Critical investigation into stories of spontaneous infection in isolated localities such as ships at sea and island lighthouses will quite invariably demonstrate that these popular reports have been distortions of the actual facts. One or two examples will suffice. Abbott records an example: “An impression having gained some credence that influenza had appeared on board the squadron of naval vessels which sailed from Boston in December, 1889, while on their course across the Atlantic and before their arrival in Europe, a letter was addressed by the writer to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of the United States Navy for information upon this point, to which a reply was received, as follows: “The ‘Chicago,’ ‘Boston,’ ‘Atlanta’ and ‘Yorktown’ left Boston December 7, 1889, for Lisbon, Portugal. The first three arrived at Lisbon on December 21st without having touched at any port _en route_. The ‘Yorktown’ arrived at that port December 23d, having, stopped about twenty-four hours at Fayal, Azores.... Influenza first appeared on the ‘Chicago’ December 23d, on the ‘Boston’ December 28th, on the ‘Atlanta’ December 30th and on the ‘Yorktown’ December 28th. “Influenza was prevailing in Lisbon at the date of arrival of the squadron.” In March, 1920, the author was notified of a somewhat similar story which he undertook to trace. The results show well the inaccuracy of verbal transmission through several individuals. A letter was first sent to the Quarantine Officer at Portland, Maine: “It has been reported to us that in a lighthouse just outside of Portland, Maine, there has been a rather interesting prank played by influenza. We are told that three men and one woman live in the lighthouse; that during the 1918 influenza epidemic the woman contracted the disease while none of the men became sick, and that in the present epidemic all three of the men became sick with the disease and the woman remained well. It was claimed that they had had no communication with the mainland for some time before the men became ill,” etc. The reply was as follows: “I have inquired of the Light House Inspector’s office in Portland and they know of no stations to which the terms of your inquiry would apply. “At the Boon Island station, there are three keepers with families. At the Half Way Rock station, there are three keepers but no woman. The Inspector does not seem to know of any station where there are three men and one woman.” A second letter, sent to the Inspector of Lighthouses at Portland brought corroborative information: