"The Flu": a brief history of influenza in U.S. America, Europe, Hawaii

In Short

Written in the wake of the 1918 pandemic, this medical monograph provides a concise, global history of influenza from antiquity to the early twentieth century. The author, a physician based in Hawaii, catalogs centuries of outbreaks, dissects the bacillus, and examines the mechanisms of contagion. By blending etymology, clinical observation, and epidemiological data, the work seeks to demystify a disease long blamed on the "influence" of the stars. It remains a stark, clinical record of how rapidly infectious illness follows the paths of human travel and commerce.

The Story

The history of influenza is presented here as a relentless, ancient narrative of human movement. The author begins by situating the disease in the deep past, linking the term "flu" to the Sanskrit root plu, meaning "to flow." This linguistic connection serves as a foundation for his argument that influenza has shadowed human civilization for millennia. He tracks the disease through the reigns of ancient monarchs, noting its presence in Babylon and its devastating impact on armies, including the Greek forces at the siege of Syracuse.

As the narrative moves into the modern era, the focus shifts to the specific geography of pandemics. The author meticulously documents the "Russian Catarrh" and other wide-reaching epidemics, tracing their arrival in Europe and, eventually, the United States. He is particularly concerned with the "perfected" speed of modern commerce, noting that while influenza previously traveled at the pace of sail, the advent of steamships and increased international travel accelerated its transmission. By the time he reaches the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he illustrates how even remote, isolated island groups like Hawaii—previously protected by their geography—became vulnerable to every new strain brought by steam-powered vessels.

The final arc of the work addresses the 1918–1920 pandemic, which the author describes as a particularly virulent resurgence. He pivots from historical chronicling to clinical advice, detailing the nature of "pulmonary influenza" and its deadly complications. He rejects the notion that the climate of the Pacific acts as a barrier to infection, arguing instead that "immunity" is the only true shield. The narrative concludes with a broad, almost philosophical look at the nature of microbes. He posits that these organisms are part of a divine bacterial balance and that their ability to survive in "fomites"—contaminated objects like blankets or books—explains how the virus persists in dormancy during the intervals between major outbreaks. The text ends with a sprawling appendix of Polynesian history and vital statistics, linking the physical health of indigenous populations to the broader, often destructive, reach of global migration.

How It Unfolds

Defining the invisible The author establishes the medical identity of influenza by identifying the specific bacillus and debunking the myth that the disease arises from the stars. He explains how the microbe travels through droplet infection and the unseen persistence of contaminated objects.

Mapping the ancient path A chronological register follows, spanning from 1120 B.C. to the modern age. Each entry notes the point of origin, the scope of the pandemic, and the specific names—like Le Tac or Ladendo—given to the illness by different cultures.

Arrival in the islands The focus tightens on Hawaii, detailing how increased shipping brought new, more virulent strains to the territory. The author uses local health board reports to contrast the relative mildness of the 1890 outbreak with the severity of the 1918 pandemic.

The search for protection The final sections offer practical, if dated, medical guidance on isolation and the use of quinine. The author concludes by contemplating the nature of existence, suggesting that microbes are an essential part of the world’s biological order.

The People

The central figure is the author, A. A. St. M. Mouritz, a physician who acts as both a clinical observer and a scholar of antiquity. He is driven by a desire to provide a "concise and clear" history to the layman, acting as a bridge between the sterile laboratory and the public. He is often critical of his peers, particularly those who rely on expensive serums rather than established hygienic practices.

Alongside him, the "Flu" itself functions as a persistent antagonist. The author treats the bacillus as a cunning survivor, capable of lying dormant in the "dust of rooms" for years before re-emerging to strike. He also invokes historical figures like Captain Krusenstern, the Russian explorer, to illustrate how the movement of ships across the globe serves as the primary vector for the disease. Finally, the indigenous populations of the Pacific represent the vulnerable casualties of this global reach. The author tracks their demographic decline with somber precision, framing their struggle not just as a medical issue, but as a direct consequence of their contact with the encroaching world of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

In Its Own Voice

"The world-wide designation by which the disease is known today; is of Italian origin from the word Influente; a malign Influence or Influenza from the stars being the cause."

The author provides this etymological breakdown of the word influenza to show how early observers misunderstood the biological nature of the disease.

"The greater the speed of Commerce, the greater and quicker is the spread of the Flu; it follows the path of HUMAN travel; it is a Contagion solely spread by HUMAN intercourse."

In this passage, he summarizes his core argument that influenza is not a result of weather or cosmic events, but a direct outcome of global human interaction.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an argument against fatalism. The author rejects the idea that epidemics are random, mystical, or environmental accidents. Instead, he insists that they are a predictable, albeit difficult, consequence of human civilization’s expansion. The work poses an underlying question about the permanence of disease: if microbes are essential to the world's "bacterial balance," can they ever truly be eliminated, or must humanity simply learn to manage them through better hygiene and quarantine? It is a study of the tension between human mobility and the biological consequences of that mobility, arguing that our connection to one another is exactly what makes our shared vulnerability possible.

Why Read It Today

Reading this work today feels like peering into a medical time capsule. For the reader interested in the history of science, it offers a fascinating look at how a physician in 1921 conceptualized a pandemic that had only just subsided. Its value lies in its earnest, no-nonsense tone; it is a primary document of a professional grappling with a crisis in real time, using the tools and theories available to him at the dawn of modern microbiology.

However, a modern reader must be prepared for the book's limitations. The author’s writing style is dense, peppered with archaic medical terminology, and his transition from influenza to broader theories of Polynesian migration and racial classification reflects the often uncritical and colonial-era attitudes of his time. He is not a dispassionate modern academic, but a man of his era, and some of his claims about "immunity" and serum treatments should be read as historical artifacts rather than contemporary medical advice. Still, the book’s central thesis—that the speed of global trade dictates the spread of disease—feels remarkably current. If you approach it as a historical window into the early twentieth-century mind, you will find it a compelling, if occasionally challenging, account of humanity's long, complicated relationship with the invisible.