Polio Vaccine
Polio has existed since at least 1580 B.C. Ancient Egyptian inscriptions show priests with withered legs.
Polio was first clinically recognized in 1789 by Dr. Michael Underwood. Dr. Jacob von Heine determined that Polio is contagious. In 1894, the first outbreak of Polio occurred in the United States. Iron Lungs were machines used to allow patients suffering from polio to breathe by decreasing air pressure.
"For instance, I am told that there are somewhere between three and four hundred thousand cripples in this country today—I mean cripples who are pretty thoroughly put out of business, who cannot get around, who cannot perform any useful task—people, in other words, most of them children, who have to be looked after by other people." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
In 1908, Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper correctly predicted that Polio was a virus. This was a breakthrough because vaccine research could now be conducted more efficiently.
In 1916, a Polio epidemic sweeped through New York City, increasing the need for a vaccine.
In 1931, scientists learned that there are 3 strains of Polio with varying properties and infection rates.
In 1938, the March of Dimes foundation was born. This was a fundraising effort by Eddie Cantor where people mailed dimes to the president. This foundation raised over 10 million dollars which went towards efforts to find a vaccine.
"...describes the foundation as second only to the Red Cross in the amount of money it raised... Because of the foundation, polio became one of the few—perhaps the only—disease for which anyone could get help." - The New York Times
In 1948, there was a major breakthrough where a scientist successfully artificially cultivated Polio in human cells. The scientists who succeeded in this got a Nobel prize.
