Deer connections with Atlanta? Property?

[Guest guest]

Yes, and it is indeed curious that Deer’s website has apparently been

registered at 777 Vedado Way, NE Atlanta 30308, in the neighbourhood of

the Centers for Disease Control since 1 June 2000

(

http://whois.domaintools.com/frwikipedia/briandeer.com ,

http://www.aboutus.org/Deer.com ). It has remained there despite

the property changing hands according to web records on 21 June 2004 for

$460,000, which is approximately 3 times its market value

(

http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/777-Vedado-Way-NE_Atlanta_GA_30308_e5e74403?source=web

).

Posted by: Stone |

March 15, 2010 at 08:08 PM

See more comments at webpage

" " and by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam son - while

the NHS 'MMR the Facts' website linked to Deer.com! "

"

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/03/brian-deer-blunders-in-british-medical-journal-.html#more

March 15, 2010

Deer Blunders in British Medical Journal

By Stone

A blunder by Sunday Times journalist Deer has left him

exposed in the columns of British Medical Journal on-line, leaving

open the question of how he could have legally obtained information on

the background to cases in the disputed Lancet study including the

identities of the patients and their families

(HERE).

Deer had intervened in continuing correspondence following ‘the findings

of fact’ in the General Medical Council case against Wakefield,

- and Simon Murch, and the Lancet’s decision to

retract the 1998 paper. Misunderstanding a claim by distinguished US

paediatrician and autism/vaccine campaigner, Ed Yazbak, that his

grandson was one of the Royal Free cases, Deer wrote:

“I know the names and family backgrounds of all 12 of the children

enrolled in the study, including the child enrolled from the United

States. I don't believe that Dr Yazbak has a family relationship with any

of them.”

In fact, Yazbak had never intended to imply that his grandson was one

of the original 12, only that he had been a patient at the Royal Free and

had been included in ongoing research into autism, gut disease and MMR at

the hospital.

The issue of Deer’s access to confidential patient material had arisen

before - both in relation to articles in the Sunday Times and to posts on

his website - but there had never been opportunity to question him about

it in a public forum before. Deer was immediately embarrassed by a mild

mannered response from Yazbak, pointing out the misunderstanding, but

asking how he came by such information, and a more caustic one by

well-known New Zealand vaccine campaigner, .

Yazbak rejoindered:

“ It almost seems that Mr. Deer is less upset about what I wrote than

about the fact that some web site somewhere had picked it up. I certainly

have no idea where my remarks were circulated and by whom and I have no

control of that.

“In any case: If anyone else misunderstood my statement (s), I sincerely

apologize for the confusion. No deceit was ever intended! I must say that

I am troubled that Mr. Deer was able to obtain the names and family

backgrounds of the 12 original study patients.

“I am also surprised that he finds it fair to censor my defense of Dr.

Wakefield after he subjected him to public flagellation for so long.

Maybe it is time for Mr. Deer to take a deep breath and relax. “

While wrote:

“There are several UK medical studies relating to vaccines where I

suspect that the authors are up to no good, so I would like unrestrained

access to all key documents to see if I can confirm my suspicions, but

can't quite work out how to do this.

“Could Deer please let the BMJ know the means by which UK

legislation allows free lance (or any other) journalists, to view

original research files, and compare them with Royal Free (or any other

hospital or private practice) medical files of children with full

identities available, all test results available, without parental

consent; the studies' authors consent; privacy restraints or hospital

ethics committee approval?”

But worse was to come for Deer when the following day he was

further challenged by senior British doctor, Prof Dodge – who is

Honorary Professor of Child Health at Swansea, Emeritus Professor of

Child Health at Belfast, and has a remarkable string of letters after his

name (CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCP(Edin), FRCPI, FRCPCH, DCH):

“Like , I was surprised that the journalist Deer

apparently holds names and addresses of autistic patients, as well as the

details of their clinical histories.

“As the former director of a national disease registry, I am well aware

of the difficulty bona fide medical researchers often encounter, and of

the great lengths to which hospitals and Trusts go to ensure

confidentiality, and where possible anonymity, for patients before they

will release any information, for fear of violating the Data Protection

Act.

“It is particularly surprising that a journalist for a lay newspaper

under orders to find a big story (Mr Deer's own words) could persuade a

respected teaching hospital to give him such data. Did the request go to

the research ethics committee? Did he obtain written consent from the

parents? Was he not given instructions to destroy all information which

could possibly identify individuals as soon as he had extracted what he

needed, in which case he should no longer hold names and addresses?

“Remembering the threat of litigation if journalists should try to reveal

the immunisation status of the child of the then Prime Minister, I can

only conclude that Mr Deer either covered his back and went through the

correct procedures, or else that he assumed that the parents would have

no appetite, or money, to take him, his newspaper or the hospital Trust

to court for violating their privacy. I await his clarification with

interest.

“Competing interests: Occasional frustration at inability to obtain

information from medical records for epidemiological

research”

It is also a remarkable aspect of this story that despite the ethically

questionable nature of these activities Deer’s work continues to receive

the support not only of the government and the National Health Service,

but collaborators such as Prof Greenhalgh and Dr Evan MP. Some of

these bodies and personages ought to start considering their position in

relation to this affair.

As to Deer, he remains silent...

