Preprint Review Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

The Scientific Record: Examining Some of the Claims and Counterclaims in the MMR Saga

Version 1 : Received: 17 March 2023 / Approved: 22 March 2023 / Online: 22 March 2023 (14:39:30 CET)

How to cite: Puliyel, J.M. The Scientific Record: Examining Some of the Claims and Counterclaims in the MMR Saga. Preprints 2023, 2023030401. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202303.0401.v1 Puliyel, J.M. The Scientific Record: Examining Some of the Claims and Counterclaims in the MMR Saga. Preprints 2023, 2023030401. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202303.0401.v1

Abstract

Background: Articles published in scholarly journals form part of the scientific evidence base. It is the responsibility of the scientific community to maintain its integrity. In 2011 the BMJ commissioned a feature article to draw attention to an article that had appeared in another journal- The Lancet 13 years previously. The Lancet had already retracted the article. These actions exemplify the best traditions of scientific record-keeping. Objective: This submission examines whether the main claims summary made in the BMJ were factual. Method: We examine what was published in the Lancet against what was published in the BMJ and verify against the findings in the GMC hearings transcripts and verdict of the UK High Court. Results: The 6 points highlighted in BMJ had errors and need to be corrected. Conclusions: There are significant differences between what was reported in the Lancet paper and what was alleged to be there by the BMJ. This article aims only to point to errors in the BMJ article, to set the record straight. It does not show there was a causal association between MMR vaccination and autism.

Keywords

Strawman fallacy; UK General Medical Council; autism; regression; MMR

Subject

Computer Science and Mathematics, Applied Mathematics

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