Conquering Polio | The Cutter Fiasco
1/21/202636 min
In April 1954, a group of first graders lined up in the gymnasium of an elementary school in McLean, Virginia for the start of the Salk polio vaccine trials. In an era before widespread federal government involvement in public health, the National Institute of Infantile Paralysis executed an unprecedented experiment involving nearly 2 million children and tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, and volunteers. It was the largest peacetime mobilization in American history.
While scientists evaluated the results, Americans waited anxiously to find out whether the vaccine was safe and effective, putting an end to 40 years of fear. But...
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First 90 secondsLindsey Graham· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Wondering. [marching drum music] Imagine it's April twenty-fourth, nineteen fifty-five, in Pocatello, Idaho. You and your seven-year-old daughter, Susan, are sitting in an exam room at her pediatrician's office. The room smells of rubbing alcohol and floor polish. You hold your daughter next to you, her face drawn, her arm hanging uselessly by her side. And at last, the doctor enters the room, his gaze fixed on his clipboard. "Uh, let's see. When did this start?" You take a deep breath and run your fingers through Susan's hair, trying to stay calm for her sake. "Yesterday. It began with a little neck stiffness, but by nighttime, she had a fever. When she woke up this morning, she couldn't move her left arm. Is this what I think it is? Does she have polio?" The doctor examines her quietly, moving her head, tapping her knees, testing her grip. You try to read his face, but it stays blank. "Eh, it certainly seems that way, but we'll have to do a spinal tap to confirm." "But how could this happen? She was vaccinated for polio only a few days ago, just this past Monday. Was there something wrong with the vaccine?" "I followed last year's field trials closely. The vaccine is safe. It may not be perfect, but it's not dangerous." "So what happened?" "Susan was probably exposed to the poliovirus just before she received her injection. I'm sorry to say, this is just a case of