Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure [Hardcover]

Paul A. Offit (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 2008

A London researcher was the first to assert that the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine known as MMR caused autism in children. Following this "discovery," a handful of parents declared that a mercury-containing preservative in several vaccines was responsible for the disease. If mercury caused autism, they reasoned, eliminating it from a child's system should treat the disorder. Consequently, a number of untested alternative therapies arose, and, most tragically, in one such treatment, a doctor injected a five-year-old autistic boy with a chemical in an effort to cleanse him of mercury, which stopped his heart instead.

Children with autism have been placed on stringent diets, subjected to high-temperature saunas, bathed in magnetic clay, asked to swallow digestive enzymes and activated charcoal, and injected with various combinations of vitamins, minerals, and acids. Instead of helping, these therapies can hurt those who are most vulnerable, and particularly in the case of autism, they undermine childhood vaccination programs that have saved millions of lives. An overwhelming body of scientific evidence clearly shows that childhood vaccines are safe and does not cause autism. Yet widespread fear of vaccines on the part of parents persists.

In this book, Paul A. Offit, a national expert on vaccines, challenges the modern-day false prophets who have so egregiously misled the public and exposes the opportunism of the lawyers, journalists, celebrities, and politicians who support them. Offit recounts the history of autism research and the exploitation of this tragic condition by advocates and zealots. He considers the manipulation of science in the popular media and the courtroom, and he explores why society is susceptible to the bad science and risky therapies put forward by many antivaccination activists.

(8/1/08)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Attempting to answer the enormous frustration and unhappiness of parents "tired of watching their autistic children improve at rates so slow it's hard to tell if they are improving at all," pediatrics professor and vaccine researcher Offit explores purported causes and cures. Examining false approaches like facilitated communication ("a massive, nationwide delusion") and secretin injections ("no better than salt water"), and mistaken theories of origin (the MMR vaccine, thimerosol), Offit pleads with journalists to resist the lure of "dramatic headlines, advertising dollars, and ratings" rather than report an unconfirmed or untrustworthy study. The only worthwhile studies, Offit purports, are those meeting three criteria: "transparency of the funding source, internal consistency of the data, and reproducibility of the findings." Overall, Offit's text seems unbalanced: though he takes on the "$40-billion-a-year" alternative medicine industry, he's largely silent on the much larger pharmaceutical industry; and after 10 chapters of debunking the "false prophets," there's just one brief chapter on what is known about autism causes and cures. A thorough and convincing debunker, however, Offit will likely leave parents still hunting for information, albeit better armed to find it.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Every child has a right to be vaccinated against deadly diseases. We started Every Child By Two to protect children from diseases. It didn't occur to me that I would also have to protect them from misinformation about life-saving vaccines. Paul A. Offit's book sets the facts straight.

(Rosalynn Carter, former first lady, cofounder of Every Child By Two 9/21/08)

Autism's False Prophets is a compelling story of heartbroken parents, understandably desperate for an explanation of autism, being taken in by false hopes unsupported by genuine science. This book goes to the heart of a question that affects every aspect of American culture and political life. Are public policies to be determined by evidence and reason or by emotions that, however intense they may be, have nothing to do with reality?

(Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason 9/23/08)

A definitive analysis of a dangerous and unnecessary controversy that has put the lives of children at risk. Paul A. Offit shows how bad science can take hold of the public consciousness and lead to personal decisions that endanger the health of small children. Every parent who has doubts about the wisdom of vaccinating their kids should read this book.

(Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D., St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and Nobel Laureate in Medicine for fundamental contributions in Immunology 9/16/08)

In his latest book Paul A. Offit unfolds the story of autism, infectious diseases, and immunization that has captivated our attention for the last decade. His lively account explores the intersection of science, special interests, and personal courage. It is provocative reading for anyone whose life has been touched by the challenge of autism spectrum disorders.

(Susan K. Klein, MD, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve Hospital, and Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Medical Center Sept / Oct)

[A] thoughtful and readable study.

(Library Journal (starred review) 10-12-08)

Enlightening, highly readable and... timely.

(Rahul K. Parikh, M.D. Salon.com 10/3/08)

Arguably the most courageous and most knowledgeable scientist about vaccines in the United States.

(Robert Goldberg New York Post 1/15/09)

[Dr. Offit] has done a huge public service by exposing the tragic and dangerous place the anti-vaccine hysteria has taken us.

(Huntly Collins Philadelphia Inquirer 3/1/09)

An invaluable chronicle that relates some of the many ways in which the vulnerabilities of anxious parents have been exploited.

(Linda Seebach Wall Street Journal 2/1/2009)

A good read and an important piece of work.

(Lisa Jo Rudy About.com 3/12/09)

More than a book about a disease, it is an ode to uncorrupted science and a cautionary tale that data alone is never enough.

(SEED magazine 4/1/09)

[Offit] provides important insight into the fatal flaws of the key arguments of vaccine alarmists.

(Buffalo News Vol 22, No 1)

A very good read.

(Dom Giordano The Bulletin 5/1/09)

A sobering indictment.

(Isabelle Rapin, M.D. Neurology Today 6/1/09)

Highly recommended.

(Choice Summer 09)

A fascinating read... Eloquently and clearly written.

(Stan L. Block, MD Infectious Diseases in Children Vol 39, No 3)

A very helpful book for both medical personnel and parents.

(The New England Journal of Medicine Vol. 24, No. 2)

The book is a fantastic read. I recommend it to all physicians and their patients and families.

(Brian Alverson, MD Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine 3/20/11)

This is a powerful book which should be read by all professionals working in the area ofmedicine.

