Andrew J. Wakefield

Hypothesis testing and presentation of the outcome—either positive or negative—is a fundamental part of the scientific process. Accordingly we have published studies that both do, and do not support a role for measles virus in chronic intestinal inflammation: this is called integrity. The latest of these studies was strongly positive, and was accepted by the MRC Review in February, 1998. By contrast, Brent Taylor and colleagues (June 12, p 2026) have ignored the rules …

They identified a statistically significant excess risk by 6 months after MMR, which they dismiss, post hoc, as indicating parental recall bias.