in taking your child to a GP’s surgery three times rather than once?
coracle said,
July 17, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Oh good grief. There’s a whole seam of video nasties to be mined. UK CASH FOR VACCINE OPINNION AUTISM MERCURY
The user’s profile is here: notommr
factician said,
July 17, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Pol,
I think for a non-scientist type, reading the transcripts to the recent vaccine suit in the U.S. is probably the most convincing. You can read the entire nauseating thing here: ftp://autism.uscfc.uscourts.gov/autism/index.html
Autism Diva does a pretty good job of summarizing (autismdiva.blogspot.com).
The gist of it? Wakefield et al are at best incompetent scaremongers. At worst, they’re conniving thieves. There is quite simply no evidence that MMR or mercury cause autism, and there is an awful lot of evidence that they don’t.
Hope this helps.
-F.
(Incidentally, my son is about to get his 18 month jab – for chicken pox – and I’m excited – that’s another illness I don’t have to worry about. He had his MMR 3 months ago).
gadgeezer said,
July 17, 2007 at 9:58 pm
One site with top to bottom? No. There are good responses to most of the issues but ‘official sites’ tend not to be updated in a timely manner (the NHS MMR the facts and the Science Museum’s MMR files) bloggers tend to address the part that interests them. Orac of Respectful Insolence has lots of material, as does Kevin Leitch but a lot of it will be spread across discussions of various papers that might not even necessitate the mention of Wakefield (eg, the Fombonne epidemiology studies). Anthony Cox put up a very nice piece Virological evidence does not support a link between MMR and autism but it isn’t actually about Wakefield although related to his work…
You could get an excellent but somewhat round the houses primer by reading through Autism Diva’s summaries of the Autism Omnibus Hearings: start around June 12 in the June archive.
Fitzpatrick has covered (I refuse to call them hypotheses – they were tested and failed spectacularly, they are now ex-hypotheses).
Shinga’s done basics like: There’s no mercury in MMR; in Wakefield etc there’s are lots of references to other posts and issues such as there was no extraordinary inflammation, autistic enterocolities doesn’t exist, there are no true positives for measles virus in any of those samples…
Anthony said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Pol,
If it is any consolation I have had all my children vaccinated with MMR, at the height of the scare. People may not be rational about their children, but it is better to be so.
Ben’s Guardian article from a while back is a good primer – even though it is a few years old and there is even more evidence refuting the MMR-autism theory.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1103958,00.html
Also be aware of false syllogisms:
http://www.blacktriangle.org/blog/?p=425
Ben Goldacre said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:14 pm
“I really want that slogan on an adult-sized T-shirt. Come on Ben, update your shop!”
your wish is my command:
gadgeezer said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Sorry – the correct Fitzpatrick as follows:
Fitzpatrick has covered why the Autism Omnibus Hearings and particularly Bustin’s testimony were devastating for Wakefield’s cherished beliefs (I refuse to call them hypotheses – they were tested and failed spectacularly, they are now ex-hypotheses).
I crossed with factitian in posting (I’m a slow coder).
JPMG – I think that all in, it would be 6 visits for shots and boosters as MMR replacement. I don’t know what people do if they are replacing the 5-in-1.
Press briefing on why Sense is opposed to single jabs with links to their pdf briefing.
Ben Goldacre said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:23 pm
wow, i have to say, this is real laugh or cry stuff.
the film at #3 is a definite front runner, but naturally i have a very soft spot for george carlo’s “wifi and vaccines will kill your children synergistically” theory.
best primer on mmr and autism is mike’s book i’d say. worth reading its amazon page just for the one star partisan mmr-crank reviews too.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MMR-Autism-Michael-Fitzpatrick/dp/0415321794/tag=bs0b-21
Ben Goldacre said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:27 pm
this in email from an anon correspondent (not sure whether i keep the baby bib if one of these wins..):
Anthony said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:38 pm
The Le Fanu article was very weird.
Despard said,
July 17, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Thanks Ben! *buys*
Some of those links are terrifying…
gadgeezer said,
July 17, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Look – that Tenpenny piece is OK in a SciFi sort of way but I’m holding out for the vaccination as a Vatican conspiracy piece. Whoever wrote this makes Sue Young look like a blend between Carl Sagan and David Starkey.
Come on – where else would you get the inside skinny on Babylon as the root of all evil; the Vatican as the source of the jesuit plot of vaccination; vaccination as a stalking-horse to get us to accept evolution; Satan as a source of vaccination belief; plus exhortations that we should drink raw milk; plus links to exciting articles such as “Pax Americana Soldiers are full of Pox Romana!!”?
