By John Stone
May 18, 2010
The British Medical Journal stands accused of double standards and misleading
its readers in refusing to acknowledge journalist Brian Deer’s role as
complainant in the UK General Medical Council hearing against Andrew Wakefield,
John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch in two articles by him that it has published
on the subject. Deer’s role was defined by a High Court ruling by Mr Justice
Eady in 2006 who stated:
“Well before the programme was broadcast [Mr Deer] had made a complaint to
the GMC about the Claimant. His communications were made on 25 February, 12
March and 1 July 2004. In due course, on 27 August of the same year, the GMC
sent the Claimant [Dr Wakefield] a letter notifying him of the information
against him.”
The text of two of these complaints are available on line. Moreover, it is
evident that Deer stood to gain professionally from their successful
prosecution. And in a letter to Channel 4, dated November 4 2004 from solicitors
RadcliffesLeBrasseur, acting for the Medical Protection Society it was stated:
"It is clear and probably not disputed that Mr Deer is operating on his own
agenda in respect of these matters and it is also right to say at this time that
he has made a formal statutory complaint to the General Medical Council against
Mr Wakefield and others concerning these matters. That statutory inquiry within
the auspices of the Medical Act and the GMC’s Fitness to Practice procedures is
ongoing."
It should also be noted that Deer’s three complaints are the only ones listed
in the screening process leading to the GMC prosecution.
In contrast the first of Deer’s BMJ articles ‘Reflections on investigating
Wakefield’ (2 February) has no disclosure at all and the second ‘Wakefield’s
‘autistic enterocolitis’ under the microscope’ (15 April) simply reads:|
“BD undertook the Sunday Times investigation which led to the GMC hearing
and retraction of the Lancet paper.”
A follow up letter published under Deer’s name states abstrusely:
“BD's investigation for The Sunday Times led to the retraction of the
Wakefield et al paper, and the GMC proceedings in Wakefield, Walker-Smith and
Murch” (HERE)
But no mention of the letters of complaint. Deer’s role as complainant was
already discussed extensively last year in a Spectator article by leading UK
columnist Melanie Phillips. (HERE)
It was also troubling that in this letter which effectively accused one of
the histopathologists signatory to the Wakefield-Lancet paper of perjury at the
GMC hearing seemed to display an altogether different level of scientific
expertise to Deer’s normal writing, and that Deer may be being used as proxy for
persons who will not declare themselves. The different style of disclosure may
also indicate a different author.
Meanwhile, after several exchanges of email the BMJ’s editor-in-chief, Fiona
Godlee seems to stand in bare-faced denial of reality:
“From the information and documentation provided to the BMJ I am confident
that the conflict of interest statement published with the article is an
accurate reflection of the true position. You are welcome to pursue this matter
by other avenues but I do not propose to answer further queries from you on
this. Best wishes, Fiona Godlee”
John Stone is UK Editor for Age of Autism.