When The Lancet published a study in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield suggesting a possible link between the MMR vaccine (a triple vaccine that prevents measles, mumps, and rubella), chronic bowel syndrome, and autism, the inadvertent result was a collapse of public confidence in the vaccine. Six years into this health crisis, a much-disputed part of the study was retracted. Now The Lancet's editor, Dr. Richard Horton, considers the implications of this affair.
Horton is an advocate of the MMR, and here he gives an insider's account of the events surrounding the controversy. He reviews the history of the MMR vaccine and claims about its safety, examines prospects for eradicating measles, and looks at what might be done to improve our understanding of autism. He also analyzes the influence of financial conflicts of interest in medical research and considers how a damaging public health episode such as this might be prevented in the future. The royalties from this book will be donated to charities representing autism and children's health.
