Columbia University Press
Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure
Key Metrics
- Paul Offit
- Columbia University Press
- Paperback
- 9780231146371
- 8.9 X 6 X 0.7 inches
- 1 pounds
- Medical > Pediatrics
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
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.
Author Bio
Paul Offit is a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases and an expert on vaccines, immunology, and virology. He is the co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine that has been credited with saving hundreds of lives every day. Offit is the Maurice R. Hilleman professor of vaccinology, professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of The Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Offit is currently a member of National Institutes of Health (NIH) working group on vaccines, a subgroup of the "Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines" (ACTIV) comprised of experts to combat COVID-19.
He is also a member of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). Previously, he was a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Offit is a board member of Vaccinate Your Family, The Franklin Institute, and Autism Science Foundation. "You Bet Your Life" is his 12th book.
Source: paul-offit.com
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