Jonas Salk: Vanquisher of Polio

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Academy of Achievement

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4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2015

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Before Jonas Salk created the Polio vaccine, thousands of children died every year or were left paralyzed by the virus (adults too). In 1952 alone, there were 58,000 cases in the United States. When news of the discovery was made public on April 12, 1955, Jonas Salk was hailed as a miracle worker. He further endeared himself to the public by refusing to patent the vaccine. He had no desire to profit personally from the discovery, but merely wished to see the vaccine disseminated as widely as possible. The interview with Dr. Salk featured in this episode was recorded in 1991. In it, Salk talks about being the child of uneducated immigrants, and carving his own path to medical school and eventually virology -- a specialty that didn't exist when he began as a researcher. He discusses the anti-semitic quotas he had to overcome, as well as the doubt and scorn of many of his peers. But he also describes the transformation and relief his polio vaccine brought to the world. (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015

Transcript

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0:00.0	Madame, this child is gifted, and I heard that enough that I started to believe it.
0:08.6	If you have the opportunity, not a perfect opportunity, and you don't take it, you may never have another
0:14.4	chance.
0:15.4	It all was so clear.
0:16.4	It was just like the picture started to form itself.
0:19.7	There was no way in which a lie could prevail over the truth, darkness over light, death over life.
0:27.0	Every day I wake up and decide. Today I'm going to love my life.
0:34.0	Decide.
0:39.0	My advice is if they don't break your leg once when you go in that place stay out of there. And then along come these differential experiences that you don't look for, you don't plan for,
0:46.3	but boy you better not miss them. This is what it takes, a podcast about passion, vision, and perseverance, from the Academy of
0:59.7	Achievement's recorded collection, a tremendous archive of intimate thoughtful conversations with people who have changed the world.
1:09.0	I'm Alice Winkler.
1:11.0	The Academy of Achievement is based in Washington, D.C. and it was founded to inspire students by bringing
1:18.8	them together with leaders in every field.
1:22.3	But now with this podcast you also get to hear the stories and
1:26.4	insights of these remarkable human beings. People like Dr. Jonas Salk, but let's start a little farther back before the world learned his name.
1:38.0	This year, the enemy poleomyelitis struck with such impact and fury that it shook the entire nation.
1:45.0	It spread its crippling tentacles from ocean to ocean and border to border.
1:50.0	There has been no escape, no immunity.
1:53.0	It has closed the gates on normal childhood.
1:55.5	It has swept our beaches, stilled our boats, and emptied our parks.
2:00.0	For this is epidemic. In the 1940s and early 50s, summer was terrifying.
	...

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