Hello, everybody. This is Jennifer Matterese. And before I get started with the episode today,

I'd just like to take care of the usual housekeeping. For starters, paid requests are now reopened.

If you're interested in submitting a disaster request, please double-check the list of requests.

I most recently posted the podcast, Facebook, and Tumblr accounts to make sure your request

has not already been made. Also, please look through past

episodes to verify I haven't already covered the disaster in question. To submit a request,

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disaster to the notes on your donation. If you have an idea for an episode subject, but you're not sure if it qualifies, feel free to message me and I can approve one way or the other, although I usually do. The subject from this particular episode was chosen by Eric, and I'd like to thank them for the request and for the donation. If you'd still like to help support the

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dash podcast. Also, please think about rating and reviewing the podcast on whatever app that you

listen to podcasts on. And as always, these sources for each new episode can be found at

disasterareapodcast.wordpress.com and in the episode description, wherever you might be listening to me.

The sources for this episode include the books Polio and American History by David M. O'Schinsky

and the cutter incident by Dr. Paul Offutt, who also wrote a similarly named piece for the New England Journal of Medicine.

Sources also include the polio crusade, an episode of the American Experience, and a video by Open Pediatrics on the Iron Lung.

And before I proceed, I do want to issue a trigger warning for the mentions of the use of animals and aborted fetuses in medical experimentation.

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