​The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine controversy started with the 1998 publication of a research paper in the medical journal The Lancet. Former gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his team found a link between the MMR vaccine and inflammatory bowel disease. The paper was eventually retracted under the weight of an organized vaccine industry assault, and Dr.Wakefield was meticulously disparaged as a scientist and doctor.