§ 68. Mr. Geoffrey Hutchinsonasked the Secretary of State for War upon what date the full medical investigation of the circumstances of the death of No. W/271804 Private Beatrice Cook, A.T.S., was carried out; by whom this investigation was undertaken; and whether the results have been communicated to this girl's parents.
§ Sir J. GriggA post-mortem examination held at once into the cause of the death of this auxiliary established that she died of anaphylactic shock following an anti-typhoid inoculation. The parents were informed of this. The vaccine used was examined and found normal; but, as I said in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for West Willesden (Mr. Viant) on 26th October, a case of this kind is very rare, and, in addition to the report rendered by the Service administrative medical officer directly responsible a day after the auxiliary died, a special medical investigation was, therefore, made by the Deputy Director of Medical Services in the command, to inquire into what had happened. The report reached the War Office on 14th October. This confirmed that the inoculation had been properly carried out by the medical officer, and that she could not be held guilty of negligence. The parents of the auxiliary did not, as far as I know, ask for this information, and they have not been told of it. I should like to take this opportunity to express to them my sincere sympathy.