Viera Scheibner

Infobox Person


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Viera Scheibner (1935 - present) (real name Viera Scheibnerová) is a retired micropaleontologist (a branch of geology). From 1958 until 1968 she was assistant professor in the department of geology at Comenius University, Bratislava. Scheibner has been active in the anti-vaccination field researching, writing and giving lectures on the subject matter of vaccines and vaccinations since her retirement from the Department of Mineral Resources, New South Wales, Australia in 1987.

Scheibner's lack of medical qualifications, research abilities, and honesty have been criticized by various sources.

Education and career

Viera Scheibner was born in Bratislava (formerly Czechoslovakia, now Slovak Republic). During her distinguished career, she wrote three books and had over 90 scientific papers published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals in Australia and overseas. cite web | author= Scheibner V | title= Curriculum Vitae / Biography - “Medical Veritas” Editorial Board | publisher="Medical Veritas" | url= http://www.medicalveritas.com/MVIEditors.htm ]

In 1953, Scheibner studied medicine at the Medical Faculty (school) of the Czechoslovak state-run Jan Masaryk University in Brno, before enrolling in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and in 1954 transferred to the Jan Amos Comenius University in Bratislava where she graduated in 1958. During 1958-1961, she became a lecturer in the Department of Geology and Palaeontology of the Jan Amos Comenius University, Bratislava and was also a Senior Lecturer 1962-1967, at the Department of Geology and Palaeontology at Comenius University. Scheibner was awarded a doctorate in Natural Sciences (RNDR) from the Jan Amos Comenius University in Bratislava in 1964. In 1967-1968 she served as Senior Associate Professor (Docent) at the Department of Geology and Palaeontology of Jan Amos Comenius University, Bratislava. During her academic career 1958-1968 in Bratislava, she published 35 scientific papers and one monograph concerning the Cretaceous and Jurassic Foraminifera of the Carpathian Klippen Belt in Slovakia. cite web | author= Scheibner V | title= Curriculum Vitae / Biography - “Medical Veritas” Editorial Board | publisher="Medical Veritas" | url= http://www.medicalveritas.com/MVIEditors.htm }]

In 1968, Scheibner immigrated to Australia and assumed a position as a Micropalaeontologist with the Geological Survey of New South Wales, Department of Mines, later becoming the Department of Mineral Resources. During her employment 1968 to 1987 with the Geological Survey of New South Wales, she held various titles as a research scientist, including principal research scientist until her retirement from the Department of Mineral Resources in 1987. cite web | author= Scheibner V | title= Curriculum Vitae / Biography - “Medical Veritas” Editorial Board | publisher="Medical Veritas" | url= http://www.medicalveritas.com/MVIEditors.htm ]

The primary emphasis of Scheibner’s work in Australia with the NSW Department of Mines was the study of the Cretaceous and Permian Foraminifera of the Great Australian Basin in New South Wales. She also studied the South Australian and the Carnarvon Basins in Western Australia, South Africa and the Indian Peninsula, and the Permian Foramin­ifera of the Sydney Basin. From 1972 to 1976 Scheibner was invited to participate in the highly prestigious Deep Sea Drilling Project conducted under the auspices of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (U.S.A.), in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The results of these studies were published in the Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP); she was also invited to write a Synopsis of Cretaceous Foraminifera of the Indian Ocean, published in a monograph entitled "Synopsis of the DSDP in the Indian Ocean." cite web | author= Scheibner V | title= Curriculum Vitae / Biography- “Medical Veritas” Editorial Board | publisher=Medical Veritas | url= http://www.medicalveritas.com/MVIEditors.htm ]

