Fifty years after the first mass polio vaccinations, it is hard to imagine the terror the disease once brought American families. Polio crippled more than 400,000 children in the first half of the 20th Century. In 1955, Pittsburgh doctor Jonas Salk started vaccinating children against polio, and became a national hero. His vaccine virtually wiped polio out of existence in America.
This year, which is the 50th anniversary of Salk’s great achievement, the World Health Organization has set its sights on eradicating the disease worldwide.
In this radio diary, Jeffrey Kluger, author of the new book on Jonas Salk, takes us into one of the great medical minds of the 20th century.
Guests:
Jeffrey Kluger, author of the new book, “Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio.”
