Genre:

News-Commentary

Subjects:

Vaccination, Death, Crime, Expertise

    Describes how a 'simpleton' recently sought a police magistrate court's decision to compel a Highgate cemetery company to inscribe on his child's tombstone 'Died from the mortal effects of vaccination', which was also the verdict of a coroner's jury. Surmises that a coroner's jury would not be able to understand medical evidence showing that the child died from a 'poisoned wound, and not merely of plain puncture'. Urges that coroner's juries should only be allowed to deliver verdicts on 'questions within their competence', and not post hoc ergo propter hoc verdicts on a death following vaccination. Praises the cemetery company for objecting to the inscription on the tomb and thus for preventing 'prejudice against vaccination' which would crowd the cemetery.