Seven years ago, Mr. Deer, a freelance journalist who works mostly for The Sunday Times in London, began an investigation into research conducted in the 1990s, which had spawned a worldwide debate about the safety and well-being of children. The published research showed a link between the MMR vaccine, routinely given to children in the first years of life, to the onset of autism, a developmental disorder that appears in the first three years, and affects a child’s social behaviour and communication skills. Out of fear, many parents refused to immunize their children.The final outcome of Mr. Deer’s investigation came last month, when Andrew Wakefield, the lead researcher, as well as two of his colleagues, saw their reputations torn to shreds in a medical misconduct inquiry, the longest in history, by the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom. More than 30 charges, including four counts of dishonesty in regard to money, research and public statements, were proven against Dr. Wakefield. The Lancet retracted the paper in 2010.