“Edward Jenner was an S.J. — a Slick Jesuit — who taught the medical world how to use the POISONED NEEDLE. He was the first to associate human diseases with that of animals. This idea paved the way for vaccination which is responsible for the deaths of multiplied millions of people around the world. The idea that humans and animals are related and share the same diseases led to the theory of evilution which is responsible for the spiritual death of multiplied millions more.”
“Erasmus Darwin (another doctor) was the grandfather of ape-man Charles Darwin. Since Jenner claimed that humans and animals shared the same diseases, the next step was to promulgate the idea that they had a common ancestor.
Darwin was the father of another fable called the theory of evolution. He STOLE it from the Egyptians and never paid a penny in royalty fees…Both christening and vaccination are inventions of that old Serpent the devil!! Nobody except old Beelzebub himself has sent more souls to hell than this ape-man. His grandfather and Jenner laid the foundation of the MAD idea of turning the FABLE of evilution into a scientific FACT.”
“In the year 1717, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was the smokescreen that the Jesuits used to introduce this Indian religious rite into England. Lady Mary was not even a doctor.”
Mrs G. needed to explain to me that Ignatius LIEola is this wit’s version of Ignatius Loyola.
jrazz said,
July 17, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Ben Goldacre,
I would like to know how your anonymous correspondent thought that my blog post on MMR fit the criteria and was worthy of the “award” posted here?
The Link To The Post
My post was unbiased and reporting on the lawsuit that was brought up. It had no pro or negative remarks given by me, the author. In fact, I even point out that no evidence has been given to date showing the link between the vaccines that did contain thimerosal and autism.
Just curious if your correspondent even bothered to read my post.
j razz
Blogged Down World
SteveNaive said,
July 17, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I’d vote for this last one – extraordinary and wide-ranging. I liked this quote
“Pasteurization of milk is named after Pasteur. This process involved heating milk until ALL the nutrients are boiled away. We are not allowed to drink real milk but the medical Inquisition lets us be vaccinated with diseased calf lymph.”
factician said,
July 17, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Wow. Damn, I’m going to have to work hard to beat that Vatican piece. That one rises to the level of art.
pv said,
July 18, 2007 at 12:15 am
jrazz, your article states categorically that the MMR vaccine contains thiomersal. It has quite correctly been pointed out to you that your assertion is false. It has never contained any mercury component.
pol said,
July 18, 2007 at 12:16 am
Thanks for the links. Both for my own benefit and so I have something to pass on to other people.
jpmg
>>Pol:
Addressing, just for the moment, the question of MMR vs separate jabs.
What do you suppose are the risks involved in taking your child to a GP’s surgery three times rather than once?
>>>
absolutely f***ing awful. Place is a pigsty. Doesn’t mean that when half the media in this country gets its knickers in a collective twist I don’t get nervous enough to ask a question on a science website.
Despard said,
July 18, 2007 at 12:40 am
Heh, just read the new article, which is suspect will be up here shortly:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2128834,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
Very nicely done, not that I suspect it will make a blind bit of difference! But it made a lovely birthday present for me.
*goes to bed*
pv said,
July 18, 2007 at 12:58 am
This thread has been very edifying and prompted me to plough through a load of Brian Deer’s stuff about Wakefield.
I hadn’t realised that Wakefield and the Royal Free had applied for patents for an alternative “safer” MMR vaccination back in ’96, I think. What with his extraordinary amount of dosh from the MMR litigation fund to “encourage” him to get the appropriate results it’s not to difficult to see what the plan might have been.
Foul mouthed psycho(logist)Carol Stott, a current Wakefield “partner in crime”, was exceedingly upset with Brian Deer as a result of what his investigation turned up, so I wonder if she might have had some interest in it too. Just wondering!
So, to recap, that was £430,000 or so for Wakefield and £100,000 for the psycho Stott for expert witness fees. And Wakefield’s patent application for a “safer” MMR vaccination. Not much to motivate them there, then.
And the anti-vax lobby always blather on about conspiracies. Andrew (sorry, Andy) Wakefield seems to resemble some of his American Evangelist friends in more ways than one.
pv said,
July 18, 2007 at 1:09 am
Can I agree with Despard @33.
Very well written, Ben. Can I also echo the sentiment expressed in the last sentence with regard to the British Press and Wakefield. They certainly should be called upon to justify their actions in a legal setting.
Ben Goldacre said,
July 18, 2007 at 1:21 am
heh that vatican one is certainly a strong contender for the MMR baby bib.
donkey-odie said,
July 18, 2007 at 1:50 am
Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but the original article stated that there are more male children than female ones that have autism. Is this correct?
