Friday, August 26, 2005

Possible Chelation Fatality

There is a hot debate over whether thimerosal in vaccines can cause autism. A profound menace to public health, say some. Scientifically unfounded hysteria, say others. Either way, parents desperate for answers have sometimes sought refuge in chelation therapy -- an unproven treatment that some members of the medical community consider dangerous.

Now comes a tragic report that one autistic five-year-old has died after a course of chelation. The mother reportedly doesn't blame the therapy. An official pronouncement on the cause of death awaits further investigation.

posted by pn at 9:01 PM  

1 Comments:

Jim writes ...

Regarding the Autism/mercury debate, I have noticed the words "claim" and "theory" being used interchangeably.

Is there a legal difference betwen a theory and a claim? Does an expert offering a theory (i.e. that mercury causes autism) need to produce studies and reserach to offer a theory such as this?

Is there a different legal burden for an expert offering a scientific theory than for one offering expert opinion?

2:59 PM  

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Fed. R. Evid. 702: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if (1) the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case.