Fig. 16. Sergeant H. Nichols, of East Finchley, England, died on November 4, 1914, from the effects of anti-typhoid inoculation.
“On Saturday, October 24, he was inoculated a second time on the left side of chest. He was taken ill at once and went home to bed, complaining of a dreadful beating on the top of his brain. On the Monday he reported himself ill and was given the half-day off with the others, but passed for duty for the Tuesday and Wednesday and sent on an eight-mile march. On the Thursday he woke up with severe trembling, later on partial paralysis set in with very severe delirium, kidney trouble, swollen tongue and many other distressing symptoms. Also his heart, which had always been passed as perfectly sound, was very bad. Two nurses and his own doctor (a believer in inoculation) attended him. On the day of his death, November 4, his pulse was 144.
“Sergeant Nichols was a very strong man, never ill, and looked more like forty than fifty years of age. His photograph indicates his ‘fitness.’ For some time before his death he did sergeant’s work and was known as full platoon sergeant, but the papers verifying this only came through, Mrs. Nichols understood, just about the time of his death, so that he is described as corporal on death certificate, but she says he had a sergeant’s funeral and is described as such on the gravestone.
“Mr. Nichols’ death was a great shock to his friends, some of whom saw him two weeks before death, when he was telling them how ‘very fit’ he was feeling, and how thoroughly his heart was in his work.”
The death certificate in this case gives the cause of death as:
1. “Anti-Typhoid Vaccination.” 2. “Pneumonia.”
SICKNESS AND DEATH FROM VACCINATIONS IN U. S. ARMY
We cite this fatal English case here out of many others on record in this country and England because it is so typical and such a plain example of many cases of sickness and death caused by typhoid vaccination since its adoption several years ago. How many cases of illness or death have been truly caused by this and other kinds of vaccination in the Army and Navy, in recent years, can probably be accurately determined only by a special committee of investigation appointed by the Commander-in-Chief or by Congress, and so selected as to be entirely free of any medical or professional interest or bias.
The office of the Surgeon General of the U. S. Army in answer to my request for information on this point admits that many cases of sickness have been caused by smallpox and typhoid vaccination in the Army in the year 1917, but states that no deaths have been caused by any form of vaccination in said year 1917, and that the data for the year 1918 are not yet available. The figures admitted for sickness from the two forms of vaccination stated seem to be serious and significant and are now given below in the words of the letter addressed to me from the Surgeon General’s office, March 15, 1919, as follows: