Jonas Salk
Polio Miracle Worker
By Norman Hill
r o r to a i ni ant
r
n
the summer of 1951, according to my
moth r mi ht ha
ff r a mi
case of polio. Perhaps too much tennis
had been the real culprit, but my left
arm and shoulder have always been
weaker than my right.
Born in New York to Russian-Jewish
immigrant parents, Salk received his
medical degree in the city. He was
a
to r
ar h in
n a h r
the virus causing the disease had
recently been discovered. Both
government and medical authorities
were very concerned that after a
n
or
ar a ata tro hi
epidemic might occur, just as it did
a t r or
ar
a
on rm
that the virus could be manipulated
so that it could not infect, but still
ro i
imm nity
By the 1940s and 1950s, the entire
U.S. population was panicked by polio
and eager to contribute to research
In addition to Roosevelt, many famous
people had contracted polio, including
th io i t t ha
r man o t
Salk continued his research and
trials for eight years. During his
work, he spent tens of millions on
his trials and eventually, starting in
1954, used over one million children
in testing the vaccine. The March of
Dimes contributed substantially to
Salk’s work, which constituted the
most extensive clinical trial in
medical history. His colleagues
r ama
y th n m r o
hours Salk worked each day,
including weekends, without letup.
By 1947, Salk was associated with
the University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine. From his earlier research
an that o oth r on th in
n a
virus, vaccines had controlled the
disease after World War II. He hoped
to use a similar approach to develop
a a in to ht o io a o no n
to be virus caused.
t th o io ir ha a
researchers for many years. Finally,
it was discovered that it was
transmitted through fecal matter
and nose and mouth secretions.
These in turn led the virus to be
housed in the intestines and then
to move to the brain or spinal cord.
In early 1955, these human trials
a o io a in that ff ti y
rot t
ati nt rom ff t o
the virus. The public became riveted
on Salk’s clinical trials, even before
any results could be ascertained. News
of Salk’s successful results was at last
released to the public on April 12,
166
1955. As a result, he became
a national hero, and President
Eisenhower presented him with a
citation. Some in Congress even called
for a national holiday to be proclaimed
in his honor. Salk’s reputation was
enhanced when he declined to seek
a at nt on hi a in or ro t in
any way from his invention. He also
declined a ticker tape parade in his
honor. To one interviewer’s question,