Normally when the words “bad science” are used, it refers to, failure to account for possible errors or bias in the data, poor use of controls or just illogical conclusions.   However, in the case of the study that started the whole MMR Vaccine/Autism controversy, it seems that this was not a case of bad science or a poorly managed study at all.  No, in this case, it was just good old fashioned lying.   It’s not that the data was biased or incomplete, it was a big fat lie, made for no other reason than to derive a conclusion that is entirely false.

Ironically, the doctor who has been the foundation of the “Autism Truth” movement (which is a lot like the “9/11 Truth” movement), seems to care nothing about the truth.  Wakefield is widely cited as the single individual most responsible for the controversy over the vaccine that prevents measles, mumps and rubella.

Via The Times Online:

THE doctor who sparked the scare over the safety of the MMR vaccine for children changed and misreported results in his research, creating the appearance of a possible link with autism, a Sunday Times investigation has found.
Confidential medical documents and interviews with witnesses have established that Andrew Wakefield manipulated patients’ data, which triggered fears that the MMR triple vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella was linked to the condition.

The research was published in February 1998 in an article in The Lancet medical journal. It claimed that the families of eight out of 12 children attending a routine clinic at the hospital had blamed MMR for their autism, and said that problems came on within days of the jab. The team also claimed to have discovered a new inflammatory bowel disease underlying the children’s conditions.

However, our investigation, confirmed by evidence presented to the General Medical Council (GMC), reveals that: In most of the 12 cases, the children’s ailments as described in The Lancet were different from their hospital and GP records. Although the research paper claimed that problems came on within days of the jab, in only one case did medical records suggest this was true, and in many of the cases medical concerns had been raised before the children were vaccinated. Hospital pathologists, looking for inflammatory bowel disease, reported in the majority of cases that the gut was normal. This was then reviewed and the Lancet paper showed them as abnormal.

This is not the first time that Wakefield has been investigated for misconduct around the study he published back in 1998.   Shortly after the article was published, some very disturbing inconsistency and allegations began to come to light over Wakefield’s conduct.   In 2007 information came to light that indicated Wakefield had paid his young son’s friends for blood samples at a birthday party.  Wakefield has also been charged with taking payments from those involved in autism litigation and on conducting research without full consent of those involved.

All in all this information comes as only the latest to come to light in what appears to be a disturbing pattern of bizarre and unprofessional conduct by Doctor Mister Wakefield.  At this point Wakefield has long lost any respect or trust that he may have had in the medical or scientific community.   The recent disclosure of records really only confirms what was already known about Wakefield.

Sadly, it also seems that this does not matter very much when it comes to his ability to garner support and line his pockets.   There are plenty of suckers ready to line up to cheer the bold faced liar Wakefield as he shamelessly continues to exploit ignorance, fear and suffering in the name of dishonest cash.

Indeed, Wakefield seems to relish his new status, as a hero to the ignorant and a villain to those who know better.   Wakefield has shed any semblance of legitimacy to take a place as the figurehead of a community of conspiracy theorists, ill-informed parents and fellow lying scammers.  A strange cross between a political movement, a cult and a 19th century medicine show , it is the kind of movement tailor made for someone like Wakefield.

The only thing that seems to have changed for Wakefield is that he is now undermining public health efforts and spouting his venomous lies to line his pocket with dollars, as opposed to pounds.   Yes, that’s right, as the heat got turned up on Wakefield, the criminal liar moved to the US, and has now opened a clinic in Texas.  Maybe this is a good thing, in the long run.   If we can just get a Texas prosecutor to pin a death from measels, mumps or rubella on him, this could turn out for the best.   In Texas, when you kill someone, they kill you back.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, February 8th, 2009 at 8:34 pm and is filed under Bad Science, Conspiracy Theories, Culture, Not Even Wrong, Obfuscation, Politics, Quackery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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