Stone is UK Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines -

http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/ Homeopathy

http://homeopathycures.wordpress.com

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy

Online/email courses - next classes start March 24, March 31, & April

1

[Guest guest]

Yes, and it is indeed curious that Deer’s website has apparently been

registered at 777 Vedado Way, NE Atlanta 30308, in the neighbourhood of

the Centers for Disease Control since 1 June 2000

(

http://whois.domaintools.com/frwikipedia/briandeer.com ,

http://www.aboutus.org/Deer.com ). It has remained there despite

the property changing hands according to web records on 21 June 2004 for

$460,000, which is approximately 3 times its market value

(

http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/777-Vedado-Way-NE_Atlanta_GA_30308_e5e74403?source=web

).

Posted by: Stone |

March 15, 2010 at 08:08 PM

See more comments at webpage

" " and by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam son - while

the NHS 'MMR the Facts' website linked to Deer.com! "

"

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/03/brian-deer-blunders-in-british-medical-journal-.html#more

March 15, 2010

Deer Blunders in British Medical Journal

By Stone

A blunder by Sunday Times journalist Deer has left him

exposed in the columns of British Medical Journal on-line, leaving

open the question of how he could have legally obtained information on

the background to cases in the disputed Lancet study including the

identities of the patients and their families

(HERE).

Deer had intervened in continuing correspondence following ‘the findings

of fact’ in the General Medical Council case against Wakefield,

- and Simon Murch, and the Lancet’s decision to

retract the 1998 paper. Misunderstanding a claim by distinguished US

paediatrician and autism/vaccine campaigner, Ed Yazbak, that his

grandson was one of the Royal Free cases, Deer wrote:

“I know the names and family backgrounds of all 12 of the children

enrolled in the study, including the child enrolled from the United

States. I don't believe that Dr Yazbak has a family relationship with any

of them.”

In fact, Yazbak had never intended to imply that his grandson was one

of the original 12, only that he had been a patient at the Royal Free and

had been included in ongoing research into autism, gut disease and MMR at

the hospital.

The issue of Deer’s access to confidential patient material had arisen

before - both in relation to articles in the Sunday Times and to posts on

his website - but there had never been opportunity to question him about

it in a public forum before. Deer was immediately embarrassed by a mild

mannered response from Yazbak, pointing out the misunderstanding, but

asking how he came by such information, and a more caustic one by

well-known New Zealand vaccine campaigner, .

Yazbak rejoindered:

“ It almost seems that Mr. Deer is less upset about what I wrote than

about the fact that some web site somewhere had picked it up. I certainly

have no idea where my remarks were circulated and by whom and I have no

control of that.

“In any case: If anyone else misunderstood my statement (s), I sincerely

apologize for the confusion. No deceit was ever intended! I must say that

I am troubled that Mr. Deer was able to obtain the names and family

backgrounds of the 12 original study patients.

“I am also surprised that he finds it fair to censor my defense of Dr.

Wakefield after he subjected him to public flagellation for so long.

Maybe it is time for Mr. Deer to take a deep breath and relax. “

While wrote:

“There are several UK medical studies relating to vaccines where I

suspect that the authors are up to no good, so I would like unrestrained

access to all key documents to see if I can confirm my suspicions, but

can't quite work out how to do this.

“Could Deer please let the BMJ know the means by which UK

legislation allows free lance (or any other) journalists, to view

original research files, and compare them with Royal Free (or any other

hospital or private practice) medical files of children with full

identities available, all test results available, without parental

consent; the studies' authors consent; privacy restraints or hospital

ethics committee approval?”

But worse was to come for Deer when the following day he was

further challenged by senior British doctor, Prof Dodge – who is

Honorary Professor of Child Health at Swansea, Emeritus Professor of

Child Health at Belfast, and has a remarkable string of letters after his

name (CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCP(Edin), FRCPI, FRCPCH, DCH):

“Like , I was surprised that the journalist Deer

apparently holds names and addresses of autistic patients, as well as the

details of their clinical histories.

“As the former director of a national disease registry, I am well aware

of the difficulty bona fide medical researchers often encounter, and of

the great lengths to which hospitals and Trusts go to ensure

confidentiality, and where possible anonymity, for patients before they

will release any information, for fear of violating the Data Protection

Act.

“It is particularly surprising that a journalist for a lay newspaper

under orders to find a big story (Mr Deer's own words) could persuade a

respected teaching hospital to give him such data. Did the request go to

the research ethics committee? Did he obtain written consent from the

parents? Was he not given instructions to destroy all information which

could possibly identify individuals as soon as he had extracted what he

needed, in which case he should no longer hold names and addresses?

“Remembering the threat of litigation if journalists should try to reveal

the immunisation status of the child of the then Prime Minister, I can

only conclude that Mr Deer either covered his back and went through the

correct procedures, or else that he assumed that the parents would have

no appetite, or money, to take him, his newspaper or the hospital Trust

to court for violating their privacy. I await his clarification with

interest.

“Competing interests: Occasional frustration at inability to obtain

information from medical records for epidemiological

research”

It is also a remarkable aspect of this story that despite the ethically

questionable nature of these activities Deer’s work continues to receive

the support not only of the government and the National Health Service,

but collaborators such as Prof Greenhalgh and Dr Evan MP. Some of

these bodies and personages ought to start considering their position in

relation to this affair.

As to Deer, he remains silent...

Stone is UK Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines -

http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/ Homeopathy

http://homeopathycures.wordpress.com

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy

Online/email courses - next classes start March 24, March 31, & April

1