The introduction in 1955 of the first poliomyelitis vaccine was pivotal in the prevention of a dreaded disease that left many young people paralyzed or dead. Such were the fears about polio that in spring and summer each year, major cities closed public pools and beaches to prevent its spread. The Salk and Sabin vaccines changed all that and significantly influenced the development of other vaccines to this day. This class will discuss the real story behind the conquest of poliomyelitis: Who created these vaccines, and what was the reason for the vitriol between Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin? Who really made the first killed poliovirus vaccine? Why was the Salk killed virus vaccine abandoned for the Sabin live virus vaccine, then subsequently replaced with a newer killed virus vaccine? How did other countries benefit from the U.S. vaccines? What did we learn from the poliomyelitis vaccine development?
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Earlier Event: October 24
Monday Nonfiction Book Club
Later Event: October 27
Casa del Herrero, the House of the Blacksmith