Captain Trips is a fictional virus occurring in the Stephen King novel The Stand. Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. A virus (from the Latin virus meaning Toxin or Poison) is a sub-microscopic infectious agent that is unable Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, The Stand is a Post-apocalyptic horror / Science fiction Novel by Stephen King originally published in 1978
A form of superflu (influenza), it originates in an American biological weapons laboratory under the Mojave Desert in California, commanded by a General William "Billy" Starkey, and is hinted to have been created by breeding a hybrid of influenza and an AIDS-like illness. Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium For the indigenous American tribe see Mohave. The Mojave Desert (moʊˈhɑːvi or /məˈhɑːvi/ ( Hayikwiir Mat'aar in Mojave California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. 99. 4% of the human population is vulnerable and the disease is universally and swiftly fatal to those that catch it. Those who are immune to Captain Trips are utterly immune — in one instance, protagonist Stu Redman is unknowingly injected with the virus, only to have his immune system kill it. An immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an Organism that protects against Disease by identifying and killing Pathogens and Tumor No medical basis for this immunity is identified in the research conducted, nor is it discovered why some people have immunity. Immunity is a material term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid Infection, Disease, or other unwanted biological invasion The only evident connection between the immune persons that doctors identify is that all seem to be heavy, vivid dreamers. Dreams are the images sounds thoughts and feelings experienced while Sleeping, particularly strongly associated with Rapid eye movement sleep.
Captain Trips is given several other nicknames by survivors, including “the rales,” and “Tube Neck. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. ” “Captain Trips” and “the superflu” are the dominant names. The official code name of the virus development project was “Project Blue. A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word ”
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Release
The plague is released in an unspecified accident. Charles Campion, a military guard at a government biowarfare installation somewhere in California, notices the warning light indicating the release, and manages to escape before the installation is locked down. Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium He flees with his family.
His flight ends in the small town of Arnette, Texas. The Stand is a Post-apocalyptic horror / Science fiction Novel by Stephen King originally published in 1978 Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Near death, Campion crashes into the fuel pumps at a Texaco gas station owned by Bill Hapscomb. A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet Stuart "Stu" Redman, a friend of Hapscomb’s who will become a major character, manages to turn off the fuel pumps and avert an explosion. Of the four men who come to Campion’s aid, Redman is the only one who turns out to be immune. Among the investigators is a state trooper, Joseph Robert “Joe Bob” Brentwood, who is a cousin to Bill Hapscomb. A highway patrol is either a Police agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing Traffic safety Compliance on roads and highways Attempting to halt the spread of the illness, the military nearly succeeds in imposing a quarantine on Arnette, but then Brentwood stops at the gas station to warn Hapscomb and contracts the illness himself. For other uses see Quarantine (disambiguation Quarantine is voluntary or compulsory isolation typically to contain the spread of something He then leaves Arnette on patrol and all hope of containing the disease is lost (if, indeed, there ever was any hope). The citizens of Arnette are taken to the Plague Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services based in unincorporated The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule However, containment at the Atlanta facility fails, and the few survivors are moved to Stovington, Vermont, where all the remaining survivors from Arnette (except Redman) succumb to the virus. The Stand is a Post-apocalyptic horror / Science fiction Novel by Stephen King originally published in 1978 Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. When it becomes clear the plague will not be contained and will destroy America, Starkey gives orders to have the plague spread behind the Iron Curtain as well as in Red China. The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The plague lasts only nineteen days, but more than 99 percent of the global population is killed. In the United States, a country of 218 million at the time in which the book is set, it is later estimated by a character that only a few thousand survived. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In terms of the 99. 4% mortality rate, only 1,308,000 would have survived. Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time
The spread of the plague is very fast and rapidly fulminant. At one point, a military guard who had been in the presence of Captain Trips patients for only a few hours is shown to have begun displaying symptoms. The virus, which the military denies exists, picks up little attention until it is realized that there are very few survivors. Communications break down and in the final phase before the wasteland period, the few with immunity walk around the deserted country, finding those in the final terminal stages.
The virus remains active after all susceptible characters die. Babies who were conceived prior to the outbreak contract the virus after birth. However, the mother passes enough immunity to her child so that the illness is not always fatal.
In the novel, Randall Flagg observes that the same laboratory that produced Captain Trips also created similar mutations of cholera, anthrax, and bubonic plague. Randall Flagg is a Fictional character created by Stephen King. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium Anthrax is an acute Disease in humans and animals caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis which is highly lethal in some forms Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as
Pathology
It is explained that the superflu is so deadly because it is different from the common types of flu. Influenza normally mutates every couple of years or so, hence the need for flu shots. A Vaccine is an Inoculation designed to increase immunity against a specific disease But Captain Trips is a “constantly shifting-antigen” virus. An antigen (from antibody-generating) or immunogen is a substance that prompts the generation of Antibodies and can cause an immune response This means the flu changes every time a person’s immune system comes to a defense posture. For the same reason, a vaccine is impossible to create. A vaccine is a biological preparation which is used to establish or improve immunity to a particular disease The human body can’t produce the antibodies necessary to stop an antigen-shifting virus because every time the body does produce the right antibody, the virus has already shifted to a slightly new form, negating the effect of the new antibodies. Antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins, abbreviated Ig) are Gamma globulin Proteins that are found in Blood or other Bodily It just shifts from form to form until the body is worn out. The result, inevitably, is death.
