The age of autism : mercury, medicine, and a man-made epidemic /

To be clear, Blaxill and Olmsted state upfront that they support vaccination. What they do not support is mainstream science's explanation of the cause and history of autism. Carefully laying groundwork for their hypothesis, they trace the origins of other illnesses that, if not directly caused by human hands, were worsened by them. One case in point: syphilis was once treated with mercury, which resulted in a type of madness thought to be another symptom of the disease, but instead was found to be mercury poisoning. Additionally they trace mercury poisoning as the basis of other illnesses before concluding that mercury plays a part in what may likely be multiple causes of autism. In this they relate a history of the discovery of autism and tie the disorder's recent ascendancy to increased environmental toxins, most specifically mercury. These two iconoclasts, one the father of a child with autism, lay out credible investigative evidence in support of their theory even if it does fly in the face of what they feel is the medical industry's current cant.--Chavez, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist

Journalist Olmstead and independent researcher Blaxill enter the fray of the autism controversy, arguing that, just as mercury's toxic effects in treating syphilis and teething pain were long ignored, the same type of denial is happening now with respect to autism and other illnesses the authors say are linked to mercury exposure in the environment and in childhood vaccines. But other than providing information on mercury exposure in seven of the 11 individuals first diagnosed with autism, they offer little new material. Second, they uncritically present the opinions of those who assert the autism-vaccine link while virtually ignoring contrary scientific views (e.g., the World Health Organization has repudiated any such link). Third, they stake out new ground by accusing scientists and government agencies of creating a conspiracy to defend vaccines as safe. They state, without supporting evidence: "Much of what the medical industry and public health community has produced on the question of autism and vaccines has been propaganda masquerading as science." Readers looking for an unbiased examination of whether there is a link between vaccines and autism will not find enlightenment here. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Debut authors Olmsted and Blaxill argue that autism is a "man-made" disease triggered by environmental factors.While this is a highly controversial subjectmany public-health officials question whether the incidence of autism spectrum disorder is actually increasing (or an artifact of diagnosis), and they downplay the importance of environmental factorsthe authors have amassed a compelling body of material that suggests that a "complex mix of genetic susceptibility, toxic chemistry and poorly understood events in childhood" are at the root of the disorder. Looking to the history of mercury poisoning, they found many clues to its possible roleoccupational illnesses, people treated with medicinal mercury, infants receiving mega doses of vaccines that contain mercury preservative, water and atmospheric pollution, etc. One of the most dramatic instances they cite was the use of mercury's toxic properties to treat syphilis. While significant side effects were observedweakness, tremors and even the loss of teethmore long-term effects were not recognized and were mistakenly attributed to the disease rather than mercury poisoning. Many children routinely given an over-the-counter mercury compound, Calomel, as a teething powder or purgative, suffered from symptoms similar to autism. Only in the late 1940s was a connection made between a mysterious disease, "acrodynia," and mercury poisoning. Industrial pollution from mercury, toxic waste in oceans and bays that poison the fish we eat and atmospheric pollution from coal dust have been shown to have serious health effects. The use of mercury as a preservative in the vaccines routinely given to infants has begun to come under scrutiny, but the evidence is inconclusive. In the author's view, the occurrence of autism may be triggered by a number of factors acting together, which trigger the disorder in children who have a genetic predisposition or a compromised immune system.Not entirely convincing, but carries the powerful message that "[t]his long nightmare of neglect and delay and denial needs to end."]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.