So much has been written about these two subjects, usually together, but more often than not, with lots of mis-information. This is an attempt to separate out the facts from the opinion, to which everyone is entitled (assuming any conflict of interest is openly acknowledged!).
"Callous Disregard" is Andrew Wakefield's book which gives a detailed account of his work, and the reactions and response of the medical establishment and media. You can order this book from SafeMinds web-site.
Andrew Wakefield's CV might be written as follows:
Dr. Wakefield is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, and in 1996, in Canada, he carried out a study of small intestine transplantation. He then returned to the UK to continue the study of inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn’s disease). In 1998, Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital in London reported a novel inflammatory bowel disease in children with developmental disorders such as autism, which later became known as “autistic enterocolitis”.
Dr. Wakefield is involved in many scientific research collaborations worldwide centring on immunology, metabolical and pathological changes occurring inflammatory bowel diseases, such as autistic enterocolitis, links between intestinal disease and neurologic injury in children; and the possible relationship of these conditions to environmental causes, such as childhood vaccines.
During the course of his work on childhood developmental disorders, Dr. Wakefield was increasingly convinced of the need for a research-oriented, integrated biomedical and educational approach to these disorders. Until recently, he was carrrying out this work in Thoughtful House Centre for Children, in Austin, Texas.
In terms of commentary, a very large segment of the medical establishment has attacked Dr. Wakefield and his published research. In many cases, these attacks come from very powerful medical and drug company-related sources, or people who have not read the relevant papers, who presumably do not want to see any questioning eye being cast over their multi-billion dollar products, in terms of their potential link to childhood developmental disorders. But in many studies, exposure to the measles virus has been linked to CDD (“Childhood Disintegrative Disorder”) and autism. Whether or not the small quantity of the virus in the MMR vaccine is sufficient to increase the risk of autism to children is a valid subject for continuing research – and this is what Dr. Wakefield has advocated all along. His 1998 Lancet paper concluded: “We did not prove an association between measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described (ie. CDD and autism). Virological studies are underway that could help to resolve this issue ... further investigations are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible relation to this vaccine”.
As many people will know, in March 2004, the British General Medical Council (GMC) announced an inquiry into allegations of misconduct against Dr. Wakefield relating to his Lancet paper. Starting the hearing in 2007, the GMC hearing concluded in January 2010, with a finding of guilty on a number of charges charges, all of which Dr. Wakefield vigorously rejected. But whether these allegations were true or not, or reasonable judgements on his behaviour or not, none of them has anything to do with the science of the 1998 Lancet paper – of which even the editor of the Lancet said in the GMC hearing that it ’still stands’.
Despite this, the British Society of Ecological Medicine continue to support Dr. Wakefield's position: "We share his concerns over possible causal links between MMR and Autism .... We further share his concerns that the incidence of autism is increasing, that it has an environmental cause, and the evidence is such that MMR vaccination may have a causal effect. It is our belief that, in response to his research and clinical evidence, he has behaved in a moral and honorable way, and, given the same circumstances, any one of us would have considered ourselves obliged to react in a similar fashion."
Dr. Wakefield was subsequently struck off by the GMC in April 2010 due to its earlier judgement.
Your author has had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Wakefield present at biomedical conferences, and he is a passionate modest British professional, who was effectively hounded out of the UK and moved to Texas in order to cintinue his work. He is regarded as a hero by many in the autism and medical community.
We have a link to a fascinating interview in which Dr. Wakefield outlines the background to his work, and the establishment's response to it. It really is well worth the time to listen to this interview. It is a series of 10 minute video items.
A separate branch of questioning scientists and medical research personnel suggest that it is the small quantities of mercury in the same vaccines (in the form of thimerosal) that is the agent of insult.
What cannot be denied is that there is a litany of parents who report a severe regression in their children on or after the time of vaccination, and whilst that co-incidence of timing isn’t sufficient to claim a cause-and-effect, it indicates that for some people, this is a valid area of real concern. Maybe both MMR and mercury “scaremongers” are right . . . or both wrong. But why block the research and try to ridicule those who pose these questions?