The vast majority of those who were immune never got sick at all, but apparently it was possible to survive, as evidenced by Fran’s baby, Peter Goldsmith, who survived because he was able to shift right back at the virus and continue creating antibodies without being overwhelmed.
Symptoms and stages
A military doctor identifies four stages. He notes that some characters bypass a stage or stay in one stage longer than most. Some characters appear to improve for a while, only to relapse strongly afterwards. In some places in the novel, characters who catch the virus sneeze three times in a row to show they had just caught Capitan Trips.
Stage One has no frank symptoms, although the victim is infectious. Blood pressure shows unusual variations, and “wagon wheel” incubator cells are present in the sputum. Blood pressure is also the title of a short story by Damon Runyan in Guys and Dolls and Other Stories
Stage Two resembles the common cold, with mild symptoms such as nasal discharge, sneezing and coughing. Acute viral nasopharyngitis or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a highly contagious viral Infectious disease of the A low-grade fever may be present. Fever (also known as pyrexia, from the Greek pyretos meaning fire or a febrile response, from the Latin word Febris Many characters in this stage do not limit their activities; they continue to shop, travel, or work, spreading the disease.
Stage Three at the start may resemble asthma, bronchitis, influenza, or mononucleosis. Asthma is a chronic Condition involving the Respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict become inflamed, and are Bronchitis is an Inflammation of the Bronchi. More specifically it may refer to Acute bronchitis, caused by viruses or bacteria and lasting Infectious mononucleosis, also known as Pfeiffer's disease, mono (in The United States of America) and more commonly known as glandular The cold-like symptoms of Stage Two become more severe. Chills, high fever, swollen lymph glands, dizziness, weakness, and painful urination develop. The lymphatic system in Vertebrates is a network of conduits that carry a clear fluid called Lymph. Most characters in this stage go to bed or try to see a doctor. Late in this stage, the illness becomes more like pneumonia; a few characters show delirium just before entering the fourth, terminal stage. Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal Delirium is an acute and relatively sudden (developing over hours to days decline in attention-focus perception and Cognition.
Stage Four resembles pneumonia, bubonic plague and, in some cases, hemorrhagic fever. Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as The viral hemorrhagic Fevers ( VHFs') are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses that are caused by five distinct families of Breathing becomes difficult and there is much swelling in the face, neck and groin. Swollen areas turn purple, then black. There is much discharge of mucus, which may be bloody. Fever is extremely high, and delirium is common. Fever (also known as pyrexia, from the Greek pyretos meaning fire or a febrile response, from the Latin word Febris In Medicine, hyperpyrexia is an excessive and unusual elevation of set Body temperature greater than or equal to 41 Delirium is an acute and relatively sudden (developing over hours to days decline in attention-focus perception and Cognition. Characters in this stage are immobilized in most—but not all—cases; as in the earlier stages, any caregiver will be infected unless he or she is immune. Death is usually caused by respiratory failure. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Respiratory failure is a medical term for inadequate Gas exchange by the Respiratory system.
"Night Surf"
Captain Trips is also a main plot element in "Night Surf", a short story in King’s Night Shift. "Night Surf" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift. Night Shift is the first Anthology of short stories by Stephen King, first published in 1978. There are a few differences from The Stand therein, however.
The story centers on a group of superflu survivors on a New England beach. They are teenagers who appear to have rather sinister natures and seem to be sort of partying at first. Later, though, they become frightened when one of them gets sick and they realize it may only be a matter of time until they are all dead.
In "Night Surf", Captain Trips is also known as “A6” and was said to have originated in East Asia rather than in California. It was not said if the disease was man-made or a natural mutation. A story circulates after A6/Trips crops up that a person who has contracted Hong Kong flu will be immune to the new virus. H3N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus. Its name derives from the forms of the two kinds of Proteins on the surface of its coat Hemagglutinin (H and However, this appears to have been a falsehood by the end of the story, Hong Kong flu merely stalling the disease.
"Night Surf" is said to be part of King’s inspiration for The Stand. It was made into a low-budget movie.
The Dark Tower
Captain Trips appears again in Stephen King’s epic series The Dark Tower inspired by Robert Browning’s poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came. The Dark Tower is a series of seven books written by American author Stephen King between 1970 and 2004 It appears in the lead story of a newspaper in the fourth installment Wizard and Glass,when the main characters of the Dark Tower briefly find themselves in the alternate universe of The Stand, which explains the lack of living people in the area.
Other references
- In Stephen King’s miniseries The Golden Years, a hippie was nicknamed Captain Trips. Golden Years is a Stephen King miniseries that aired in seven parts on CBS in 1991.
- The Anthrax song "Among the Living" is a tribute to "The Stand" (specifically Randall Flagg), and contains many references to the superflu (i. Anthrax is an acute Disease in humans and animals caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis which is highly lethal in some forms Randall Flagg is a Fictional character created by Stephen King. e. "with some help from Captain Trips we'll bring the world down to its knees")
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