If this is right, then has anyone investigated the environmental effects on the XY chromosomes of the father’s sperm of autistic children? It would seem to me that the father’s contribution to the problem of autism would account for this, especially if the ratio of male autistics to females are equal to or greater than 2 to 1. After all, there is only a single Y chromosome in males, but females have two Xs, so if the damage is recessive, the mother’s X might over-ride the damage.
I know that when my wife was wanting to be pregnant, she stopped drinking coffee and alcohol. I didn’t. Thankfully, we have lovely children, and grandchildren, but my son does have a learning disability – he is an arborist and climbs 100 foot trees to trim them.
D.
Robert Carnegie said,
July 18, 2007 at 2:07 am
I draw a blank at my favourite mad site – closest is http://www.fixedearth.com/global_warming_obsession.htm which rants against belief in Global Warming as more important than real immediate threats like smallpox. And man-made diseases.
http://www.reformation.org/pharaoh.html is good value although one increasingly suspects a hoax. “Vaccination is another devilish practice that came from ancient Egypt. Vacca is the Latin word for COW. Vaccination entered Great Britain from India. The religious system of India with the many gods and the holy cow worship came from ancient Egypt.”
It’s not a blog strictly, but it seems to be mostly a one-man show. And picking any loony site and looking for vaccination, autism, etc. seems effective. “Answers In Genesis” Magazine provides Google but disappointingly comes out pro-vaccination and myth-busting (no, really). ( http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/1101vaccines.asp http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/feedback/negative_11november2002.asp ) There are always exceptions, aren’t there!
I looked at “Vatican’s Inquisition Revealed at Last!!” and was disappointed that the site itself, reasonably, avoids the acronym by referring to a “Vatican’s Medical Inquisition”. Of course a Vatican Inquisition otherwise would just be an ordinary Inquisition. They invented them.
But this contest really is about using that Bad Science goodwill to get some cheap child care, isn’t it?!
jamesb said,
July 18, 2007 at 2:35 am
I humbly submit the following. Not satisfied to be merely anti-MMR, it’s
pro-nutritionalist, too.
The following is from Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. of the
Autism Research Institute:
https://www.autism.com/ari/editorials/ed_vaccinations.htm
Some highlights:
“Dr. Wakefield and his courageous collaborators have endured a torrent of
criticism and abuse from those dedicated to silencing anyone challenging the
sacred-cow status of vaccines.”
“In my view, the most important, and by far the most feasible, approach to
preventing damage by toxins of all kinds, including the toxins in vaccines
(vaccines contain mercury, aluminium and formaldehyde, in addition to germs) is
to help the child’s developing, immature immune system by providing generous
amounts of the nutrients the body needs if it is going to be able to protect
itself from a dangerous, toxin-laden world.”
jrazz said,
July 18, 2007 at 2:43 am
pv,
I only quoted the article I linked to. There were no assertions made on my behalf. Read the article from which my synopsis came.
You do not have to tell me that MMR is thimerosal free, I am aware of this. The FDA is very open about this here in America.
Maybe if you understood the setup of my blog you would understand the purpose of the post sighted above. I post current events to promote discussion which allows for people to come to their own conclusions based on the facts and arguments of others. (much like we are doing here) My post was unbiased and a synopsis from the linked article on my post. I do not give my opinions, but I choose to ask probing questions to get my readers to think.
Thanks for the dialogue pv.
j razz
jrazz said,
July 18, 2007 at 2:53 am
I went back and looked at the article I linked to and it no longer links MMR & Thimerosal. All the more reason to question things and ask probing questions.
Ben, I like your setup here. You have a nice blog.
j razz
Blogged Down World
Mojo said,
July 18, 2007 at 8:45 am
Daniel Rutter wrote (#2),
“Don’t miss their flow chart. It makes everything perfectly clear.”
They should stop eating cigarettes.
le canard noir said,
July 18, 2007 at 9:54 am
Soft target, I know. But still worth highlighting…
What do they mean ‘despite serious ongoing violence in Iraq? Vaccination is serious ongoing violence against the immune system of these children. Oh yeah, and who brought the measles?
http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/6608/32/
UK GOVERNMENT KNEW THAT MMR VACCINE CAUSED MENINGITIS, BUT SANCTIONED ITS USE ON MORE THAN TWO MILLION CHILDREN.
ILLUMINATI DRUG GIANTS CONTINUE ITS USE IN “THIRD WORLD” By David Icke
http://curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=30&db=2&C0=735
David Icke defends his MMR fiasco quack doctor son
http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i21954
pv said,
July 18, 2007 at 10:35 am
jrazz, my English teacher used to say that a good writer never blames the readers.
