BMJ Declares Vaccine-Autism Study 'an Elaborate Fraud'
1998 Lancet Study Not Bad Science but Deliberate Fraud, Claims Journal
In an editorial, Godlee, BMJ Deputy Editor Jane Smith, and leading pediatrician and Associate Editor Harvey Marcovitch conclude that there is “no doubt” that it was Wakefield who perpetrated this fraud. They say: “A great deal of thought and effort must have gone into drafting the paper to achieve the results he wanted: the discrepancies all led in one direction; misreporting was gross.”
Yet he has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong, they add. “Instead, although now disgraced and stripped of his clinical and academic credentials, he continues to push his views. Meanwhile the damage to public health continues.”
But they say perhaps as important as the scare’s effect on infectious disease is the energy, emotion, and money that have been diverted away from efforts to understand the real causes of autism and how to help children and families who live with it.
Wakefield told CNN his work has been "grossly distorted" and claims he’s been the target of "a ruthless, pragmatic attempt to crush any attempt to investigate valid vaccine safety concerns."
BMJ Declares Vaccine-Autism Study 'an Elaborate Fraud'
1998 Lancet Study Not Bad Science but Deliberate Fraud, Claims Journal
Diverted Resources
In an editorial, Godlee, BMJ Deputy Editor Jane Smith, and leading pediatrician and Associate Editor Harvey Marcovitch conclude that there is “no doubt” that it was Wakefield who perpetrated this fraud. They say: “A great deal of thought and effort must have gone into drafting the paper to achieve the results he wanted: the discrepancies all led in one direction; misreporting was gross.”
Yet he has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong, they add. “Instead, although now disgraced and stripped of his clinical and academic credentials, he continues to push his views. Meanwhile the damage to public health continues.”
But they say perhaps as important as the scare’s effect on infectious disease is the energy, emotion, and money that have been diverted away from efforts to understand the real causes of autism and how to help children and families who live with it.
Wakefield Responds
Wakefield told CNN his work has been "grossly distorted" and claims he’s been the target of "a ruthless, pragmatic attempt to crush any attempt to investigate valid vaccine safety concerns."