1. Poliomyelitis: A Life-Changing Epidemic
"A contagion of love swept the world. People observed moments of silence, rang bells, honked horns, blew factory whistles, fired salutes, kept their traffic lights red in brief periods of tribute, took the rest of the day off, closed their schools or convoked fervid assemblies therein, drank toasts, hugged children, attended church, smiled at strangers, forgave enemies." (Carter, 1). The date is April 12, 1955, and it had just been revealed that a vaccine for the disease called poliomyelitis, otherwise known as polio, had been discovered. The disease plagued the world for years, and finally, a cure was found. Polio was a powerful epidemic that not only paralyzed its victims, it crippled a nation, infecting history and changing the face of the United States forever.
There are three important issues to discuss to understand the disease; what Polio is, how it spread, and what its effects are. First, what is Polio? Poliomyelitis is defined as "an acute infectious disease caused by the poliovirus and characterized by fever, motor paralysis, and atrophy of skeletal muscles often with permanent disability and deformity and marked by inflammation of nerve cells in the anterior gray matter in each lateral half of the spinal cord -- called also infantile paralysis" (Merriam-Webster). The virus starts in the intestines, travels through the bloodstream and nervous system where it ruins the motor neutrons which causes the life-long paralysis (Dove). It usually begins with a headache, sore throat, and vomiting before the poliomyelitis paralyzes in the early phases of the symptoms. Polio more commonly occurs in younger children, but can also infect older children and teenagers. Polio may paralyze in two different ways. The first, as previously stated, paralyzes the limbs of the victim. The second paralysis affects the respiratory system, requiring an aid for breathing. It is not likely that an individual would contract both strains of the disease.
... types of the serotypes and traces of neomycin, streptomycin, and polymyxin B. The vaccine can be injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly. The IPV is very effective in protecting from polio infection and poliomyelitis by causing immunity; however, its duration is unknown. The oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is another vaccine used mostly in the United States and was discovered in 1963. OPV contains ... types of the serotypes and traces of neomycin, streptomycin, and polymyxin B. The vaccine can be injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly. The IPV is very effective in protecting from pol...
... creating many complications that can sometimes result in death (Daniel 30). In the mild form of the disease, symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. The term "poliomyelitis" is derived from three Greek words: "itis" meaning "inflammation," "polios" standing for "of the gray", and "myelos" denoting "matter of the spinal cord." The public and medical professionals ... Jonas Edward Salk, an American research scientist, worked in the field of preventive medicine. He gained his greatest recognition for developing a vaccine that became the first effectiv...
How the Polio Vaccine Caused More Harm Than Good Poliomyelitis, also called polio or "infantile paralysis," is an acute viral infection caused by the poliovirus. In the past, because of the many cases and critical results from epidemics of polio, ... the brain, creating many complications that can sometimes result in death. In the mild form of the disease, symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. The term "poliomyelitis" is derived from three Greek words: "itis" meaning "inflammation," "polios" standing for "of the gray", and "myelos" denoting "matter of ...
... Kahlo was born immediately after the death of Wilhelm's first wife. She had two older and three younger half-sisters. When she was six years old she got sick of poliomyelitis and because of that, she was lying in bed for nine months in pain. After her recovery, as a consequence of the disease, one leg was shorter and thinner, and because ... ...
... Harding for president. After this I decided to take a break and return to private life. While I was on vacation on Campobello Island in New Brunswick during the summer of 1921, I contracted Poliomyelitis. I tried just about everything to fight this crippling disease. However, despite all my efforts I became paralyzed from the waist down, never being able to use my legs again. However, during ... ...
... performed the first successful heart surgery on a dog , and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awared to Theodore W. Richards for determinations of the atomic weight of numerous chemical elements. Also, poliomyelitis, called polio, a virus that caused paralysis most of the time, terrorized many parents. Parents feared the possibility that their child could catch the crippling disease. However, on April 12, 1955 ... ...
In the 1950s, summertime was a time of fear and anxiety for many parents; this was the season when children by the thousands became infected with the crippling disease named polio. Poliomyelitis is a disorder caused by a viral infection that can affect the whole body, including muscles and nerves. Severe cases may cause permanent paralysis or death. This epidemic caused great fear in ... ...
... only scientist to infect animals and then develop vaccines for dozens of diseases. Many other scientists have developed vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, rabies, whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, tuberculosis, and poliomyelitis. (6) Many scientists that have developed some of theses vaccines relied heavily on animals for their experiments. Another scientist named Ivan Pavlov, conducted a research on digestion on dogs. (5) Even though Ivan ... ...