Discourse Distortion · 2005-12-30 20:15

On Thursday, December 15, I sent the following letter to Time Magazine in response to their brief mention of the controversy regarding autism and vaccines, in The Year in Medicine, published on December 5:

To the Editors:

Just as the Mayo Clinic study of autism diagnostic trends “will probably not end the debate” over vaccines, neither will other analyses that undermine the argument that autism is iatrogenic and evidence of negligence. Class-action lawsuits demanding jury trials distort public discourse about autism and encourage demonization of medical professionals, conspiracist thinking, and perfunctory dismissal of non-actionable contributions to autism. Plaintiffs, aspiring plaintiffs and their advocates have not persuaded the larger scientific community of the validity of their hypotheses. Failing that, they resort to proselytizing the lay public by promulgating unproven generalizations and speculations as if they were scientific facts.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Seidel

Comments


  1. Kathleen, thank you for your impassioned and articulate advocacy, in print, on the internet, and in person. A very happy new year to you and your family.

    Anne Bevington — Anne    2006-01-01 15:51    #

  2. Thanks so much! I hope y’all have had some great holidaying… — Kathleen Seidel    2006-01-01 21:06    #

  3. You probably saw this, but here are some a more letters , including one of yours, and one from Susan Senator, who gets the last word. — Michelle Dawson    2006-01-03 03:11    #

  4. I read the PubMed abstract and found it rather interesting. Here is a fun question:

    Why did the researchers select Olmsted County? Did they know that there would be a series of articles by someone with that name? — TheProbe    2006-01-07 15:20    #

  5. It is a bizarre coincidence, isn’t it? I wonder if Dan Olmsted has ever read the Olmsted county study. It actually makes for very interesting reading.

    The Mayo Clinic researchers chose Olmsted County because it is the home county of the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic provides health care services to practically everyone in Olmsted county, and they have an excellent record-keeping system, including records of autism diagnoses and immunization status. — Kathleen Seidel    2006-01-07 16:26    #

  6. Kathleen, you are soooo smart! ;)

    I did a PubMed search on Olmsted County and found that this county seems to be an extension of the Mayo Clinics Labs. Many of their studies are done right in their own backyard.

    Make no mistake, this is a good thing, as the Mayo Clinic must have an excellent handle on the health and composition of the community. They would spot a confounder immediately. — TheProbe    2006-01-08 20:00    #