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I read a book by Laura Spinney called the ‘Pale Rider’, which is on the Spanish Flu of 1918, a disease that killed a hundred million people worldwide. Two hundred and sixty pages is a lot of reading time, so here are the salient points. History is teaching us an important lesson. 

1. The flu has been around for 12000 years since man gave up the hunter-gatherer way of life and adopted agriculture and settled in one place. 

2.It is also called a ‘crowd’ disease for obvious reasons.  

3.Officially, the Spanish flu was first reported by a cook named Albert from Kansas. In that way, Spanish flu did not start in Spain. In fact, how a flu epidemic starts is a matter of hypothesis.  The real reason of a pandemic is yet to be known. Climate change, bird migrations and air and ocean currents (La Niña phase or cold phase vs El Niño phase or warm phase) may be possible triggers. We entered the La Niña phase five years back. So, you could say, we were expecting it. Bill Gates, the owner of Microsoft, has been predicting it for quite some time. 

4. Spanish flu killed around 10% of the planet’s population from 1918-20. This is more than what the world wars caused. 

5.Despite the magnitude and extent of the disease, it has not found a place in history books while world wars, technological development, and the proliferation of science and medicine occupy substantial historical importance.

6. The First World War and the consequential migration of soldiers may have been responsible for the global presence of the Spanish Flu. Since travel is an essential factor for pandemics, it is no surprise that the Covid-19 has travelled far and wide in this modern era of endless air travel. 

7.People have followed the time-honoured principle in epidemics. They have always blamed the other party. Spanish flu was no different. Spinney writes: “In Senegal, it was the Brazilian flu and in Brazil, the German flu, while the Danes thought it ‘came from the south’. The Poles called it the Bolshevik disease, the Persians blamed the British, and the Japanese blamed their wrestlers: after it first broke out at a sumo tournament, they dubbed it ‘sumo flu’.”

8.Epidemics bring fear with it and the belief in the wrath of God. As Spinney claims: “Fear makes people vigilant. It impels them to notice things they might not otherwise have noticed; to pay attention to certain associations and ignore others; to remember prophecies they might previously have dismissed as absurd.”

9.Conspiracy theories were rampant during all epidemics. It was thought that the dead bodies flung in the killing fields vaporised and made the air foul. Biowarfare was always the favourite conspiracy theory. These theories evaporated as quickly as they were formed when it was realised that death was affecting both sides.  

10.The most susceptible lot were the elderly, very young and male youths, the so-called bread-winners and soldiers. Women were less prone for obscure reasons.  

11.There was an inexplicable randomness in the affliction. One village got decimated whereas the neighbouring village escaped unscathed. Such discrepancies couldn’t be explained.  

12.Religion and science could not work together in 1918 in Spain. The Church of Spain under Bishop Ballano offered prayers for nine consecutive days to please God who had, “legit reason to be angry against the warring nations”, despite the understanding that crowding promoted the spread of the flu.

13.What scientific research has taught us about the influenza virus is, “Once the human immune system has been mobilised against the new virus, it enters a more stable equilibrium with its host. The pandemic passes, but the virus continues to circulate in a benign, seasonal form, provoking occasional outbreaks as it evolves through the drift. That equilibrium is maintained until another novel virus emerges.”

14.The Spanish flu probably came from the birds. However, Swine flu is a misnomer since swines are only intermediaries. It is always human to human transmission that is to blame and not fair to blame the pigs. Also, it is possible that most flu originate in humans and we pass it onto the animals and not vice versa. Humans have a tendency to blame others for their misfortunes. Even today, we have been looking for someone to blame. We are yet to agree with environmentalists who feel the planet is getting warmer, we are making the environment unclean, pollution is rising to unbearable levels and our contact with livestock and wild animals need regulation. Maybe, it’s time we did. 

15.The viral strains are kept ‘alive and well’ in containment facilities around the world. For example, the Spanish flu virus is preserved in Alaska. We should be aware and cautious of the barnyards. 

16.The Spanish flu taught us that flu is inevitable.  At the time of the Spanish flu, humans were biologically superior in terms of nutrition but disadvantaged with the consequences of war. It remains a guess as to how many would die now. 

17. Hygiene, social distancing, and curbing mass gatherings are the best ways to combat the virus till we develop vaccines and drugs.  

18. It is in times such as these that people are compelled to help each other even if it is self-harming. Which is why the Spanish doctors - way back in 1918 - stuck to work when the flu struck the country despite facing risks. Even today, various medical associations are quietly working towards helping the community.

So, what do we learn from history? If I had to summarise it in one line, I would say, “Looking at how the world has been humbled by the virus, humanity has reacted collectively with an indomitable spirit which is displayed at its best when confronted with a crisis.”