Andrew Wakefield

{{bronze}}[[File:Andrew wakefield CC3.jpg|thumb|right|165px|
Doctor
 Andrew Wakefield.]]{{vax}}
{{cquote|To our community, Andrew Wakefield is [[Nelson Mandela]] and [[Jesus Christ]] rolled up into one.|||J. B. Handley, [[Generation Rescue]]<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24Autism-t.html</ref>}}

{{cquote|When people refuse medicine for their children, they largely point to the hazy memory of the scare Wakefield started for money.|||[[Harry Brewis]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BIcAZxFfrc Vaccines and Autism: A Measured Response], 2021, YouTube.</ref>}}

'''Andrew Wakefield''' is a disgraced [[British]] former physician<ref name="guardian">[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/may/24/mmr-doctor-andrew-wakefield-struck-off MMR row doctor Andrew Wakefield struck off register: Doctor at centre of MMR scare struck off medical register by General Medical Council for serious professional misconduct] by James Meikle & Sarah Boseley (Monday 24 May 2010 07.25 EDT) ''The Guardian.</ref> and [[medical]] researcher and is one of the originators of the modern [[vaccine hysteria|anti-vaccine movement]]. He is best known for his fraudulent study alleging a link between the measles-mumps-rubella ([[MMR]]) vaccine and [[autism]]. Once the massive methodological and ethical flaws in this paper came to light, ''The Lancet'' retracted it.

He and his paper are a major hit to humanity, spawning a vast number of stupid and evil minions bent on destroying the world. The '''MMR vaccine controversy''' has been referred to as "''the most damaging medical [[hoax]] of the last 100 years''",<ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21917556</ref> and the ableist death cult it has created is considered by World Health Organization to be one of the top 10 threats, alongside air pollution and climate change.<ref>Trimble, M. (Jan. 16, 2019). [https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-01-16/who-names-vaccine-hesitancy-as-top-world-threat-in-2019 WHO: Anti-Vaccine Movement a Top Threat in 2019]. ''USNews''. Retrieved January 19, 2018.</ref>

== MMR-Crohn's disease link == 
In 1993, in a similar fashion to the alleged MMR-autism link, Wakefield was working at the liver-transplant center at Royal Free Hospital in London when he observed an apparent relationship between [[measles]] and Crohn's disease and then did research on a link between the MMR vaccine and Crohn's disease. He published his research in the ''Journal of Medical Virology''.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Wakefield AJ, Pittilo RM, Sim R |title= Evidence of persistent measles virus infection in Crohn's disease |journal= J. Med. Virol. |volume= 39 |issue= 4 |pages= 345–53 |date= April 1993 |pmid= 8492105|url= http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.1890390415/abstract|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Other researchers have failed to reproduce his results, so the research is generally discounted by most physicians. <ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2010/06/wakefields_first_try.2.html | title= Wakefield's First Try | work= Slate.com | date= 2 June 2010 | accessdate=27 December 2013 | author=Siva, Nayanah}}
</ref>

==The Lancet study==
In 1998, Wakefield wrote a paper for ''The Lancet'' (co-authored by 12 other [[scientist]]s) on a dozen autistic [[children]] who had been admitted for bowel problems. The paper claimed that eight of the children developed both irritable bowel syndrome and behavioral regression within 14 days of receiving the MMR shot. This suggested a link between the vaccination and the regression.<ref>[http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673697110960/fulltext RETRACTED: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children] &mdash; ''The Lancet'', 28 February 1998</ref> Although Wakefield's paper concluded that "we did not prove an association between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described" and he never specifically claimed that MMR caused autism in these cases, he did campaign for the triple-dose to be discontinued until it could be further studied, saying "I can't support the continued use of these three vaccines given in combination until this issue has been resolved."<ref>[http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-summary.htm Nailed: Dr Andrew Wakefield and the MMR vaccine fraud] &mdash; Brian Deer</ref> His stance at the time was similar to the "[[Bullshit|Too Many, Too Soon]]" refrain currently popular among anti-vaccine advocates.<ref>See [https://web.archive.org/web/20080513213136/http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/jenny/dc-rally/green-our-vaccines-rally.htm here], for example</ref> Before all the media hysteria, Wakefield's paper was so concerning from the beginning that ''The Lancet'' published a followed up article debunking it, shockingly predicting that "vaccine-safety concerns such as that reported by Wakefield and colleagues may snowball into societal tragedies when the media and the public confuse association with causality and shun immunisation. [...] This would be tragic because passion would then conquer reason and the facts again in the UK".<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20170809062307/http://www.med.mcgill.ca/epidemiology/hanley/c609/material/MMRLancetEditorial1998.pdf</ref>

