re: #76 Hecuba’s daughter

I recall reading a theory years ago that older people had protective antibodies from some 19th century flu epidemic which was not as lethal or widespread as the 1918 epidemic.

From Wikipedia, that source of all human ken (citation needed):

Scientists offer several possible explanations for the high mortality rate of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Some analyses have shown the virus to be particularly deadly because it triggers a cytokine storm, which ravages the stronger immune system of young adults. In contrast, a 2007 analysis of medical journals from the period of the pandemic found that the viral infection was no more aggressive than previous influenza strains. Instead, malnourishment, overcrowded medical camps and hospitals, and poor hygiene promoted bacterial superinfection. This superinfection killed most of the victims, typically after a somewhat prolonged death bed.

en.wikipedia.org