What's New Robert L. Park 23 Sep 2011

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L Park   Friday, 22 Sep 11   Washington, DC

1.VACCINE: THERE IS NO INOCULATION AGAINST IGNORANCE.
Here we go again.  Last week during a debate of Republican presidential 
candidates, Representative Michele Bachmann characterized human papilloma 
virus (HPV) vaccine as "a potentially dangerous drug," and linked its 
effect to "mental retardation."  There is no medical support for her wildly 
irresponsible remarks; the HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer, and an 
editorial in Nature calls on Bachmann to retract her words, but I don't 
think she reads Nature.  The 1998 claim of British researcher Andrew 
Wakefield that the common MMR vaccine causes autism set off a revival of 
the anti-vaccination movement, and a corresponding rise in measles cases.  
In 2009, however, Wakefield was found to have altered patient’s records to 
support his claim  http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN11/wn010711.html .  
Barred from the practice medicine in the UK, Wakefield now operates an 
autism clinic in Austin, Texas.  He doesn't have a US medical license, but 
such formalities don't much matter in Texas.  Rick Perry, the Governor of 
Texas, differs with Bachmann on HPV, having attempted to mandate the use of 
the HPV vaccine for 11 and 12-year-old schoolgirls as the Center for 
Disease Control recommends, which may have something to do with the fact 
that Merck, the only maker of HPV vaccine, is a major contributor to 
Perry's campaign. 

2. WIRELESS: WHERE SHOULD I PUT MY CELL PHONE, DOCTOR?
The hot new place for young women to tuck their cell phones is inside their 
bra.  They set the ring on "vibrate," creating an erogenous tingle when a 
call comes in.  Devra Davis, author of "Disconnect," a book about the 
alleged dangers of cell-phone radiation, worries that the women are being 
set up for breast cancer.  Microwave radiation, Davis says, "seeps directly 
into the soft fatty tissue of the breast."  What does it do there?  As