The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-28

Believing that their child died of
disease communicated by vaccination.
the parents Of Gertrude Sullivan con-
template bringing an action for dam
ages against the city
Her little body emaciated to a de-
gree that was pitiful, her limbs but a
traction OF their former size, the little
GIRL aged ten years, was buried from
ner nome at 243 East Third street yes
terday afternoon. She died Monday
evening after lingering illness, due.
ner parents think to vaccine infection.
though the attending physician
culosis.
So confident are the neighbors and
those to whom vaccination is eyery-
thlng but the safe guard it is claimed
70 De, that Gertrude's death was due to
vaccine poisoning, that an action
against the city by the family is talk
ca on. The Anti-Vaccination society.
through President Griggs, has offered
It's services In prosecuting the case.
Healthy and Robust.
She was healthy, robust child"
said Mrs. Juhn Sullivan, the mother
or Gertrude last evening, "but after
she was Vacc1nated she never was the
same child again. That was in 1899
when the school teacher ordered her
TO get vaccination certificate and she
never had well day from that time
on.
We blame no one for her death. in
TACT we have nothing but our own
conclusions that her condition was due
10 vaccine poisoning, but it does GER
tally seem odd that her death should
be credited to consumption when such
Is unknown in our family"
according to the story which Mrs.
sullivan tearfully recited, the little
girl, among others from her school.
was vaccinated at the health office in
january, 1899. Two months later the
arm began to swell, continuing inter-
m1ttently for some weeks. Later the
swelling left the arm and began To
snow itself on the right side of the
neck, where it continued until her
death.
During all this time the limbs de-
creased in flesh until finally the whole
Dody became so emiciated that the
enid had to keep her bed. Amputa-
uOn OF the arm, it was believed bv the
parents would stop the poisonous flow
through her system, but this the phy-S
siclans discouraged. During all this
time the intermittent swelling of the
neck and arm continued until Monday.
when she died.
one thing" said Mrs. Sullivan.
winch led Gertrude to think that she
mad been poisoned was that when she
was vaccinated there was in waiting a
number of persons, among them a
negro. Her arm was scratched i'm
medlately after the negro had been
vacclnated and her persistency in tell
ing me about it probably more than
anything else led me to believe that
there might be something in the vac
cine poisoning theory"
Says 1t Was Not Due to Virus.
The physician who first saw the
child, and later gave the death return
70 the health department, refused last
evening in any way to attribute the
child's illness to the virus which had
been injected into her arm.
Il only say the girl a few times"
said the doctor last evening. Prom
what the parents tell me the child's
arm healed after being vaccinated. The
breaking out on the neck was on the
right side, and how you can reconcile
the Two when the vaccination was on
the left arm is more than can attempt
to explain.
Ihere was dropsical condition and
the body became greatly emaciated. 1t
was not confined to the arm alone. The
family told me they did not believe her
illness was due to vaccine poisoning.
Simply case Of mind poisoning,
Ohage last night as he produced the
death certificate and pointed out the
attending physicians return, General
tuberculosis and exhaustion"
Seems to me this anti-vaccination
crowd has had enough without trying
to scare the public with something
they nave no positive knowledge about.
This child was never vaccinated I'M
der my administration, and I. of
course, can tell nothing about the case;
but L am willing to wager there ia
nothing in it.
mo physician in st. Paul is as care
ful as the health department in the
application of vaccine virus. All in
StrumentS are sterilized: even the arm
before being scratched is cIeansed with
fluid, while the virus is the best to be
obtained. One point is applied to
each person, and it undergoes a thor
ough examination before being used.
think II the matter is examined closely
it will be found that the Anti VACCINE
ton society is behind the whole thing.
Brings Up Another Case.
The death of Mrs. Sullivan's little
girl has brought another case to the
surface in the demise of Miss lydia
Corr1gan, aged twenty-one years, at
III Acker street, last May Her death
also was credited to tuberculosis. but-
III.
Mrs. Corrigan refused to accept it on
the ground that this disease was I'M
known in her family.
According to the mothers story. the
daughter was vaccinated two years
previous to her death. She was then
an employe of Sharood & Crooks. and
an epidemic of smallpox being preva-
lent in the neighborhood, the health
department ordered all of the employees
vaccinated.
She was never the same girl after
that" said Mrs. Corrigan last night. !.
Her body seemed poisoned. and she
wasted away until finally she died. I
am confident that she died from vac
cine poisoning"
These two cases, it is understood, the
Anti Vaccination society will try and
nave made the basis of damage suit
which they hope to see brought against
the CITY, President Griggs, of the So
ciety, is Jealous in the matter, ana
said last night the two were only a
few Of the many cases that are con-
stantly being brought to his attention.