===Conflicts of interest===
By 2004, new allegations were surfacing that called Wakefield's objectivity into question. Investigative journalist [[Brian Deer]] uncovered [[evidence]] that suggested that Wakefield was receiving [[money]] (over £400 000, or $500,000 in US dollars) from trial [[lawyer]]s while he was writing his study. Given that the study set off several lawsuits, this indicated a serious (and undisclosed) conflict of interest.<ref>[http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-deer-1.htm Revealed: MMR Research Scandal] &mdash; ''The Sunday Times'', February 22 2004.</ref>

It was also found that in 1997, one year before he published his study, Wakefield patented a cure for “autistic enterocolitis”, the fake disease he claims causes autism through the MMR vaccine, remove [[toxins]], and immunize against measles.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20201012081034/https://blogs.sciencemag.org/books/2020/09/29/the-doctor-who-fooled-the-world/</ref> Due to this, he stood to gain from the removal of the MMR vaccine by selling the separate measles vaccine.

===The study collapses===
Of course, just because Wakefield behaved unethically [[Appeal to motive|doesn't necessarily mean]] that the study was false. While the study was always suspect due to its tiny sample size and lack of good follow-up studies, evidence that it was outright false did not surface until 2009.

An investigation into the study revealed that some of the information that Wakefield used was different from the information found in the medical records of the subjects. While Wakefield had claimed that the behavioral regression had started within 14 days of vaccination, the actual records indicated that this was not true for most of the children, and some of them had already shown signs of regression before receiving the shot.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/booster-shots/story/2009-02-09/british-doctor-who-kicked-off-vaccines-autism-scare-may-have-lied-newspaper-says British doctor who kicked-off vaccines-autism scare may have lied, newspaper says], ''Los Angeles Times'', February 9 2009</ref> For example, the parent of child 11 said that the boy's developmental delays had started at age 13 months, while the paper claimed they started at age 15 months.<ref>[https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5347.full How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed]</ref>

As a result of the growing concern over Wakefield's [[ethical]] lapses and possibly fraudulent behavior, ''The Lancet'' formally retracted the study in February 2010.<ref>[http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)60175-4/fulltext Retraction—Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children] &mdash; 2 February 2010</ref>

==The GMC strikes Wakefield off==
In 2007, the General Medical Council began investigations into Wakefield's conduct. Among the charges against Wakefield were allegations that he paid for subjects and lab specimens (notably an incident where he obtained blood samples from children at his son's birthday party) and that he ordered unnecessary and painful procedures for children whose symptoms did not warrant them.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6289166.stm MMR scare doctor 'paid children'], BBC News, 16 July 2007</ref> In 2010, the disciplinary committee ruled that Wakefield had deliberately misled his patients and ignored their personal interests in favor of his own. Wakefield was struck off the British medical register and is no longer allowed to practice medicine in Britain (or, presumably, anywhere else).<ref name="guardian"/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100130075415/http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/BREAKING-MMR-expert-failed-in.6024127.jp MMR-row doctor failed in his duties], ''Yorkshire Evening Post'', 28 January 2010</ref>

Wakefield still commonly claims the title "Dr." (his degree has not been withdrawn by Imperial College) and the designation "FRCS"<ref name=bmjsuit/> (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons). The latter is something he is not entitled to<ref>You can check if someone is a FRCS [https://web.archive.org/web/20120722234012/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/patients/find-your-surgeon here]</ref> &mdash; he stopped paying his membership dues in July 1996 (before the famous paper) and so has not been a FRCS since that date.

==Post-Lancet==
Wakefield moved to [[Texas]] and in 2005 started "Thoughtful House" which claims to be able to treat autism. After Wakefield's highly public defrocking, he stepped down from the head of Thoughtful House and moved on to start the [[Strategic Autism Initiative]] which, at the moment, appears to be little more than a fundraising shell.

==''Hear the Silence (of the Children that are Dying Because of Me)''==
In 2003, the UK TV network Five aired ''Hear the Silence'', a crappy melodrama based on the Wakefield saga, with Wakefield being played by Hugh Bonneville.<ref>For those Americans not in the know, Bonneville also played Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in ''Downton Abbey''.</ref> [[Films|Film]] critic Mark Lawson said that Wakefield and his position on MMR had been portrayed very sympathetically:

{{quotebox|Hear the Silence clearly wants to be an English Erin Brockovich and &mdash; in watchability and performances &mdash; it is. But Brockovich's case had been ''tested'' in court, and it's a rather different matter to give the weight of handsome actors and slanted drama to a heavily contested article in ''The Lancet''.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/dec/08/tvandradio.columnists Saint Mum, Saint Doctor and the evil MMR]</ref>}}

Following the broadcast on Five, there was an on-air panel discussion about the production and the issues of MMR and Wakefield. A number of autism and vaccination experts who were invited to appear turned down the offer.<ref>Michael Fitzpatrick, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140502005206/http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/4436 Hear the Silence]</ref>

In 2013, ''Hear the Silence'' did the rounds on the usual [[alternative medicine]] sites like [[NaturalNews]] and [[Joseph Mercola|mercola.com]].