Study on the subject of vaccines

In 1986, pediatric researchers studying Crib Death Syndrome or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) believed babies were dying because of an inborn fault in the breathing control center in the brain. cite journal | author = Oren J, Kelly D, Shannon DC| title = Identification of a high-risk group for sudden infant death syndrome among infants who were resuscitated for sleep apnea.| journal = “Pediatrics” | volume = 77 | issue = 4 | pages = 495–9 | year = 1986 | month=Apr | pmid = 3960618 | url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=3960618&query_hl=12&itool=pubmed_DocSum] cite journal | author = Kelly DH, Golub H, Carley D, Shannon DC | title = Pneumograms in infants who subsequently died of sudden infant death syndrome. | journal = “J Pediatr.” | volume = 109 | issue = 2 | pages = 2499–54 | year = 1986 | month=Aug | pmid = 3755468 | url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=3755468&query_hl=12&itool=pubmed_DocSum] Between 1986-1990 Scheibner and her late husband, Leif Karlsson, a Swedish bio-medical engineer specializing in patient monitoring systems, developed Cotwatch, a breathing monitor for babies. The Cotwatch sensor pad was placed under the mattress, as no monitors were attached to the body and the baby had full unobstructed movement in the cot, while the breathing was monitored. In the computer print-outs of the breathing patterns, a stress-induced breathing pattern was apparent, with clusters of low-volume breathing hypopnea occurring around certain critical days following day zero which almost always turned out to be when vaccines were given. Her consequential study of cot death data revealed the same pattern. cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = "Dynamics of Critical Days as Part of the Dynamics of Non-specific Stress Syndrome Discovered During Monitoring with Cotwatch Breathing Monitor"| journal = “Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine” | volume = 23 | issue = 3 | pages = 10–14 | url= http://www.acnem.org/journal/20-2_august_2001/shaken_baby_syndrome.htm | year = 2004 | month= Dec | format = Dead link|date=May 2008 ] [cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = "Evidence of the association between non-specific stress syndrome, DPT injections, and cot death." "The Old and the New." Proceedings of the Second National Immunisation Conference. Canberra, Public Health Association of Australia | year = 1990-91 | month= May 27-29 | volume= 1 ] cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = “Vaccinations: Part I - Medical Research On Sids And Epidemics” | journal = “Consumer Health” - Consumer Health Organization of Canada | volume = 22 | issue = 4 | year = 1999 | month= April | url= http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990705002005] Scheibner and her husband were not critical of vaccines at this time and didn't even know about the controversy surrounding vaccinations. At this point, the pediatricians with the Crib Death Management Center stopped sending parents to obtain the Cotwatch monitor. cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = “Vaccinations: Part I - Medical Research On Sids And Epidemics” | journal = “Consumer Health” - Consumer Health Organization of Canada | volume = 22 | issue = 4 | year = 1999 | month= April | url= http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990705002005] Until that time, Dr. Scheibner was actually pro-vaccination. The results of the Cotwatch studies prompted Dr. Scheibner to start researching all aspects of vaccinations and systematically searched through medical libraries and medical journals for articles concerning vaccines and vaccinations. In 1991, Scheibner presented some of the results of her findings from the Cotwatch breathing monitor to the Second Immunisation Conference in Canberra, Australia. [cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = "Evidence of the association between non-specific stress syndrome, DPT injections, and cot death." "The Old and the New." Proceedings of the Second National Immunisation Conference. Canberra, Public Health Association of Australia | year = 1990-91 | month= May 27-29 | volume= 1 ] . cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = “Vaccinations: Part I - Medical Research On Sids And Epidemics” | journal = “Consumer Health” - Consumer Health Organization of Canada | volume = 22 | issue = 4 | year = 1999 | month= April | url= http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990705002005]

