Polio: An American Story By David M. Oshinsky
Polio: An Eradicated Disease It was unthinkable for someone to contract polio if they were born in the 1960s or later in America. To that generation and after, polio was just another fleeting disease. People born before this time period are reminded how frightening the disease was, which debilitated thousands of people. The spread of polio could not seem to be stopped until a vaccine was found. Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky describes the stories of how polio was triumphed. Polio impacted the United States by affecting the lifestyle of people, attracting the attention of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and by influencing scientists to investigate and experiment to find the cure for the deadly disease.
Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by poliovirus, which can cause chronic paralysis and weakness in the nerves. Polio was always an issue in the early 20th century in the United States, with cases numbering the ten
…show more content…
The lifestyle of people during an outbreak was greatly affected. Everyone stayed away from swimming pools as it was thought that the polio virus was contracted through water. Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted polio after his visit to his vacation house in Canada, which had a lake. It was later shown in a study that chlorine rendered the poliovirus inactive. Many public areas were shut down such as camps, theaters, and schools, and many activities were abandoned. According to Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky, less skin was revealed by women to eliminate the spread of germs, “churches adopted individual communion cups, and cities installed sanitary water fountains” (36). Even though many precautions were taken to prevent the spread of germs, they did not necessarily help like with other diseases. Researchers and scientists could not seem to find the cause of the disease or how it spread. This caused a panic to many people and a feeling of
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1263 Words | 6 PagesOne of the biggest contribution was the polio vaccine.
Henrietta Lacks Research Papers
704 Words | 3 PagesThis allowed for more experiments to be done which lead to the development of the polio vaccine. As stated by Neil Bhavsar, “the vaccine developed… was only possible because HeLa cells were able to survive in Vitro. The HeLa cells were easy to infect and study, and therefore provided the perfect subject” (Bhavsar). The vaccine itself was developed by a scientists of the name of Jonas Salk. The ability for the cells to be easily infected allowed for the continued development of the polio vaccine.
Henrietta Lacks Benefits
1249 Words | 5 PagesPolio is an infectious viral disease that affects the central nervous system. The year 1950, a year before Henrietta Lacks died, was the peak of the polio
Summary Of Polio David Oshinsky
215 Words | 1 PagesPolio: An American Story written by David Oshinsky highlights the journey to the discovery of a vaccine which would finally put an end to the once mysterious disease, Poliomyelitis. The journey begins in Otter Valley, Vermont, as it was the first Polio epidemic to be documented in the United States. Unknowingly, it would take years after the first epidemic in 1894 to find a solution for this frightening illness. The disease dates back to ancient time, with cases describing the victims to be left with disfigured limbs and some eventually to be paralyzed. Oshinsky identifies that the disease appeared in three phases: endemic, which occurs in a sporadically within a group of people, epidemic, in which it affected many people and spread rapidly,
March Of Dimes Pros And Cons
1201 Words | 5 PagesDebate outline I. Introduction A. Did you know that president Roosevelt was not only a president but also created that national foundation for infantile paralysis when polio was on the rise as he too struggled with polio. This is now known as the March of Dimes. B. A fighting chance for every baby.
Infant Vaccination Research Paper
741 Words | 3 PagesThose against mandatory vaccines deem that the chickenpox, measles, rubella and rotavirus all have symptoms that can be treated with oral medicines and creams. Vaccine-preventable diseases have not disappeared so vaccination is still necessary and the diseases that decreased tremendously were due to the impact of vaccines. The CDC notes that many vaccine-preventable diseases are still in the United States or "only a plane ride away." Although the paralytic form of polio has largely disappeared thanks to vaccination, the virus still exists in countries like Pakistan where there were 93 cases in 2013 and 71 in 2014 as of May 15. The polio virus can be incubated by a person without symptoms for years; that person can then accidentally infect an unvaccinated child or adult in whom the virus can mutate into its paralytic form and spread amongst unvaccinated people.
