THE INFLUENZA PANDEMIC

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13937, 12 December 1918, Page 6

THE INFLUENZA PANDEMIC

A theory whirl! li.is a j.ii]Hilar vogue is that the inlineiiz,i imrnl.-niic had its origin 111 I lie devilish i!1-;••!1 ili (y nf 111.' I»•' t'ni: ins (says the Sydney Daily -p,.j x ._ ; graph). Of course. nobody could .n- | '.en! a new disease genu: bill there are ; medical men who believe that in Ibis ! ease an influenza germ lias been given j added virulence ]>y Herman scientists.' JMe thing is theoretically possible. Aj comparatively harmless germ could Lie ; artiflcally "exalted" by passing it j through a series of very susceptible ' animals or human beings, with the re- i suit that it would emerge with highly \iiulent characteristics. But experience has proved that when such an experiment is made the artificial exaltation, or virulence, of the germ does not n iiiain. It soon goes back to its former mild slate. And it must be noted that ! if the Germans had succeeded in play- i ing this game with.the germ of Spanish influenza, the Germans tin ■niselves j have suffered severely from the disease. -7