==Fraud==
In early 2011, the ''[[BMJ]]'' (the direct competitor to ''The Lancet'') published an article in which it was proved that Wakefield's findings weren't based on mistakes and sloppy data but, rather, on fraud.<ref name="BMJ2011342">[http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452.full ''Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent'', BMJ 2011; 342:c7452]</ref> The paper begins with the damning sentence:
{{quotebox|Clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare.<ref name="BMJ2011342" />}}
It goes on to say:
{{quotebox|Who perpetrated this fraud? There is no doubt that it was Wakefield. Is it possible that he was wrong, but not dishonest: that he was so incompetent that he was unable to fairly describe the project, or to report even one of the 12 children’s cases accurately? No. A great deal of thought and effort must have gone into drafting the paper to achieve the results he wanted: the discrepancies all led in one direction; misreporting was gross. Moreover, although the scale of the GMC’s 217 day hearing precluded additional charges focused directly on the fraud, the panel found him guilty of dishonesty concerning the study’s admissions criteria, its funding by the Legal Aid Board, and his statements about it afterwards.<ref name="BMJ2011342" />}}

Unfortunately, even in the face of this overwhelming evidence, at least two idiots are determined to press on with their claims of a link between the vaccine and autism.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100207102108/http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/02/a-statement-from-jenny-mccarthy-jim-carrey-andrew-wakefield-scientific-censorship-and-fourteen-monke.html A Statement from Jenny McCarthy & Jim Carrey: Andrew Wakefield, Scientific Censorship, and Fourteen Monkeys]</ref>

==Current activities==
With his medical ambitions stifled and mainstream reputation gone down the drain, Wakefield has turned to speaking gigs at [[conspiracy]] [[crank]] events to profit off his controversy,<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110509065215/http://www.sovereignindependent.com/events/?p=4</ref> as well as being the patron saint of anti-vaxxers everywhere.<ref>[http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/the-vaccine-autism-cover-up-how-one-doctors-career-was-destroyed-for-telling-the-truth/ One such anti-vaxxer].</ref><ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24Autism-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 The Crash and Burn of an Autism Guru]</ref> He appears at the hellhole known as [[Autism One]]<ref name= "really">http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2012/05/27/nobel-laureate-joins-anti-vaccination-crowd-at-autism-one/#360a72943cc7</ref><ref>http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/05/19/autism-one-as-quacky-as-it-ever-was/</ref> where parents learn to torture their poor autistic kids using [[chelation]],<ref name= "list">https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/autismone-the-yearly-autism-antivaccine-quackfest-begins/</ref> [[MMS|bleach]],<ref>http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/06/11/miracle-mineral-solution-mms-and-autism-apologists-strike-back/</ref> [[detox]],<ref name = "list"></ref> [[Geier Family|chemical castration]],<ref name= "really"></ref> and [[Autism and pseudoscience|pretty much every single autism biomed woo in the world.]] His influence over anti-vaxxers still holds to this day even though over 100 studies disprove the link between autism and vaccines.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20140403224335/http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/yes-autism-rate-rising-vaccines-caused-vaccines</ref> Some people even go so far as to call the antivaccine movement a [[cult]]<ref>http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/misinformation-lies-distortions-memes-anti-vaccine-lunacy/</ref><ref>http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/i-grew-up-in-an-anti-vaccine-cult/</ref> which is an understatement.

In January 2012, Wakefield filed a defamation suit against Brian Deer, the British Medical Journal, and [[the BMJ]]'s editor Fiona Godlee personally.<ref name=bmjsuit>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120110041223/http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/01/04/BritMedJ.pdf DR. ANDREW J. WAKEFIELD, MB., B., FRCS V. THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, a d/b/a of BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP LTD, also d/b/a BMJ GROUP, and BMJ, BRIAN DEER, individually, and DR. FIONA GODLEE, individually.]</ref> The BMJ Group has noted that they stand by their article (and pointedly call him "Mr. Wakefield" throughout the press release to this effect). This suit was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/08/04/andrew-wakefield-dismissed/ Andrew Wakefield’s libel suit against Brian Deer: Dismissed!] ''Respectful Insolence''</ref>

