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All Thumbs Book Reviews

Science for Sale: How the U.S. Government book was published that Dr. William Thomp-
Uses Powerful Corporations and Leading son, senior scientist at the CDC, revealed that
Universities to Support Government Policies, while employed at the CDC he and other CDC
Silence Top Scientists, Jeopardize Our Health, scientists and top officials hid data showing that
and Protect Corporate Profits black males are 340 percent more likely to be
by David L. Lewis, PhD diagnosed with autism when they received the
Skyhorse Publishing MMR before age three. So there is substantial
evidence that Dr. Wakefield was right and the
Science for Sale offers a good peek at what BMJ and CDC were wrong, and they knew it.
really goes on in modern science. If you’re not Lewis makes the comment that the two
aware of the agendas, money, and political worlds of science and religion can never merge.
influence, then you don’t really know what is In the next sentence he says that, at least to some
going on. Dr. Lewis has experienced firsthand extent, they need to merge. I agree. I think we
the allegations of dishonest reporters and sci- are getting close to if not right at the core of the
ence journals. His experience is detailed in this problem when we look at the mindset in the first
book. He gives examples that illustrate how any sentence, which says science and religion are
branch of science the government is involved in fundamentally incompatible. They belong to two
becomes corrupt. He is a former EPA scientist, different worlds. That eloquently illustrates our
so he knows whereof he speaks. In those circles fractured view of reality. Does some basic truth
they play hardball. change every time you change the subject? I find
In a discussion with Newt Gingrich about that idea bizarre. If that is happening, then our
a controversial article Lewis had just published, understanding of one or both subjects is wrong.
Mr. Gingrich said, “You know you’re going to The modern, segmented view that separates re-
be fired for this, don’t you?” Dr. Lewis was well ality into thousands of disconnected, unrelated
aware of that and just hoped to stay out of jail. subjects leads to all kinds of problems. We end CDC scientists
Dr. Lewis was very involved with trying to up with experts who know everything about and top
get the EPA to do its job correctly in protecting nothing, who can’t believe cancer or other disease
the environment and public health from toxic in one part of the body could be due to a root officials hid
biosolids. He attempted to coerce the EPA to stop canal in another part of the body. They may not data that
publishing falsified data. This got on the nerves explicitly admit it but in practice truth, integrity showed that
of EPA upper management, and that is why he and value for life─being under the category of
is now a former EPA scientist. religion─are considered irrelevant in science. black males are
It turns out that Lewis knows a lot about the That is how we end up with GMOs. That is how 340 percent
case of another well-known scientist who has we end up with vaccines and drugs that are worse more likely to
been dragged through the mud—Dr. Andrew than useless. That is how we end up with factory
Wakefield. Wakefield greatly upset the phar- farms. Science without ethics or morality is not be diagnosed
maceutical industry when he published a study just worthless, it is dangerous. with autism
suggesting a link between MMR vaccines and A very interesting and disturbing comment when they
autism. Among his attackers were writers who from Caroline Snyder, professor emeritus at the
were published in the British Medical Journal. Rochester Institute of Technology, is included received the
For those who believe the prestigious BMJ and in the book. She was one of millions of German MMR vaccine
other scientific journals can do no wrong, they citizens who fled Germany at the end of World before age
neglected to mention a financial conflict of inter- War II. She noted that many Nazi scientists were
est in this case. It was probably a little after this Continued on page 82. three.
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