Professor Humphries’ books include “The Last Plague: Spanish Influenza and the Politics of Public Health in Canada.” Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Most people believe that the Spanish flu was carried across Canada by troops returning from fighting in Europe during World War I. And in many ways, what’s remarkable about the Spanish flu is how little worry it caused within professional circles. The reason was that in 1918 you were far more likely to die of an infectious disease than today. Why was the Spanish flu so lethal?

Source: New York Times March 20, 2020 21:56 UTC