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In 1998, a 6 page report published in the Lancet that would later be described as one of history’s great science frauds. The article was titled “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive development disorder in children” but the news headlines ran with a much shorter version: the MMR vaccine causes autism.

The article was written by Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist turned researcher, who had taken it upon himself to deceive the medical community and general population at large. Fortunately, investigative journalist Brian Deer uncovered the truth behind this ‘study’ through hard work, significant obstacles and persistence.

Although Wakefield’s claims have been thoroughly discredited, we still feel the impact of this fraud to this day and he has become an icon of the anti-vax movement.

Our special guest is Brian Deer who is an award winning investigative journalist and bestselling author for The Doctor that Fooled the World, published in 2020.

This is the story of the MMR vaccine fraud.

In 1998, a 6 page report published in the Lancet that would later be described as one of history’s great science frauds. The article was titled “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive development disorder in children” but the news headlines ran with a much shorter version: the MMR vaccine causes autism.
The article was written by Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist turned researcher, who had taken it upon himself to deceive the medical community and general population at large. Fortunately, investigative journalist Brian Deer uncovered the truth behind this ‘study’ through hard work, significant obstacles and persistence.
Although Wakefield’s claims have been thoroughly discredited, we still feel the impact of this fraud to this day and he has become an icon of the anti-vax movement.
Our special guest is Brian Deer who is an award winning investigative journalist and bestselling author for The Doctor that Fooled the World, published in 2020.
This is the story of the MMR vaccine fraud.

Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine.


Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Production by Tim Whiffen

Design by Tom Buzz

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