The Pros And Cons Of Hela Cells
595 Words | 3 PagesOriginally, on Tuskegee University, monkey cells were being used to measure the quantity of antibody developed in response to the poliovirus infection. However, since there were not large enough quantities of the cells, another host cell was needed, which ended up being HeLa. With the immortality of HeLa cells and its ability to be easily infected by the poliovirus, it was an amazing alternative source, from there the poliovirus vaccine was created. Before this vaccine, right around 1953, there were close to 60,000 polio cases in the United States. Destroying the results of the polio vaccination could put society in distress, and maybe even beat the amount of polio cases from
Argumentative Essay On The Spanish Influenza
1130 Words | 5 PagesThis new outbreak proved that the American treatments and vaccinations were effective. The death toll was reasonably lower than the Spanish Influenza outbreak, which showed improvement in lifestyle for people around the world and in America. Cities such as Philadelphia and San Francisco that had at first refused to acknowledge the severity of the outbreak now closed schools, churches, and other public gathering places. (Stock) The U.S. government took initiative and displayed their power by mandating closings of schools, and creating a cleaner society for years to
How Did The Dust Bowl Affect The Blizzards
715 Words | 3 PagesIt caused a great epidemic in the U.S. that would be solved by one man, and his name was Theodore Roosevelt. He put through many procedures and ideas that greatly helped the people of the
Franklin D Roosevelt Disadvantages
578 Words | 3 PagesFranklin D. Roosevelt was a successful man who was stricken with polio, a disease that makes a person unable to move some muscles, at the age of 39. Confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he decided he would not remain helpless and worked tirelessly to give the impression he had no disability (Freedman 53). He was able to win the hearts of the American people as President for 12 years (Freedman 3). During his presidency he was able bring America out of the Great Depression and guided the nation to victory in World War II. Although Franklin D. Roosevelt had polio, he was able to overcome it and be a successful 32nd President.
Why Vaccines Are Mandatory Argumentative Essay
1426 Words | 6 PagesModern medicine provides people with the ability to protect themselves from the world’s most fatal diseases. Merely a century ago, it was not uncommon for a child to die as a result of diseases such as polio, pertussis, and tuberculosis. Today, it is highly unlikely for a person to contract these diseases, let alone die from them. However, refusal of vaccinations has been increasing throughout the years due to the anti-vaccination movement. This movement declares mandatory vaccines unconstitutional and vaccinations overall as the cause of autism.
Argumentative Essay On Vaccination In Public Schools
933 Words | 4 PagesThe year of 1853 deemed obligatory for all children born after the first of August to receive routine immunizations. By 1898, one hundred years after Edward Jenner’s unveiling of the vaccine, smallpox in London had fallen dramatically – to one in every 100,000 (less than 50 people per
Creative Writing: The Yellow Fever
236 Words | 1 PagesThe town was so alive then. Even after the fever, many of the citizens still bounced back, ready to take on another bout of the epidemic. No one would know of polio yet, of course. But this cousin of the Yellow Fever seemed more alarming, since no one knew how it was spread. It would steal your limbs and leave you unable to move.
Essay On Monkeypox
1562 Words | 7 PagesHuman monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), a member of the genus Orthopoxvirus (family Poxviridae, subfamily Chordopoxvirinae), that occurs mostly in the rain forests of central and western Africa. People living in or near the forested areas may have indirect or low-level exposure, possibly leading to subclinical infection. However, the disease recently emerged in the United States in imported wild rodents from Africa. Monkeypox has a clinical presentation very similar to that of ordinary forms of smallpox, including flulike symptoms, fever, malaise, back pain, headache, and characteristic rash. Given this clinical spectrum, differential diagnosis to rule out smallpox is very important.
Health Benefits Of Polio Vaccine
1134 Words | 5 Pages(salk announces polio vaccine.) It may have been too late for some people but when it did come out it saved not just many lives but tons of lives. Salk 's was the first person to think of the Vaccine even if Sabin was the head
More about Polio: An American Story By David M. Oshinsky
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1263 Words | 6 PagesHenrietta Lacks Research Papers
704 Words | 3 PagesHenrietta Lacks Benefits
1249 Words | 5 PagesSummary Of Polio David Oshinsky
215 Words | 1 PagesMarch Of Dimes Pros And Cons
1201 Words | 5 PagesInfant Vaccination Research Paper
741 Words | 3 PagesThe Pros And Cons Of Hela Cells
595 Words | 3 PagesArgumentative Essay On The Spanish Influenza
1130 Words | 5 PagesHow Did The Dust Bowl Affect The Blizzards
715 Words | 3 PagesFranklin D Roosevelt Disadvantages
578 Words | 3 PagesWhy Vaccines Are Mandatory Argumentative Essay
1426 Words | 6 PagesArgumentative Essay On Vaccination In Public Schools
933 Words | 4 PagesCreative Writing: The Yellow Fever
236 Words | 1 PagesEssay On Monkeypox
1562 Words | 7 PagesHealth Benefits Of Polio Vaccine
1134 Words | 5 Pages