Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure
By Steve Ruskin, Special to the Rocky
Published October 2, 2008 at 7 p.m.
* Nonfiction. By Paul A. Offit, M.D. Columbia University Press, $24.95. Grade: A-
Book in a nutshell: For the past decade parents have been frightened by the reported connection between childhood vaccinations and autism. The culprit was said to be the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal. In response, many parents of autistic children turned to unscientific remedies, sometimes with fatal consequences. Other parents avoided having their children vaccinated, leading to outbreaks of otherwise preventable diseases.
Offit, an expert in infectious diseases and vaccinations at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, aims to reassure the public that vaccines are not only safe, but also crucial to national health. He examines medical, legal and anecdotal evidence to argue that the link between vaccinations and autism was fabricated by unscrupulous doctors and attorneys, and exacerbated by the press, politicians and celebrities.
Offit locates the problem in the differing goals of science and the media: "The public learns about science from lawyers, politicians, doctors, and scientists, most of whom filter their information through the media. Unfortunately, the motivations of scientists who perform studies differ from those in the media who describe them: One wants to inform, the other to entertain." Sadly, Offit notes, the media were more interested in presenting a controversy where science had determined there was none.
Best tidbit: The inventor of an infant rotavirus vaccine, Offit has been accused of being on the payroll of "big pharma" (he receives threatening e-mails and phone calls on a weekly basis). In Autism's False Prophets he turns the tables, showing that many of the doctors who linked autism to thimerosal were paid large sums by lawyers and lobbyists to prove that such a link existed.
Pros: Using a case-study approach, Offit analyzes misinformation from everyone from Don Imus and Jenny McCarthy to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Cons: Offit's sarcasm and brow-beating of those he disagrees with is grating - this book will do little to stop the nasty phone calls.
Final word: After finishing this book, readers may conclude that it's time to look elsewhere for the cause of autism.
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