|
Polio or poliomyelitis is an ancient
disease that mimics the symptoms of a
common cold, but then rapidly causes varying degrees of paralysis in
its
victims. For those stricken with polio,
some eventually recover fully, some suffer from permanent paralysis
ranging from mild to severe, and a minority die. In 1916, the
fast-acting and
debilitating disease hit the United
States
and fatally lingered for four decades. Although
polio was often referred to as Infantile
Paralysis, the disease
was not limited to infants—it attacked men, women, and children
indiscriminately
of age, class, and race. Despite the
significant strides in technology, science, and medicine in the early
twentieth
century, the onslaught of polio brought confusion, uncertainty, and
fear as the
number of cases continued to increase. During
the early years of President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration in the
1930s, America
declared war on polio. Through programs
like the March of Dimes, the country raised money as well as awareness
in an
attempt to isolate the sources of the virus, develop better treatment
and
rehabilitation techniques, and discover preventative measures. After an explosion of polio cases in the
early 1950s, the United States
declared victory in the war on polio in 1955 with Dr. Jonas Salk's
development of
a safe and effective polio vaccine. Eradicating
a great fear and heavy burden, the polio vaccine, heralded as
a triumph of American science, technology, and culture,
transformed American society.
|
|