TIMES ONLINE UK: DR. WAKEFIELD'S STORY

From The Times UK online: Read the full article HERE. Here's a taste:

March 28, 2008

The doctor at the centre of the MMR vaccine controversy was told by a mother that her child showed signs of autism after receiving the vaccination — and that other parents were facing the same problem, a medical hearing heard yesterday.

Dr Andrew Wakefield. 51, said that he found the story of a link “compelling” and that it “merited attention”. It was his duty as a human being to help mothers who came to him seeking answers, he said.

Dr Wakefield faces being struck off the medical register after publishing in The Lancet in 1998 findings that suggested the triple vaccine could cause inflammatory bowel disease and autism.

Comments

[ElizaCassandra]

For an account (from the parents' side) of the GMC's enquiry into Dr Wakefield and his two former colleagues, Professor Simon Murch and Professor John Walker-Smith, please go to http://cryshame.net. This site includes Martin Walker's well-written account of the case for the "prosecution" last summer. There's also a sixty page article entitled "The Complainant" about Brian Deer which might well be of interest.

[John Best]

You can learn all you need to know about the tabloid journalist, Brian Deer, here: http://tinyurl.com/394t3f

[Kelli Ann Davis]

The hypocrisy surrounding this "trial" is absolutely astounding to me especially in regards to the charge against him for collecting blood samples for research at his son's birthday party. (Think: NM/Horton Hears an Ow/Shots)

If the General Medical Council was REALLY interested in the welfare of these children and wanted to go after "unscrupulous" doctors who have “traumatized” them, maybe they should be looking into the thousands of medical professions who have continually turned a "blind eye" to the obvious PHYSICAL ailments of our children and who refuse to run the simple tests that would have given them the medical evidence that they needed to treat them.

Instead, they “dismiss” their ailments as PSYCHOLOGICAL and referred them to psychologists.

Now THAT, in my opinion, is a “charge” worthy of examination.

***Update on the blood samples charge***

I talked with a good friend of mine who is one of Andy's attorneys and he told me that charge pretty much "crumbled" because all the proper procedures were in place before they collected the samples.

That's "One for the Gipper" (whatever the he** that means) I just know it's good.

[Sandy Gottstein]

You can read a short history of Semmelweis at Vaccination News on the page titled "A (Very) Partial List of Past and Present Medical Fiascos" here: http://www.vaccinationnews.com/scandals/feb_8_02/Fiascos.htm

By the way, the book it was copied from, "Matters of Life & Death: Risks vs. Benefits of Medical Care" by Eugene D. Robin, M.D. is excellent and the man who wrote it, now sadly deceased, a gem. I happen to have a number of copies that I would be glad to sell, if anyone is interested.

[ElizaCassandra]

Tim, Please be aware that the journalist Brian Deer has written extensively for the "Sunday Times" against Dr Andrew Wakefield and his investigations. Please also be aware that the sister publication "The Times" does NOT print all comments - it's now 1st April and I rather doubt they'll print any further comments (I would be delighted to be proved wrong so please try).

Michelle, If you haven't already done so, you might care to look up "Semmelweiss" for what happened to that doctor when he successfully reduced deaths from childbed fever in the Vienna Lying-In Hospital in the 1850s(?date).

[Tim Kasemodel]

MY POST TO THE TIMES
I hope everyone can go to the article and comment in suppport!!

Tim Kasemodel

I support Dr. Wakefield 100%, as should any other caring doctor. Our autistic kids present gastrointestinal disorders that go ignored by Mainstream Pediatricians.

We go to them and tell them our children writhe in pain, have extremely loose bowel movements up to 15 times a day and we are told, that is autism - go home a deal with it.

Comments regarding "no proof" are insulting to us parents who have seen what Dr. Wakefield has done to resolve serious ilness in kids in the U.S. The world needs more Andy Wakefields, more doctors who will not bow to pressure from those who want to this all to go away.

I suspect there are many doctors that would love to help our kids but silently say to themselves "I don't want to become another Wakefield". Because of the GMC scare tactics, our kids go without the necessary care. The GMC should be ashamed and they should be the ones on trial here.

[Jeanne]

Exactly!

[Michelle O' Neil]

Galileo anyone?