the Boston Globe today has a brutal article concerning autism. it concerns the use of Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, in children's vaccines. in the 4th paragraph: "autism rates began rising dramatically in children who were administered the new vaccine regimes." quite a rise: from 1/2500 ten years ago to 1/166 now, 1/80 for boys. what sort of percentage officially constitutes an epidemic, do you think? Erin suffered grand mal seizures after receiving the mumps-measles-rubella vaccine. turning a bright lively child into a distant one. the medical industry refused to accept cause and effect (look again at those statistics!), which sent Beth to alternative therapies, including physical therapy and holistic medicine. all to rewire Erin's brain connections. Erin didn't start speaking till he was seven (but has made up for that silence quite nicely). he now shows some, not all, of the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-function form of autism. it was a long road for Beth and Erin, especially the physical therapy, which used repetitive exercises to reconnect basic brain functions. Erin is a lucky one, for he got help and nurture, and wasn't just fed ritalin or whatever. he's extremely intelligent, kind, creative and empathetic. as far as I'm concerned, he's 'normal' (just like me!!!), but at the price of much suffering on his part, and on Beth's. the terrible part of this is how hard it has been for Beth to state her case. blanket denials from everyone in the traditional medical industry. this story sounds like thalidomide redux. the company I worked for a long time changed ownership. the new president once, in talking to me, several times encouraged the concept of CYA: cover your ass. an absolutely outrageous thing for a company executive to promote. and it is just the thing with all those busted headline CEOs passing blame off. and this same shit tendency rife in our government as well. cover your fuckin' ass. until such point as these doctors start seeing autism in their own children.