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A few months later, Dr. Gary Goldman and I wrote a review using the same Danish data, that clearly showed that the prevalence of autism/ASD increased after the introduction of MMR vaccination in Denmark and before thimerosal had been removed from all pediatric vaccines. We submitted our paper to the NEJM and the editor refused to publish it outright. As a Massachusetts physician and because the journal is owned by the Massachusetts Medical Society, I wrote to the editor and asked him to reconsider. He did not even bother to respond. Our article was later published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons to whose editor we remain most grateful. [Sept 2008] The Unconvincing Thimerosal Epidemiological Studies: How and Why They Were Produced, Published and Protected by F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP
I was first told, like Dr. Ayoub, that there was no space to publish my letter. I called the editor’s secretary and she confirmed that the real reason was that Dr. Fombonne did not wish to answer my letter. I told her that I had been a fellow of the Academy since 1963, nine years longer than the editor and that this was my FIRST letter to him and … that he should personally insist that Dr. Fombonne respond to me. [Sept 2008] The Unconvincing Thimerosal Epidemiological Studies: How and Why They Were Produced, Published and Protected by F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP
On April 13, 2004, Mr. Trelka wrote to the editor outlining his major criticisms of the Danish paper. Once again, the letter could not be printed and the editor wrote back on June 9, 2004: “A major review carried out by the US Institute of Medicine published last month (May 2004) found no evidence that thimerosal was linked to autism. Similarly, investigations by the UK Committee on Safety of Medicine, Europe's Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products and the World Health Organization concluded the preservative was safe. I consider this issue closed.” [Sept 2008] The Unconvincing Thimerosal Epidemiological Studies: How and Why They Were Produced, Published and Protected by F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP