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Report Alleges Money Motivated Doctor Behind Autism-Vaccine Scare
Bloomberg Businessweek ^ | January 11, 2011 | Amanda Gardner

Posted on 01/12/2011 12:03:59 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The disgraced doctor who published a study more than 10 years ago claiming that a common childhood vaccine -- the measles-mumps-rubella inoculation -- causes autism may have been motivated more by money than conviction, investigators say.

..... in a three-part investigative series in the medical journal BMJ, Dr. Andrew Wakefield was retained by a lawyer seeking to extract money from vaccine manufacturers as his research was just beginning. He also allegedly applied for a patent for an alternative vaccine, set up a business to profit from that vaccine as well as diagnostic kits and other products, and worked with the Royal Free Medical School in London on these business ventures.

"It's horrible that institutions may have been involved and that this [may have been] a planned action," said Keith A. Young, vice chair for research in the department of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and core leader for neuroimaging and genetics at the Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans in Temple. "It looks like it was aimed pretty much at making money."

The first part of the investigation, published last week in the journal, accused Wakefield of forming his hypothesis before he even began to collect data, then doctoring that data to suit his theory and even stating that children in the trial had the regressive form of autism when, in fact, most did not.

... The findings generated a huge response, particularly among concerned parents, many of whom then refused to vaccinate their children.

..."A lot of bad science gets published that's never retracted," Offit said. He also noted that, "as a general rule, a study should have more subjects than authors; this [1998] paper had 12 participants and 13 authors."

(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: autism; fraud; vaccine; wakefield
There's a lot of bad "science" floating around.
1 posted on 01/12/2011 12:04:03 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

There are a lot of bad lawyers floating around.


To name a few

John Edwards, Mrs. Edwards, M Obama, B Obama, Hill Clinton, Bill Clinton

Need I go on ???

And you wonder why they hate us ???


2 posted on 01/12/2011 12:10:04 AM PST by DontTreadOnMe2009 (So stop treading on me already!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Lot’s of bad science in the pharma industry too.
I don’t know anyone (including myself) that chooses to not vaccinate their children based upon Wakefield’s report.

He didn’t enter my world, my thoughts, or research when I decided in 2003 to not vaccinate. I didn’t know about him until about 2007 or so.

I think most people who choose not to vaccinate, at least any in my personal circle, do so because of personal observations or their own reactions to vaccines.

Normally, anything the media is 100% behind is suspect, wonder why so many here are so favorable to government mandates about their kids?


3 posted on 01/12/2011 12:17:35 AM PST by porter_knorr (John Adams would be arrested for his thoughts on tyrants today!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

The prosecution of this scam could be a model for dealing with the global warming cultists.

Never let an imploding scam go to waste.

That said, I refuse the flu vaccine every year. I only get sick if I take the shot.


4 posted on 01/12/2011 12:46:00 AM PST by Islander7 (There is no septic system so vile, so filthy, the left won't drink from to further their agenda)
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To: porter_knorr

We all need to make those decisions at one time or another. It’s difficult.


5 posted on 01/12/2011 12:53:29 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife (Allhttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2122429/posts)
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To: Islander7

I’ve gotten very jaded about flu shots as well as doctors who pull out the Rx pad before you open your mouth. It’s just too much — like being a guinea pig and a blank check.

I place much of the blame at the doorstep of personal injury lawyers and those class action lawsuit blood suckers.


6 posted on 01/12/2011 12:56:58 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife (Allhttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2122429/posts)
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To: porter_knorr

Ditto that.

The information that led to our anti-vaccines beliefs, goes back years. At some point We didn’t keep up with that information; then renewed our interest in the subject about 1990. And that was before the numbers of vaccines they’re insisting on now!

My circle of friends and relatives were discouraged to see the emhasis on an autism/vaccine connection only, as important and devasting that illness is and needs to be solved, was because all the other negatives regarding vaccines were not usually mentioned and was left in the background.

If it’s somehow proved there is no vaccine/autism connection (all the incidents of kids overnight changing from a peaceful, healthy child, to stories of terrible disabilities, is to be ignored?) will not mean that all vaccines are safe - or effective.

What may vaccines be contributing possibly to some sort of illness down the road a few years?

It is unbelievable and frightening the number of recommended and new vaccines and boosters ‘they’ want to inject into the bloodstreams of our uncontaminated babies and kids. Got to wonder how previous generations ever made it!

There are ways to keep kids as healthy as possible, but some are not invested in that, and others don’t know or don’t pay attention.
So we all have to pay?

Remember, it’s the government again, wanting to take away choice.


7 posted on 01/12/2011 6:13:46 AM PST by USARightSide (At last! I'm actually here, after reading FR for 6 years! Pardon any fumbles - -)
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To: USARightSide

Wish we had a like button for your post!

Thank you-


8 posted on 01/12/2011 9:15:47 AM PST by porter_knorr (John Adams would be arrested for his thoughts on tyrants today!)
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To: porter_knorr; USARightSide
I think most people who choose not to vaccinate, at least any in my personal circle, do so because of personal observations or their own reactions to vaccines.

Because vaccination has been widespread in recent generations, you have never personally observed a child who is dying from pertussis, or diptheria, or measles.

If current trends continue, rest assured, you will!

9 posted on 01/12/2011 3:09:38 PM PST by Notary Sojac ("Goldman Sachs" is to "US economy" as "lamprey" is to "lake trout")
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

It’s funny how the same folks who are always telling us that Big Pharma is trying to kill all our kids for the money, stick their fingers in their ears with a hearty “Neener-neener-neener!!” when Dr. Alternative Medicine is found to be lining his pockets just as warmly....


10 posted on 01/12/2011 3:12:08 PM PST by Notary Sojac ("Goldman Sachs" is to "US economy" as "lamprey" is to "lake trout")
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To: Notary Sojac

I have seen a friends child die less than 24 hours after vaccinations (including DTaP)- that was attributed to SIDS, and those parents never recover from finding their baby girl dead.

Worldwide - in underdeveloped countries were measles are an issue - less than .08% result in death.


11 posted on 01/12/2011 3:27:53 PM PST by porter_knorr (John Adams would be arrested for his thoughts on tyrants today!)
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To: Notary Sojac

Even more confusing, rather than funny, are the people who want the government to mandate their children’s health care.


12 posted on 01/12/2011 3:29:57 PM PST by porter_knorr (John Adams would be arrested for his thoughts on tyrants today!)
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