(Michael Fitzgerald Social History of Medicine August 2010)

Paul A. Offit is one of the most respected scientists and clinicians in a field of vital importance to public health.

(Patricia M. Rodier BioScience )

[This] book doesn't just show that the anti-vaccine activists are wrong; it attempts to explain why, in our culture, they tend to win.

(Jason Fagone Philadelphia Magazine )

Detailed but easily readable... should be required reading for any parents who are considering denying vaccination to their children.

(Communication: The Magazine of the National Autistic Society )

Arguably the most detailed and thorough history available of the current anti-vaccine movement.

(Roy Richard Grinker Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders )

[A] must-read... it will keep pediatricians and pediatric neurologists awake over the nightmarish possibilities of pseudoscience in the 21st century.

(Roger A. Brumback, M.D. Journal of Child Neurology )

The vast range of professionals who may be enriched, professionally, by the book's contents extends to: psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, neuroscientists, speech pathologists, pediatricians, primary care physicians, geneticists, virologists, immunologists, vaccine experts, nurses, infectious disease experts, internists, gastroenterologists, epidemiologists, public health professionals, special education teachers, bioethicists, biochemists, biologists, biostatisticians, endocrinologists, pharmacists, pharmacologists, pharmaceutical industry professionals, health policy makers, journalists, politicians, and trial lawyers.

(Leo Uzych Metapsychology )

Seeking to help readers realize the truth about Autism, Autism's False Prophets is a much need read, not to be missed.

(Midwest Book Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; 1 edition (September 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231146361
• ISBN-13: 978-0231146364
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

215 of 264 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Please don't read it" - say anti-vaxers, September 18, 2008

By 

Joseph S. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure (Hardcover)

If you look at all the negative reviews of this book so far, you won't find any indications that the reviewers have actually read the book. You will also note they urge readers not to buy the book. Once you read the book, you'll understand why.

Despite what others have said, the book didn't read like a "smear-fest." The closest it comes to that is the use of the word "quackery" in one place. What Dr. Offit has done is provide a well-referenced historical account of the activities of a sub-group of the autism community in the last decade.

If you are someone who tries to keep reasonably up to date with the political going-ons of the autism world, you might be thinking, "I won't learn much from this book." But you'd be wrong. There are many interesting tidbits of information you probably haven't heard of before; such as David Kirby's interaction with Curtis Allen of the CDC (page 151). There's also a lengthy discussion of the meetings and thinking that led to the decision to remove thimerosal from pediatric vaccines.

Perhaps there is some information the book is missing. For example, you won't find a discussion of Dan Olmsted's negligence in his Amish reporting. More could've been said of JB Handley's bullying tactics and his failed prophecies ("autistic children will be cured within 2 years"). There's no mention of John Best, a fringe but prominent member of the anti-vax movement.

This is understandable, though. A book is insufficient to air all the dirty laundry of the anti-vaxers. You'd need a whole encyclopedia for that.

137 of 170 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, September 22, 2008

By 

watchman (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure (Hardcover)

Fascinating and readable. "Autism's False Prophets" traces the histories of the MMR-autism and thimerosal-autism controversies, and discusses the science in clear, layman's language. I found the book very difficult to put down: it's a wonderful (and enlightening) read for anyone interested in autism, vaccines, or scientific controversy, and its "Science and Society" chapter should be required reading for any parent (or any person) researching vaccines or other medical decisions.

219 of 274 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book, September 30, 2008

By 

David C. Brayton (Healdsburg, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure (Hardcover)

I just read an article about Jenny McCarthy--yes, that Jenny McCarthy. Ms. McCarthy has a child with autism and she is convinced that a vaccine caused her child's autism. She now considers herself an expert because she attended the "University of Google" (her words, not mine) and that she is right because "because there is an angry mob on my side" and "until [someone] walks in our shoes, [he/she] really has no idea."

That's right...because there is an angry mob on her side, the consensus of scientists that attended real schools and obtained real master and doctorate degrees in things like epidemiology and medicine, is wrong.

Dr. Offit faces a very challenging opponent and he did it with an exceptionally calm and rationale analysis of vaccines, why they are safe and more importantly, why the quacks and anti-vaxxers are wrong. And he did it in a style that is very readable by the lay person.

When Dr. Offit starts laying out damning facts against the anti-vaxxers, you will be left agape. For example, Dr. Wakefield took $800,000 from a plaintiff's attorney and used it to fund his studies and never disclosed where the funding came from, he never obtained informed consent and when he ran his studies past IRBs, they were anything but medically qualified. Just astounding. Of course, the results of his studies have never been duplicated and any physiological basis for his hypothesis has been debunked.

Yet, there are people who flock to Dr. Wakefield and give him lots of money for unproven and dubious-at-best treatments and cures. Very, very sad.

Dr. Offit also discusses how science is perceived in society. A lot of people simply don't "believe in" science and how science is done. Dr. Offit analyzes this later in the book and it is hardly comforting. (An excellent book about this phenomenon is Carl Sagan's Science as a Candle in the Dark.)

Probably the scariest part of the book is when groups like Generation Rescue hire public relations firms. Whilst I'm all for spirited debate, these groups will misrepresent any fact, omit crucial details and pander with the most vile and loathsome tactics.

Definitely a highly recommended book. Scary and depressing because science and vaccines have taken such a bad rap. But hopeful because there are folks out there like Dr. Offit, Orac and others that are willing to stand up for rational, evidence-based medicine.

While I feel for Jenny McCarthy and her struggles with autism, her incessant denial of huge amounts of science and evidence is causing thousands of parents to forego vaccinating their children. She is endangering our children and some will die from childhood disease that were once almost completely eradicated.