RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE

"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).

Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine

David Kirby smacked down–and not by me! (Part 2)

Post author By Orac
Post date September 26, 2008
6 Comments on David Kirby smacked down–and not by me! (Part 2)

You know, I’m really, really beginning to like this Dr. Rahul Parikh guy.

Yesterday, he delivered an absolutely delicious smackdown of that chief propagandist for the mercury militia and antivaccine movement, David Kirby. It was at least seven kinds of awesome, and I was truly grateful to Dr. Parikh for doing it so that I didn’t have to. This time around, Dr. Parikh’s done me another favor. You see, on Wednesday David Kirby gave a talk to Congressional staffers and a few Congressmen. He was also kind enough to include a link to his slides on the Age of Autism blog, and, indeed, such a huge, fat, juicy target seemed ripe for a dose of not-so-Respectful Insolence. The slides were the same idiotic Kirby talking points that I’ve been deconstructing since at least 2005, though, and that tempered my enthusiasm to charge once more into the breach.

Fortunately for me, Dr. Parikh was more than happy to do the job for me. Read and be amused. Here’s just one example of many to whet your appetite:

Mr. Kirby loves to use “social proof” (as opposed to scientific proof) to make his case. Here he does it to perfection, taking quotes from the Presidential Candidates to tell us that yes, vaccines are the cause of autism.

That’s gonna leave a mark.

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By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

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