Of course blogs didn’t exist back then in the dark ages, unless it was a family name usually appended to the christian name “Joe”.
Ben Goldacre said,
July 18, 2007 at 11:11 am
fly moves with the icke link canard noir, its definitely a three horse race now.
Ambrielle said,
July 18, 2007 at 12:50 pm
I was torn between [b]factician’s[/b] submission and the Vatican story, but anything that mentions an Illuminati conspiracy gets my vote!
jrazz said,
July 18, 2007 at 1:10 pm
pv,
I never blamed the readers. I just pointed out that maybe you did not understand the format of my blog. It would be like me coming here and reporting back on my blog that this place is giving away a baby. Context is king my friend.
j razz
Blogged Down World
le canard noir said,
July 18, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Ben is giving away a baby.
At least I hope. Otherwise all that googling has been a waste of time.
pv said,
July 18, 2007 at 1:52 pm
jrazz said,
“July 18, 2007 at 1:10 pm
pv,
I never blamed the readers. I just pointed out that maybe you did not understand the format of my blog. It would be like me coming here and reporting back on my blog that this place is giving away a baby. Context is king my friend.”
jrazz, I am a reader. Try looking at your blog through the eyes of a first time visitor – from Mars, preferably.
Context might be everything, depending on the context of course! Of course if the “context” isn’t obvious… Try presentation.
As I said, good writers don’t blame the readers.
factician said,
July 18, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Ambrielle,
Ask and ye shall receive:
“They are deeply corrupt cess pit organisations structured purely to make as much money as possible from the sickness, distress and misfortune of others. Like all Illuminati cartels, they have no empathy with those who suffer from their daily exploitation.”
From: http://mancholas-hsl.blogspot.com/2007/05/big-pharma-big-bucks.html
Scroll down on that one, he highlights some of his best quotes in bold, coloured letters…
raygirvan said,
July 18, 2007 at 5:06 pm
pv> razz, I am a reader. Try looking at your blog through the eyes of a first time visitor
I just looked, and agree with you. Re the post in question: if the false detail about thimerosal is being presented as a known-to-be false hypothetical within the scenario offered for thought, then the post fails to make that clear. As it stands, the implication is that the writer endorses it and is using it as the factual basis of the scenario.
pv said,
July 18, 2007 at 5:45 pm
factician @50
“They are deeply corrupt cess pit organisations structured purely to make as much money as possible from the sickness, distress and misfortune of others. Like all Illuminati cartels, they have no empathy with those who suffer from their daily exploitation.”
That describes the most of the UK press and all purveyors of quackery (Holford etc) perfectly.
Phil A said,
July 18, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Coracle disappointingly misses the point re ”it being the government’s fault that MMR uptake fell because they didn’t offer single jabs. and in fact misrepresents the thrust of the piece.
However a more careful reading of the ‘pedestrian rant’ will hopefully make it more obvious that it doesn’t actually refer to MMR uptake falling because the authorities didn’t offer single jabs at all.
What it did mention was that it is more due to the ham-fisted attempted dragooning of parents, by the authorities in de-licensing the single jabs and making them very difficult to come by that the incidence of measles increased in the general population.
It was primarily aimed at the BBC’s science stats concerning it’s interpretation of the graphs being, less than what might be described as, ‘best practice’.
The rise in the incidence of measles was much more a, presumably unintended, consequence of the authorities policy in reaction to Dr Wakefield’s research and the concern it caused than to Dr Wakefield’s actual research. The rise would have been unlikely to happen if the authorities had handled things differently.
The implication of the BBC report was that the rise was entirely due to Dr Wakefield’s paper and that is not accurate.
And Ben thanks for the link also
The Goebbels (German Minister for Public Enlightenment) reference was humorous, but making a point – if you think the cuddly Beeb doesn’t slant and subtly distort what it reports, from time to time, I fear you are mistaken. Look at the construction and semantic loading of some of their reports. Or the way they cut a recent report on Gordon Brown.
It’s strange. People often really do see what they expect rather than what is there…
Robert Carnegie said,
July 18, 2007 at 8:05 pm
#37, Donkey-odie: not sure what you’re on about, sorry. Environmental efffect of autistic sperm on the XY chromosomes? But yes, autism is found much more often in males. Simon-Baron Cohen was arguing, when I last looked (which was a while back), that there are analytical and synthetic intelligence, male and female-ish or else the other way around, although you’re supposed to have some of each, and autism is a deep deficit of one of the two kinds. There was an article in the Guardian and a multiple-choice self-test…
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