In her pursuit of researching and educating herself about vaccines, she reviewed and studied more than 30,000 pages of data published in medical journals about Crib Deaths after vaccinations. Based on her extensive literature search, Scheibner in 1993 published a 296-page book entitled "Vaccination 100 years of scientific research shows that vaccines represent a medical assault on the immune system," [cite book | author= Scheibner V | title= "Vaccination: 100 years of orthodox research shows that vaccines represent an assault on the immune system" | date=1993 | pages= | publisher= Australian Print Group | id=ISBN 0-646-15124-X ] published by the Australian Print Group, Victoria; the book has also been translated and published in various languages around the world, the German by Hirthammer Verlag, the Dutch by Lemniscast Publishers, and the Finnish by Kustantaja Lasse Vajaranta. cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = “Vaccinations: Part I - Medical Research On Sids And Epidemics” | journal = “Consumer Health” - Consumer Health Organization of Canada | volume = 22 | issue = 4 | year = 1999 | month= April | url= http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990705002005] Her book "Vaccination" [cite book | author= Scheibner V | title= "Vaccination: 100 years of orthodox research shows that vaccines represent an assault on the immune system" | date=1993 | pages= | publisher= Australian Print Group | id=ISBN 0-646-15124-X ] documents what she believes has been published on the ingredients that are in vaccines, what effects have been observed on the immune system, neurological system and other systems and organs of injecting this material into the body, the published failures of vaccines to prevent diseases, and the documented sensitising effect of vaccines. The book also lists literature she regards to be the positive effects of properly managed childhood diseases, namely measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox and whooping cough, in priming and maturing the immune system of a child, lowering the risk of serious diseases such as cancer later in life. cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = “Vaccinations: Part I - Medical Research On Sids And Epidemics” | journal = “Consumer Health” - Consumer Health Organization of Canada | volume = 22 | issue = 4 | year = 1999 | month= April | url= http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990705002005]

Since publishing "Vaccination," [cite book | author= Scheibner V | title= "Vaccination: 100 years of orthodox research shows that vaccines represent an assault on the immune system" | date=1993 | pages= | publisher= Australian Print Group | id=ISBN 0-646-15124-X ] she has continued her study, writing a second book, "Behavioural Problems in Childhood – The Link to Vaccination," cite book | author= Scheibner V | title= “Behavioural Problems in Childhood" | date=2000 | id=ISBN 0-9578007-0-3 ] and published two papers in the "Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine", one on shaken baby syndrome [cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = "Shaken Baby Syndrome Diagnosis on Shaky Ground." | journal = "Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine" | volume = 20 | issue = 2 | pages = 5–8,15 | url= http://www.acnem.org/journal/pdf_files/20-2_august_2001/20-2_shaken_baby_syndrome.pdf | format=PDF | year = 2001 | month=Aug ] and the other on her research with Cotwatch. cite journal | author = Scheibner V | title = "Dynamics of Critical Days as Part of the Dynamics of Non-specific Stress Syndrome Discovered During Monitoring with Cotwatch Breathing Monitor"| journal = "Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine" | volume = 23 | issue = 3 | pages = 10–14 | url= http://www.acnem.org/journal/20-2_august_2001/shaken_baby_syndrome.htm | year = 2004 | month= Dec | format = Dead link|date=May 2008 ]

She has addressed conferences, health professionals, lawyers and parents, in many countries. She has also written expert witness reports for vaccine damage court cases and over 90 cases of alleged shaken baby syndrome on what she says is documented in the medical literature about vaccines causing injuries that are typically blamed on shaking the baby. Facts|date=February 2007

Criticisms

Stephen Basser has written an extensive critical review of "the quality of the science of ... Scheibner" entitled "Anti-immunisation scare: The inconvenient facts." One of his conclusions is that Scheibner is "at best sloppy, and at worst blatantly dishonest." [http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/1997/1_immunise.htm Anti-immunisation scare: The inconvenient facts.] Stephen Basser, MD. "The Skeptic" Journal, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Skeptics#The_Skeptic] Vol 17 No 1]

In 1997, the Australian Skeptics awarded her the "Bent Spoon Award." This award is presented annually to the Australian "perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of pseudoscientific piffle":

: "The unanimous choice of the judges was Dr Viera Scheibner for her high profile anti-immunisation campaign which, by promoting new age and conspiracy mythology and by owing little to scientific methodologies or research, poses a serious threat to the health of Australian children." [http://www.skeptics.com.au/spoon/1997winners.htm Bent Spoon Winner 1997: Viera Scheibner] ]

