<Begin Segment 19>

DG: Didn't you mention something about that typhoid fever shot situation?

NS: Yes. The typhoid fever -- the city, city was, would give typhoid shots for people who were going on trips. We thought it was necessary for the evacuees to have typhoid shots because we didn't know where we were going. If we were going to be crowded into a certain areas, the water supply may not be as good as we wanted it to be so that a typhoid shot would be very helpful. So, I went to the city health department, which was authorized to give typhoid shots. When I went to see him, made an appointment and went to see him and told him our situation; "Please could we have a typhoid shot?" He got angry at me. That was the day that the PI in the morning paper came out with "Japs Attack Pearl Harbor." Anyways, he had the newspaper in his hand and he says, "No. I won't give any shots out of this office." And so I, well, I just about cried, I guess, and left his office because his assistant was the one that I knew better; he was the one that told me that there was plenty of medicine available if we wanted to have the shots. So I was so disappointed, and at the point of crying, and left his office. I went to the -- I guess, somebody must have -- I don't know how it came about, but, anyways, I found out that the cannery union, Cannery Workers Union, had some money left over and that if I wanted to purchase shots that I could have the money. So I went ahead and got some, and my husband got some nurses to help him, and we gave the shots to whoever came. And I think there was a whole bunch of people that came in for these shots.

DG: Like hundreds?

NS: I think so. Anyways, I think there was a picture in the paper where there was just a room full of people with him giving the shots.

[Interruption]

DG: Okay. If you want to go ahead and finish talking about that incident...

NS: About, oh, the shots. Everyone was advised to get typhoid shots because we didn't know what kind of a water supply we would be having and that it would be...

DG: Who would determine that you needed these kind of things? I mean, where did you get that advice?

NS: Well, it was general knowledge that we didn't know where we were going and that wherever we were going that the water supply was the most important. And if we went overseas, we were advised to get typhoid shots. So we thought that it would be a good idea for people to...

DG: Who is, "we?"

NS: The medical profession and also my husband thought it was a good idea for getting these shots, and that was one of the reasons why I went to the city health department to get these shots. And when I was shouted out of his office and said, "No," why, I left his office. But the cannery -- someone from the Cannery Workers Union heard about it and said that they had some funds and they would furnish, give it to us if we wanted. So we set up the office, cannery workers' office building, and bought the medicine and gave the shot.

DG: And that's where the Japanese community service came in?

NS: That's where -- no, the Japanese, not the service, but it was open to anyone who wanted to get the shots.

DG: But who spread the word that, you know, you had these shots?

NS: I think it was in the (Japanese) newspapers, probably, that these shots would be given and that the Cannery Workers Union was furnishing the money to buy the shots and that my husband and the crew were going to give the shots on a certain day, and...

DG: So it didn't have anything to do with the Japanese organizations helping with gathering people or anything.

NS: No. It was just open to the Japanese people to come and the Cannery Workers Union supplied the money.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.