What's New Robert L. Park 8 Jan 2011

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 7 Jan 2011   Washington, DC

1. AUTISM: THERE IS NO VACCINATION AGAINST FRAUD.
In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist and researche=
r,=20
set off a worldwide panic with a Lancet article in which he identified th=
e=20
common MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccinations as a cause of autism=
. =20
There was a precipitous drop in the number of parents electing to vaccina=
te=20
their children, and a corresponding rise in measles cases. Once considere=
d=20
inevitable, measles is a serious disease. In 2009, however, Wakefield was=
=20
found to have altered patient=92s records to support his claim.  The Lanc=
et=20
immediately retracted his 1998 publication.  The British General Medical=20
Council ruled that Wakefield had acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly."=20
Investigative reporter Brian Deer has tracked Wakefield for years, turnin=
g=20
up new "contributions" to support his "work." Lawyers, smelling a=20
possible "mass tort blitz=94 that could make them very wealthy, were=20
particularly generous.  Class-action lawsuits in asbestos and tobacco,=20
while justified, eventually benefited the lawyers far more than the=20
victims. Wakefield was struck off the Medical Register and may no longer=20
practice medicine in the UK. No matter, Wakefield now operates an autism=20
clinic in Austin, Texas.  Although he doesn't have a medical license in t=
he=20
US, that won't much matter in Texas. =20

2. VACCINATION: PUBLIC HEALTH MAY NEVER FULLY RECOVER.
An editorial in the British Medical Journal expressed the hope that the=20
latest news will put an end to the anti-vaccine movement. We should be so=
=20
lucky. Paul Offit, an infectious disease expert who wrote Autism's False=20
Prophets, and donated all royalties to autism research, is not optimistic=
. =20
Wakefield is clearly seeking to portray himself as a martyr, and even has=
=20
his own celebrity activist pleading his case to the public on programs su=
ch=20
as Oprah, former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy who has an autistic child.=20
The scientific community must learn to speak up publicly on issues of=20
integrity.acomplishment

3. ESP: THIS IS ABOUT THE LAST THING SCIENCE NEEDED.
Four years ago when the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research lab (PEA=
R)=20
closed its doors after 28 years, scientists saw the closing as a sign of=20
progress. The public had lost interest in the make-believe science of ESP=
. =20
Not a single accomplishment marks the existence of the world's most famou=
s=20
ESP laboratory. ESP today exists only in second-rate science fiction. =20
That's where it belongs. However, according to an article by Benedict Car=
ey=20
on the front page of yesterday's New York Times, a respected psychology=20
journal plans to publish a paper described by the author as "strong=20
evidence for extrasensory perception."  How strong?  Extraordinary claims=
,=20
it is often said, require extraordinary evidence.  Any evidence of ESP=20
would qualify as extraordinary today.  I have not yet seen the paper, but=
 I=20
have gone through the exercise of trying to imagine evidence for ESP I=20
would find persuasive.  I couldn't even come close. =20

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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