Scientific Progress and Ethic Stumbles: Tuskegees Research

Scam in scientific and medical research is more frequent than it should be. It can be seen in cases of plagiarism and results which cannot be verified -including modified statistics-. In England one of the most stunning scandals took place, and it was considered one of the most important frauds of the 20th century. This fraud was carried out by Andrew Wakefield in England during the 90s, and it consisted in making up a nonexistent relation between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) and the appearance of autism in 12 children. Some years later, when it was discovered that the data published was false, “The Lancet” magazine took back. Behind this deliberate scam, a serious conflict of interests was hidden: Wakefield had been hired (and paid) by Richard Barr, a lawyer who recruited autistic children’s parents to sue the manufacturers of the vaccine. In spite of the appearance of new data that showed that fraud, this falsification provoked a media movement against vaccines. Even worse, the demand of MMR vaccine, which had been discredited without real proves, decreased in the United Kingdom below the recommended threshold to keep the immunity of the population. Wakefield lost his license to work in the United Kingdom. However, he says (now from the United States) that the study was valid, and that some parents of those children still support him. Wakefield should be sued due to his behavior as medical researcher. In this case it is shown once again that a revision to the ethical aspects of research is necessary as it will always be, at least, a slight contribution to doctors under training.