A Shot in the Dark (Paperback)

by H. Coulter (Author) "Today, nearly all our children get the DPT shot-D for diphtheria, P for pertussis, or whooping cough, and T for tetanus..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Red Book, American Academy of Pediatrics (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Traces the developmnet of the DPT vaccine, describes its risks, and lists warning signs that a child may be sensitive to it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avery Trade; 1 edition (May 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089529463X
• ISBN-13: 978-0895294630
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #229,272 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Relevant in DTaP age, October 18, 2004

By	NC Reader "NC Reader" (Cary, NC United States) - See all my reviews

I heard about this book soon after my daughter had a vaccine reaction in 2002. I figured the contents might not apply to me since my child got the DTaP vaccine (with acellular pertussis) instead of the no-longer-in-use DTP with whole cell pertussis. I finally decided to read it in late 2004.

I couldn't believe how very relevant and applicable the book is to my situation in 2004. Yes, this book IS STILL VERY RELEVANT in a world where DTP has been replaced by DTaP.

How is it still relevant?

In my case, my child had inconsolable high pitched screaming for 6 hours straight after her 4 mo. shots. As explained in the book, high pitched screaming is a known and well-documented adverse effect of the whole-cell pertussis component of DTP. My child did not get DTP but instead got "the safer" DTaP, and yet this reaction still occurred. There were also longer term side effects that this book would categorize as neurological. My infant stopped making eye contact for over a week, and my previously vocal and communicative infant stopped cooing for nearly 4 weeks!! How I prayed every day God would give me my baby back!

When I reported the longer term side effects to my doctor, she dismissed it as "anecdotal" suggesting there is nothing in the data to support that a lack of eye contact or loss of cooing could be caused by any vaccine. I couldn't believe the disrespect and disregard for my report of the facts of what had occurred. This book offered some relief and support in this regard because I know now that I am not alone. And this is unfortunate. Other parents of children who have vaccine reactions are treated similarly by their pediatricians.

I concur with asking the question posed by the author, exactly when did the medical community switch from listening carefully to reports of symptoms from parents and patients and begin to listen only to published reports from controlled studies - most of which are funded by organizations with a conflict of interest? Something is very wrong with a system that denies and dismisses the valid reports of concerned parents who have witnessed changes in their child post-vaccination.

In my case, prior to reading all I could get my hands on about vaccines, I was ready to agree with the doctor that my daughter should continue with all other vaccines eliminating only the pertussis vaccine. Then, just before the next round of shots were given, a last minute record review indicated that the leg that had swollen up like a goose egg was not even the leg where the DTaP was administered!! Polio and Hib went into that leg!!

So what a quandry for this parent, indeed! Which toxin caused the swollen leg? Which toxin/vaccine/component caused the loss of eye contact? Which caused the cessation of verbal cooing and the ongoing restlessness and the changes in sleep patterns? Was it acellular pertussis? Or was it diptheria, tetanus, hib, or polio? Or could it have been some ingredient in the vaccines, a preservative or adjuvant material? Could it have been carryover materials from the human fetal cells or animal cells used in manufacturing? No one will ever know. Nor will answers ever come as long as the medical community continues to deny that vaccine reactions occur.

The last sentence of the book reads, "The time has come to become educated about vaccines."

I completely agree with the author on this point and think others will too after reading this book and others on the topic of vaccine safety.

82 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not fail to read this book!, January 6, 2001

By	Amy J - See all my reviews

This book is a MUST read for parents and parents-to-be. If it has ever even occured to you that the medical system is not infallible, this book will open your eyes to a reality that most people would prefer to ignore. Vaccinations DO cause temporary and permanent damage to children every year in this country, and many of the diseases against which we are vaccinated are not as frightening as the damage caused by the vaccinations themselves.

This book focuses solely on the DTaP vaccination. There are many case histories of children who were permanently brain damaged and even killed by this vaccination. In some cases more than one child in a family has been permanently injured. In others parents have had to fight in court to retain custody of their younger children when they refused to vaccinate them following severe reactions in their older children.

The companies that manufacture vaccinations are making millions of dollars per year. When a child has a permanently debilitating reaction to a vaccine, the manufacturer is not even held financially responsible - the government uses our tax dollars to compensate families through an official program called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Would this program even exist if it weren't obvious that vaccines DO cause damage in some instances?

This book gives great information about the kinds of children who are more likely to react to vaccinations, including those who were born prematurely or with a low birth weight, those from families with allergies and food sensitivities, and those who had family members experience vaccine reactions. It also describes in great detail the kinds of reactions one can expect from vaccinations - and which ones should not be considered "normal" despite what your pediatrician's office may tell you. If your child has received some vaccinations already and you feel uncomfortable about any symptoms he or she exhibited in the days following, READ THIS BOOK before you allow any further vaccinations. MANY children who were eventually permanently injured exhibited reactions to earlier vaccinations that were ignored or considered unimportant until hindsight provided the obvious answer.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A major eye opener regarding the medical establishment, June 20, 2001

By A Customer

Even if only half the allegations in this book were true, it would be worth the read. As I read the account of how children were damaged by the vaccine and how doctors and public officials reacted and tried to cover up the truth, I wondered, if these kids had been mice and the mice had shown the same symptoms after doses of the vaccine, would there have been any hesitation in implicating the vaccine? Probably not, because the conclusions are inescapable. In addition, there are no financial stakes involved in vaccinating mice. I am a highly trained scientist and I find that the questions and criticisms raised by the authors are valid. Their work here pertains to the whole cell pertussis vaccine, but I would suggest that parents raise the same questions about the acellular pertussis vaccine. One has only to read the package insert to learn that it is NOT a benign concoction, free from "the side effects of the whole cell one" as doctors will no doubt tell their patients. This book has shown that apparently, our kids' lives are not as important as the profits that drug companies could make, or the reputation of the medical establishment, at least in the eyes of the lawmakers who are responsible for making vaccination compulsory in this country. I salute the parents, doctors and other scientists as well as the journalists who had, and continue to have the courage to bring the dangers of many medical practices to the attention of the public. This book is definitely becoming part of my library.