Main Office SS
through Professor Dr. Hirt
Anatomical Institute of the Reich University Strasbourg
I enclose herewith a carbon copy of a paper on our experiments with a
dry typhus vaccine. The paper was sent to the Chief of the Luftwaffe
Medical Service as a manuscript, with the request for permission to
publish it. It constitutes a report concerning further experiments with
a typhus vaccine which has not been made sterile by chemical agents or
by heating. As may be seen from the results, it has been possible to
produce a vaccine which provides not only an antitoxic immunity but also
a definite anti-infection immunity which is of particularly practical
significance. However, it is clearly pointed out that vaccination is
followed by a rather long fever reaction and, therefore, its
introduction cannot yet be recommended. Further tests are now in
progress to alter the vaccine so that, without losing its antigenic
property, it will produce so weak a reaction that no general
indisposition will result. These tests will be made by reducing the dose
or by storing the vaccine for a longer interval.
To carry out this research, experimental subjects will again be needed.
I, therefore, again request that subjects be furnished to me for this
purpose. In order to obtain results which are accurate and which can be
statistically evaluated, I ask that 200 persons be furnished to me for
inoculation. I may point out that they must be in a physical condition
similar to that of members of the armed forces.
It is highly desirable that I again be permitted to carry out these
experiments at camp Natzweiler.