Callous disregard : autism and vaccines -- the truth behind a tragedy

As Andrew Wakefield states in his prologue, “If autism does not affect your family now, it will. If something does not change—and change soon—this is almost a mathematical certainty. This book affects you also. It is not a parochial look at a trivial medical spat in the United Kingdom, but dispatches from the battlefront in a major confrontation—a struggle against compromise in medicine, corruption of science, and a real and present threat to children in the interests of policy and profit. It is a story of how ‘the system’ deals with dissent among its doctors and scientists.” In the pursuit of possible links between childhood vaccines, intestinal inflammation, and neurologic injury in children, Wakefield lost his job in London’s Royal Free Hospital, his country of birth, his career, and his medical license. A recent General Medical Council ruling stated that he was “dishonest, irresponsible and showed callous disregard for the distress and pain of children.” Maligned by the medical establishment and mainstream media, Wakefield endeavors to set the record straight in Callous Disregard. While explaining what really happened, he calls out the organizations and individuals that are acting not for the sake of children affected by autism, but in their own self-interests. “Andrew Wakefield has been subjected to extraordinary criticism and condemnation from professional colleagues and the wider community since he first questioned the safety of the MMR vaccine. In this book he answers his critics—powerfully and comprehensively—and sets the record straight. It is essential reading for anyone wanting to know the truth behind the MMR debate and the politics of vaccination policy.” (Dr. Richard Halvorsen, author of The Truth about Vaccines) “Dr. Wakefield sets the record straight. It was not he who showed callous disregard towards vulnerable, sick children with autism. It was the British medical establishment, the General Medical Council, the media and the pharmaceutical industry that threw the children under the bus to protect the vaccine program. This is a book for everyone who cares about our future.” (Mary Holland, Esq., co-founder, Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy) Andrew J. Wakefield, MB, BS, FRCS, is an academic gastroenterologist. He received his medical degree from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School (part of the University of London) in 1981, and pursued a career in gastrointestinal surgery with a particular interest in inflammatory bowel disease. He has published over 130 original scientific articles, book chapters, and invited scientific commentaries. He and his wife, Carmel, live in Austin, Texas. Callous Disregard is the account of how a doctor confronted first a disease and then the medical system that sought and still seeks to deny that disease, leaving millions of children to suffer and a world at risk. In 1995, Dr. Andrew Wakefield came to a fork in the road. As an academic gastroenterologist at the Royal Free School of Medicine and the University of London, he was confronted by a professional challenge and a moral choice. Previously healthy children were, according to their parents, regressing into autism and developing intestinal problems. Many parents blamed the MMR vaccine. Trusting his medical training, the parental narrative, and, above all, the instinct of mothers for their children's well-being, he chose what would become a very difficult road. Dr. Wakefield provides the facts and an explanation of the problem that confronted him and his colleagues fifteen years ago. He does this in a detailed forensic analysis of the lies, obfuscation, cover-up, and dystopian science and medicine that panders to commercial interests at the expense of your children. Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Acknowledgements Table of Contents PREFACE FOREWORD DRAMATIS PERSONAE Why PROLOGUE - Callous Disregard CHAPTER ONE - That Paper Myths The legacy of The Lancet paper Endnotes CHAPTER TWO - The Children Endnotes CHAPTER THREE - The Dean’s Dilemma Endnotes CHAPTER FOUR - The Whistleblower Endnotes CHAPTER FIVE - Ethics and the Masses Endnotes CHAPTER SIX - The Dean’s Press Briefing Endnotes CHAPTER SEVEN - Horton and The Lancet Endnotes CHAPTER EIGHT - Horton’s Evidence Endnotes CHAPTER NINE - The Devil’s in the Detail Endnotes CHAPTER TEN - Bedlam or Bonaparte Endnotes CHAPTER ELEVEN - Disclosure Endnotes CHAPTER TWELVE - Deer Endnotes CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Poisoning Young Minds Endnotes AFTERWORD - Ethics, Evidence and the Death of Medicine Epilogue Postscript BIOGRAPHY L'auteur trace le portrait des difficultés qu'il rencontre, tout comme les parents et les défenseurs des droits des personnes autistes et de leur famille, face au systmème médical qui ne croit pas à la maladie que peut représenter l'autisme et laissant plusieurs milliions d'enfant auprises avec des problématiques diverses tout en étant dans des situations à risque That paper The children The dean's dilemma The whistleblower Ethics and the masses The dean's press briefing Horton and the Lancet Horton's evidence The devil's in the detail Bedlam or Bonaparte Disclosure Deer Ethics, evidence, and the death of medicine Poisoning young minds. Reveals the story of the vaccine-autism connection, the author's controversial research explaining what really happened, and he calls out those that are acting not for the sake of children affected, but in their own self-interests