Tag: Albert Sabin

The first US polio case in over a decade

July 23rd 2022 It was not so long ago (1950) that the lack of a polio vaccine led to debilitating developmental defects in our population. Because of decades of research to develop the oral polio vaccine, children today know nothing of the fear that polio brought to the United States every summer well into the … Continue reading The first US polio case in over a decade

Thank You Doctor Salk! (and Drs Enders, Bodian, Landsteiner, Sabin…)

Today's Google Doodle honours Dr Jonas Salk, who in 1954 created the world's first effective polio vaccine, which was responsible for launching a campaign that has seen this terrible disease become an increasingly distant memory in most  - though sadly not all - parts of the world. It's an opportunity to reflect on the pioneering … Continue reading Thank You Doctor Salk! (and Drs Enders, Bodian, Landsteiner, Sabin…)

Albert Sabin and the monkeys who gave summer back to the children.

Albert Sabin has been called “the doctor who gave summer back to the children.”* Because of his decades of research to develop the oral polio vaccine, children today know nothing of the fear that polio brought to the United States every summer well into the 20th century.  Swimming pools and movie theaters were closed and … Continue reading Albert Sabin and the monkeys who gave summer back to the children.