The 1998 paper by Dr Andrew Wakefield and twelve co-authors, widely cited as the origin of the “MMR vaccine caused autism” scare, made no such claim.
Despite years of public and media claims to the contrary, the peer-reviewed study, published in The Lancet, did not state or imply that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine caused autism.
Instead, the paper described a group of 12 children who were referred to a paediatric gastroenterology unit with gastrointestinal symptoms and developmental regression. Most of the children had been developing normally before they lost language and social skills. Their parents, not the authors, linked the onset of behavioural symptoms with MMR vaccination in eight of the twelve cases.
Parental Observations
The paper stated: “Onset of behavioural symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in eight of the 12 children…”
The researchers found intestinal abnormalities in all 12 children, including lymphoid nodular hyperplasia and chronic colonic inflammation. Neurological examinations, brain imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid tests were normal. Most of the children were diagnosed with autism; others with disintegrative psychosis or possible encephalitis.
The authors concluded: “We identified associated gastrointestinal disease and developmental regression in a group of previously normal children, which was generally associated in time with possible environmental triggers.”
Nowhere did they suggest the MMR vaccine caused either autism or bowel disease. They merely documented clinical findings and reported what the parents said.
Three Authors Not Coerced into Retraction
Three of the paper’s authors, including senior pathologist Dr John Walker-Smith and first author Dr Wakefield, did not agree to the retraction issued by The Lancet in 2010. The General Medical Council had struck both doctors off the UK medical register, but years later, the High Court overturned the ruling against Walker-Smith, saying the disciplinary panel’s findings were “based on inadequate and superficial reasoning” and “wrong conclusions.”
Despite the lack of any claim of causality in the original paper, UK and international media frequently described it as the source of the anti-vaccine movement. That narrative often ignored the paper’s actual findings and wording.
The paper’s ethical approval and informed consent were stated clearly: “Investigations were approved by the Ethical Practices Committee of the Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust, and parents gave informed consent.”
No Claim MMR Vaccine Caused Autism
The phrase “Wakefield’s discredited study” remains a staple of media reports and Wikipedia entries, even though the study’s actual content neither claimed vaccines caused autism nor drew any conclusions beyond the need for further investigation. Specifically, the retracted study published in Lancet clearly does not assert that the MMR vaccine caused autism. This fact is a stain on The Lancet, medical science, investigative journalism, media reporting and Wikipedia.
Editor’s Note: This news story is the first in a series investigating the events, media coverage, and reputational fallout surrounding Dr. Andrew Wakefield and the 1998 Lancet study. Upcoming stories will examine media misrepresentation, the General Medical Council proceedings, and what the original research actually said.