In 2016, the film ''Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe'', promoting the [[CDC whistleblower controversy|CDC cover-up manufactroversy]] was announced to be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The film was directed and co-written by Wakefield. Actor Robert De Niro, one of the festival's founders, initially defended the screening of the film, stating, "[[Balance fallacy|We believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined]]."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/health/vaccines-autism-robert-de-niro-tribeca-film-festival-andrew-wakefield-vaxxed.html Robert De Niro Defends Screening of Anti-Vaccine Film at Tribeca Festival] by Pam Belluck and Melena Ryzik (March 25, 2016) ''New York Times''.</ref>
However, days later he backflipped on permitting the screening and pulled it, saying, "My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for."<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/Tribeca/posts/10154153954489758 Statement from Robert De Niro regarding the screening of VAXXED.]</ref><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/De-Niro-s-Tribeca-festival-pulls-7210074.php De Niro’s Tribeca festival pulls antivaccination film] ''Associated Press'', Updated 5:27 pm, Sunday, March 27, 2016.</ref>

Unsurprisingly, [[Donald Trump]] met with Wakefield on his presidential campaign trail.<ref>Retro Report. [https://nyti.ms/2io3Seu "The Back Story on Trump and Vaccines"] ''The New York Times Video''.</ref>

== Relationship with "Big Pharma" ==
Many anti-vaxxers like to claim that there is a [[Big Pharma]] conspiracy to discredit Wakefield.  However, in reality there is good evidence that "Big Pharma" was actually funding him until it became clear that his "research" and claims were questionable. "Deer has uncovered evidence showing that until questions arose about the validity of his research, Wakefield actually had support from such drug-industry giants as Johnson & Johnson, Merck and SmithKline Beecham. And, on at least one occasion, Axcan Pharma Inc. paid for his first-class trans-Atlantic airfare."<ref>http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2011/01/doctor-had-strong-financial-motives-launching-mmr-autism-scare-investigative-</ref>

==The Strategic Autism Initiative==
The Strategic Autism Initiative (SAI) is an organization created to "do the science on the environmental causes of autism that the federal agencies want to run away from."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20100530094451/http://westlakepicayune.com/2010/05/20/former-head-of-thoughtful-house-autism-expert-pens-new-book/ Former head of Thoughtful House, autism expert pens new book].</ref> It was started by Andrew Wakefield.

Ousted from his medical career in [[England]], Wakefield moved to [[Texas]] and ingratiated himself with [[Jenny McCarthy]]'s [[vaccine hysteria | anti-vaccination]] propaganda house [[Generation Rescue]]. Using this connection, he established Thoughtful House, which claims to be able to treat autism. After Wakefield's highly public defrocking, he stepped down from the head of Thoughtful House; this Strategic Autism Initiative appears to be the new fundraising front for his efforts to fleece<ref>[http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/272/181/2012-272181192-09ea36a1-9.pdf  According to SAI's tax return, Andrew Wakefield's remuneration in 2012 for his role as president of SAI was $100,000 for 15 hours per week, (see page 7).]</ref> parents with autistic children. Generation Rescue still seems to be the major source for publishing and pushing for funds.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20101216051830/http://generationrescue.org/events/details/34-private-evening-with-dr-andy-wakefield Private Evening with Dr. Andy Wakefield]</ref>

==Bibliography==
*''The Doctor Who Fooled the World'', Brian Deer (Scribe UK, 2020) [[Special:Booksources/‎978-1911617808|ISBN ‎978-1911617808]]
==See also==
*[[Del Bigtree]]
*[[Encyclopedia_of_American_Loons|Encyclopedia of American Loons]]
*[[Jenny McCarthy]] - she wrote the foreword to his autobiography.

==External links==
*[http://briandeer.com/ Brian Deer's website] - contains a full account of Deer's investigation into Wakefield and the Lancet study
*[http://tallguywrites.livejournal.com/148012.html The Facts In The Case Of Dr. Andrew Wakefield] - A comic book-style account of Wakefield's history
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100603233015/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/06/01/wakefields-walk-of-shame Report of Wakefield's attendance at May's anti-vax rally in Chicago], [[Bad Astronomy]] blog
*[https://youtu.be/8BIcAZxFfrc ''Vaccines: A Measured Response''] by [[Hbomberguy]]
*''[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/andrew-wakefields-vaxxed-antivaccine-propaganda-at-its-most-pernicious/ Reviewing Andrew Wakefield’s VAXXED: Antivaccine propaganda at its most pernicious]''  on Science-Based Medicine

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakefield, Andrew}}
[[Category:Ableism]]
[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]
[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Autism woo]]
[[Category:Chemophobes]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Cult leaders]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Physicians]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Shysters]]
[[Category:Texas]]

Categories: Ableism, Alternative medicine promoters, Anti-vaccination movement, Autism woo, Chemophobes, Conspiracy theorists, Cult leaders, Living people, Physicians, Pseudoscience promoters, Shysters, Texas