Conquering Polio | Beyond the Microscope | 2
American History Tellers
Audible
4.6 • 19K Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
By the late 1940s, the National Institute of Infantile Paralysis had raised millions of dollars to pay for patient care and laboratory research. But polio cases were reaching record levels, and scientists were no closer to a cure. Frustrated by the slow progress, Basil O’Connor resolved to recruit fresh talent to the cause. He soon found what he was looking for in a young and energetic researcher named Jonas Salk.
In 1951, Salk began testing a killed virus polio vaccine on monkeys in his Pittsburgh lab. His research soon put him at odds with the leading polio scientist Albert Sabin, who wanted his own live virus vaccine formula to prevail. As their rivalry escalated, Salk prepared to take the risky step of testing his vaccine on human subjects.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, history buffs, if you can't get enough of the captivating stories we uncover on American |
| 0:04.7 | history tellers, you'll love the exclusive experience of Wondry Plus. |
| 0:08.4 | Dive even deeper into the past with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and |
| 0:13.0 | bonus content that brings history to life like never before. |
| 0:16.2 | Join Wondery Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcast and embark on an unparalleled journey through America's most pivotal moments. |
| 0:37.2 | Imagine it's late in the day in December 1949. |
| 0:41.2 | You're the director of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, |
| 0:44.8 | and you're hunched over to your typewriter in your Manhattan office. |
| 0:48.0 | It's already dark, but you're too busy firing off memos to your department heads to go home yet. |
| 0:53.0 | You look up as a man with a shock of white |
| 0:55.5 | hair enters the room. It's Albert Sabin, the leading polio researcher from the University of Cincinnati. |
| 1:01.6 | Oh, Dr. Sabin, what brings you here? A new breakthrough in the lab, I hope? No, I need you to explain yourself. |
| 1:07.7 | Dr. Savan throws your foundation's latest pamphlet on your desk. The words polio can be |
| 1:13.0 | conquered are printed across the cover. Well, explain what? Polio can be conquered. Yes, but you're |
| 1:19.3 | telling people that victory over the disease is imminent. It is certainly not. There are no |
| 1:23.8 | guarantees that polio will be conquered soon or ever. This messaging is irresponsible. |
| 1:28.6 | Dr. Savin, I'm running a multi-million dollar charity, not a scientific journal. |
| 1:33.0 | The Foundation needs to raise public hopes to encourage donations. |
| 1:36.8 | Donors need to know that their dimes are helping to pave the way for a vaccine. |
| 1:40.6 | And it seems to me that some of the latest research developments are very encouraging. Oh, what do you know about research? |
| 1:46.0 | You may know public relations, but science is a different matter. |
| 1:49.0 | It cannot be rushed. |
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