Autism's false prophets
The Book Autism's False Prophets takes us through a series of myths and misconceptions surrounding autism with an intention to refute these claims and tell the absolute truth concerning Autism. According to this book, Doctors have in the past taken advantage of parents with autistic children, giving them hope of a cure, in an otherwise hopeless situation.
In my opinion, this is a book that creates an awareness on autism, providing the basic facts, backed by evidence. The author, for example, maintains that nobody knows for sure at what point autism sets off in an infant because it is an insidious occurrence whose point of origin cannot be traced (Offit 2008). The book is an enlightenment to parents who seek for a medical alternative for autism. The author maintains that autism is an incurable disease, and does not have any particular cause.
I am equally pleased by the manner in which the author achieves his main purpose of writing this book by refuting claims of mercury as being the main cause of autism in children. Doctors had earlier on blamed the existence of mercury component in vaccines as the leading cause of autisms (Offit 2008). These allegations saw to it that parents began to blame the government for the autism occurrences in their children and went to extents of trying to remove the mercury content from their children in a rather risky and an unhealthy way.
This book, in my opinion, is a clear indication of science gone wrong in the name of discovery. It is a look into the dark side of medicine, where doctors thrive on assumptions rather than the truth. It is a book that shows the importance of having facts rather than myths even if the situation at hand needs an urgent solution. Offit Paul makes sure to inform their audience of the facts on the ground and to make everyone who cares to know, the truth about autism.
References
Offit, Paul A. 2008. Autism's False Prophets. New York: Columbia University Press.
