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Books > Medicine > General issues > History of medicine
WHO DECIDES WHICH FACTS ARE TRUE?
In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a
history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking
allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism.
The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to
launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years
to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with
class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical
license. Meanwhile one study after another failed to find any link
between childhood vaccines and autism.
Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders
lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been
popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny
McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are
just being fair to "both sides" of an issue about which there is
little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted
from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have
spent their savings on ineffective "miracle cures," and declining
vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like
Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the
increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable
diseases.
In "The Panic Virus "Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents,
public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to
tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is?
The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the
persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of
talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama "prove" he was born
in America.
"The Panic Virus "is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking
medical detective story that explores the limits of rational
thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time.
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