"Again you're right, but this is one time where intuition and a high index of suspicion should prevail over cool scientific detachment. We haven't got time for a series of controlled experiments. We've got to guess, and guess right!"
"He's right, John!"
"OK Pat, OK! Trot out your woman's intuition and we'll all fly off into the wild blue yonder. I only hope we don't come down with a dull thud."
"All the ferrets are snuffling with the flu," Hallam said. "It's unfortunate that only one was pregnant, otherwise we might have had confirmation of our hunch by now."
"I haven't heard of any increase in miscarriages among pregnant women who got the flu," I said. "To me that's pretty good evidence that the bug doesn't affect human beings that way. For that matter, there were more reports of testicular involvement than of ovarian disease."
"If it does affect pregnant women, maybe it affects the fetus. Maybe children will be born deformed like the cases of German measles in early pregnancy," Pat said.
"That's a gruesome thought," I said. "You two give me the creeps this morning." I looked at my watch. "Lord it's five o'clock! This has been a rough session."
"And not finished yet," groaned Hallam, pushing up out of his chair. "Only the ferrets are sick so far. We'll sacrifice a few females ... and some males too. Send them down to Smith for examination. He has a doctor and technicians on twenty-four hour duty and they can get cracking right away. Tell him to concentrate on glandular tissues, with first priority for the sex glands. And get cultures from the usual tissues before you send them down."
"Will do," I said, and left the room.
I was back in half an hour. Both Pat and Dr. Hallam came into the living room shortly afterwards.