Lon Morgan, DC, a chiropractor, has written a short analysis of her anti-vaccination stance, [http://www.geocities.com/issues_in_immunization/fearmongers/viera_scheibner.htm Viera Scheibner] ] as well as an examination of Scheibner's claims of a disappearance of SIDS in Japan. [http://www.geocities.com/issues_in_immunization/fearmongers/japan_sids.htm Japan, SIDS, and Pertussis Immunization] ] He concludes that:

: "Whether it was due to personal bias, lack of relevant health science training, or inept research on her part, or a combination, Ms. Scheibner's claims have not withstood the test of time, or critical examination, and should be rejected."

An extensive critique of her position and qualifications has been published in an article in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.cite journal |journal= J Manipulative Physiol Ther |date=2005 |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=367–73 |title= Chiropractic antivaccination arguments |author= Busse JW, Morgan L, Campbell JB |doi=10.1016/j.jmpt.2005.04.011 |pmid=15965414 |url=http://jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(05)00111-9/fulltext?articleId=S0899-3467%2807%2960081-0]

Publications

* 1991 "Cot Death Linked to Vaccinations", "Nexus Magazine" (October-November, 1991)
* 1993 "Vaccination: 100 years of orthodox research shows that vaccines represent an assault on the immune system", ISBN 064615124X
* 1998 [http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/shakenbaby1.html"Shaken Baby Syndrome - the vaccination link"] "Nexus Magazine", vol 5, no 5 (August-September, 1998)
* 2000 "Behavioural Problems in Childhood", ISBN 0-9578007-0-3
* 2001 [http://www.acnem.org/journal/pdf_files/20-2_august_2001/20-2_shaken_baby_syndrome.pdf "Shaken Baby Syndrome Diagnosis On Shaky Ground"] "Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine", vol 20, no 2 (August, 2001
* 2003 [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TD4-4B535PF-1&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F08%2F2003&_alid=493172906&_rdoc=1&_fmt=summary&_orig=search&_cdi=5188&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f5c10a3fcf04c5f72511579e1e85992f "Response to Leask and McIntyre’s attack on myself as a public opponent of vaccination"] , Viera Scheibner, "Vaccine," Letters to the Editor, vol 22, Issue 1, 8 December 2003, pp vi-ix [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=14969277&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum PMID 14969277]
* 2004 [http://www.acnem.org/journal/23-3_december_2004/cotwatch-scheibner.htm "Dynamics of Critical Days as Part of the Dynamics of Non-specific Stress Syndrome Discovered During Monitoring with Cotwatch Breathing Monitor"] "Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine", vol 23, no 3, (December, 2004) pp 10-14.
* 2005 [http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/shakenbaby1.html "Vaccination and the Dynamics of Critical days"] "Nexus Magazine", vol 12, no 6 (October-November, 2005)

See also

* Anti-vaccinationists
* List of vaccine topics
* Shaken Baby Syndrome

References

External links

* [http://www.vaccination.inoz.com Vaccination Information Service] articles by Viera Scheibner
* [http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/shakenbaby1.html NexusMagazine.com] - 'Shaken Baby Syndrome', Viera Scheibner, "Nexus Magazine" (August-September, 1998)
* 2003 [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TD4-4B535PF-1&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F08%2F2003&_alid=493172906&_rdoc=1&_fmt=summary&_orig=search&_cdi=5188&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f5c10a3fcf04c5f72511579e1e85992f "Response to Leask and McIntyre’s attack on myself as a public opponent of vaccination"] , Viera Scheibner, "Vaccine," Letters to the Editor, vol 22, Issue 1, 8 December 2003, pp vi-ix [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=14969277&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum PMID 14969277]
* [http://www.utoronto.ca/virology/mby480/lectures/Scheibner.pdf "Public opponents of vaccination: a case study"] UToronto.ca PDF - Julie Leask, Peter McIntyre, National Centre for Immunization Research & Surveillance, University of Sydney, "Vaccine", vol 21, p 4700-4703 (2003) PMID 14585678