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QuackWatch:
New books attack autism and antivaccination quackery.
During the past few months three excellent books about autism quackery and vaccination opponents have been published:
The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fears by Seth Mnookin describes the history of opposition to vaccination with emphasis on autism-related fearmongering and the de-licensing of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Amazon.com: The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear (9781439158647): Seth Mnookin: Books
Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul A. Offit, M.D., Ph.D. focuses on the people and organizations that have been most influential in spreading fear and confusion among American parents. Amazon.com: Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All (9780465021499): Paul A. Offit M.D.: Books
Vaccines and Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction by Paul A. Offit, M.D., Ph.D. provides answers to more than 50 questions parents may ask.
Amazon.com: Vaccines and Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction (9780231153072): Paul A. Offit, Charlotte A. Moser: Books
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Anti-vax group crtiqued.
Quackwatch has posted notes on the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD), a group "dedicated to reducing the mercury-exposure risks, for the unborn, infants, children, adolescents and adults, from all mercury-containing medical products to which they are, or may be, exposed." Some Notes on the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD Founded and led mainly by Dr. Mark Geier and his son David Geier, CoMeD's main goal has been to to rid the marketplace of all vaccines that contain thimerosal, a preservative that contains trace amounts of mercury. In 2008, the FDA dismissed a CoMeD citizen petition after concluding that its contentions were legally and scientifically unsupportable by either law or science and that the drug products that still contained mercury preservatives were safe. CoMeD then sued, but a U.S. District Court judge concluded that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. CoMeD is appealing the dismissal, but there is no reason to think that its suit is winnable. Meanwhile, the Geiers are facing regulatory action by the Maryland Board of Medicine.
Seth Mnookin wrote the fantastic
Feeding the Monster about the selling of the Red Sox, the fights to change the team philosophies, all the way to the winning of the 2004 WS. I particularly enjoyed the part in 2003 when Grady Little infamously left Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the ALCS after 100 pitches--despite being buried in statistics all through the year such that EVERYONE knew he should come out at that point--he got shelled . . . Aaron Fuckin' Boone . . . Sox lose!:
[Red Sox lead 5-2 bottom of the 8th--Ed.] When Pedro Martinez returned to the mound in the eighth inning of Game 7, John Henry [Principle owner of the Red Sox--Ed.] felt as if he was spent; hell, Henry thought, any sentient being watching the game knew the pitcher was cooked. He looked over at [Theo--Ed.] Epstein [General manager--Ed.], sitting a couple of sections away, and the two men caught each other's eye. Epstein gave a little shrug, as if to say, "I have no idea what he's doing out there, either." [Bad things happen.--Ed.] The score was now 5-3.
Now, finally, Little shuffled out of the dugout and over to the mound, where he conferred with Martinez. In his seat, Henry was beside himself. At least, he reassured himself, there's still a two-run lead and Martinez was finally coming out of the game. Then, inexplicably, Little walked back to the dugout alone, leaving Martinez on the mound to face the dangerous Matsui. Henry turned to Lucchino [Other owner--Ed.]. "Can we fire [Little] right now?" Henry asked. "I felt pure rage," . . .
Pedro gets shelled, MFYs win, Little gets fired pretty much immediately.
--J.D.
Reference
Mnookin, S.
Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2007.
--J.D.