It may attack us at any time, although its favorite period of appearance is the Autumn and Winter months.
Influenza is mainly a Respiratory disease, hence Isolation and Quarantine cannot be relied upon to prevent the spread of the Flu, and both of these restraints of personal liberty and hindrances of commerce must fail, besides being also unpractical and impossible.
People must meet to transact business in public places, must eat and drink in public, use telephones in public places, use public lavatories, and many other acts of public nature; all of these acts cannot be quarantined, nor can talking amongst crowds; even if rigid quarantine rules were enforced, the Flu has hitherto eluded them and spread outside of the quarantined limits.
CAUSE OF THE FLU.
In the absence of any alleged cause or theory, which can account for the erratic prevalence of the Flu, the Author advances the following:
(a) The Bacillus of Influenza normally cannot exist or thrive in our every-day ordinary atmosphere, constituted of 20% of Oxygen, and 80% of Nitrogen.
(b) Under certain atmospheric conditions, such as any fractional excess above 4–5 Nitrogen, the normal amount present in the air, the Bacillus of Flu can become acclimated and acquires new sources of vitality, viz., the means to exist in the presence of Oxygen, and to thrive and multiply in it, and propagate, in this temporarily changed atmosphere. It speedily becomes imbued with virulent disease producing properties, multiplies on a vast scale, and proceeds to attack and scourge man; hence an Epidemic of Flu is brought into our lives.
(c) Later when the normal atmospheric balance is restored, the Bacillus ceases to be pathogenic or disease producing, loses its power, Facultative or Potential, to multiply and live on a large scale, but certain of the most vigorous members of the Colony survive and remain dormant, and latent, and years or months later under the same favorable atmospheric conditions, Nitrogen excess in the atmosphere, become active and produce a New Epidemic of Flu.
Each Epidemic may be considered as a sprouting of the “seed” of the previous or past ones; such seed or microbe is not permanently nursed by any host, such as man or animal, as a carrier; but the Bacillus lies hidden in the dust of rooms, attics, books, packed away clothes, towels, non-sterilized fomites in general, especially blankets and handkerchiefs, wall paper, etc.; on premises which had been occupied by Flu victims or victim, or convalescents from the disease, weeks, months, or years before.
No disease producing microbe can develop itself anew, it must come from the seed of the old stock, whether it be Flu, Typhoid, Plague, T. B., or Small-pox. Like produces, and only can produce like, is an infallible law, and applies to every living microbe, malignant or harmless.