RARE MALADY PROVES FATAL

Southland Times, Issue 23394, 29 December 1937, Page 7

RARE MALADY PROVES FATAL

BLOOD TRANSFUSION IN VAIN (Received December 28, 6.30 p.m.) MONTREAL, December 27. Weston Fletcher, who has been suffering from a rare disease for six weeks, died today. When an appeal for blood for a transfusion to Fletcher was made on November 27 more than 2000 persons, including one from England, offered blood. In the meantime a second patient, Robert Schaeffer, suffering from the same disease, was discovered. Among the flood of volunteers was one whose blood could be used to treat Schaeffer, and a transfusion was performed. Blood for Fletcher was given by Ernest van Sickle, aged 40, a Canadian war ace, and was transferred to Fletcher. Van Sickle contracted what is believed to have been the same infection as Fletcher after his aeroplane was shot down in France in 1916. Fletcher did not immediately respond to the transfusion and the result was not expected to be known for several days. Samuel Stanford, of London, who was once treated for the disease by Fletcher’s doctor, telephoned offering to go immediately. He was advised to wait in the meantime.