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biological weapon, but rejects it as impossible, given humans' lack of understanding of alien physiology. Thinking of her recent marriage, she wonders if Drake married her to meet Tholan, but rejects this as the timing was not possible. Reviewing the dinner conversation, she remembers Drake's seemingly overreaction to Tholan's polite mention of what a good hostess she was.
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old age. Tholan reveals that the other races normally live indefinitely, growing at an ever-slowing rate over time, like Earth trees. Inhibition Death stops the growth, leading to death in a human-like way. He says that the disease has become much more common since travel between Earth and other planets began, and planets closest to Earth suffer the highest rates.
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At home, Rose mentions her research to Drake. He asks if Tholan has published any conclusions on how the disease spreads; he has not. Drake immediately confronts Tholan with a weapon. Tholan admits that he has come to a conclusion about the cause of the disease, but his research methods are repugnant
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That night, Drake tells Rose that Tholan had asked about him before the visit, and implies that he is there to see him, not Rose. The next day, Rose reads some of Tholan's work which causes her to abandon the notion that he is an imposter. She considers whether the disease was created on Earth as a
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During dinner conversation, Tholan explains that he is investigating "Inhibition Death". The alien lists several unique things about humans: they are the only sentient race to eat meat, they lack any sort of telepathic ability, and to the
Smolletts' great surprise, they are the only race to die of
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As she waits for him to return, Rose realizes Drake is lying. The disease cannot inhibit cancer, because children get cancer while still growing, before the disease has expressed itself. She realizes the real action of the disease: There are two forms and they need to mix genes before producing a
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After Tholan admits that he has told no one else of the theory, Drake kills him. He says he did this to avoid interstellar war, as the other races would attack Earth to destroy the parasites. Rose realizes that he and the
Security Board had to have been aware of Tholan's theory already. She notes
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Harg Tholan, a medical researcher from Hawkin's Planet, visits Earth to work at the
Jenkins Institute for the Natural Sciences. Research biologist Rose Smollett offers to host him in her home. Her new husband Drake, a member of the World Security Board, dislikes Tholan's presence.
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Drake's reaction to Tholan's use of the term "hostess" and her offhand mention of mosquitos, carriers of disease. Drake admits that they are indeed aware of the disease, but can do nothing; it now lives in a
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The story involves an alien medical doctor who visits Earth as part of research into the unique fact that only Earth beings age and die. His idea of why this happens is proven true in an unexpected way.
120:. Humans are now partially immune to its effects, but eventually succumb. To spread, the disease controls human behavior, urging males—especially those in the first year of marriage—to have
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form that spreads to aliens. This is why Drake married her; they carried the two different forms and the disease was mating. Rose realizes that her husband will never return.
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so they can infect new hosts. Tholan notes that with the development of interstellar travel, almost all missing persons have fled to space.
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55:. It was first published in the May 1951 issue of
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339:Insert Knob A in Hole B
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276:Breeds There a Man...?
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381:Eyes Do More Than See
374:My Son, the Physicist
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151:X Minus One
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49:short story
18:Hawkinsites
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122:wanderlust
255:Nightfall
197:"Hostess"
188:"Hostess"
297:What If—
118:parasite
283:C-Chute
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