Patenting the Sun: Polio and the Salk Vacine [Hardcover]

Jane S. Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0688094945 | ISBN-13: 978-0688094942 | Publication Date: April 1990 | Edition: 1st

Patenting The Sun: Polio And The Salk Vaccine by Smith, Jane S.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Paralytic polio went from epidemic outbreak to near-extinction in 50 years. This medical triumph involved more than the daring of Jonas Salk, who developed a killer-virus vaccine against the advice of his colleagues, and of his rival Albert Sabin, whose oral live-virus vaccine is now widely used. The war on polio is also the story of the March of Dimes, mass field-testing of the vaccine on schoolchildren, accidental deaths, scientists jockeying for prestige and power, and the importation of large numbers of monkeys. A Northwestern University visiting scholar, Smith unconvincingly links FDR's struggle with crippling polio to the nation's turning "to the language of polio" in the 1930s ("Business was 'paralyzed,' the economy was 'crippled' "). Her contention that the 1950s vaccination program drew popular support from the Cold War's "atmosphere of mass vulnerability" seems dubious, as do some of her sociological interpretations. Even so, this exciting, dramatic narrative tells a comprehensive story of the conquest of polio and sheds fresh light on the politics of medicine. Photos. Author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 413 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688094945
• ISBN-13: 978-0688094942
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,058,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane S. Smith writes about the intersection of nature, science, and social change, and also about the business of taste. IN PRAISE OF CHICKENS, her latest book, chronicles centuries of poultry wisdom from scientists, humanists, fanciers, and backyard farmers, with dozens of antique illustrations. THE GARDEN OF INVENTION:LUTHER BURBANK AND THE BUSINESS OF BREEDING PLANTS received the Caroline Bancroft Prize in Western American History. Her chronicle of the first polio vaccine, PATENTING THE SUN: POLIO AND THE SALK VACCINE, was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology. Her novel FOOL'S GOLD won the Adult Fiction Award from the Society of Midland Authors. She lives in Chicago, where she works in a very small room with a very large window.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history of Salk and the Polio Vaccine he created..., November 10, 2000

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J. Hartman "Jann" (Pacific NW, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PATENTING THE SUN (Paperback)

Jonas Salk happened to be the man who as a research scientist made the Polio vaccine a reality. He did not work alone, but was hailed a hero for all his efforts. Jane Smith writes a wonderfully inclusive book about the Polio epidemics which includes great pictures of some of the Poster Children, FDR who founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, the Polio Pioneers (1954), and even a picture of Elvis getting his Polio shot.

With children dying and being crippled by Polio each summer, there was a great desire to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Dr. Salk was so confident in his vaccine that he vaccinated himself, his wife, and his 3 boys.

When the newspaper headlines declared "VICTORY OVER POLIO" it was as if we had won a war. And, we felt as if we had! This good news replaced news of hydrogen bomb tests and Supreme Court hearings on school desegregation for a while.

But, in the last chapter of her book Smith reminds us that there are over 300,000 polio survivors in the USA today and many of them are now suffering from new symptoms, the late effects of Polio, commonly called Post Polio Syndrome (PPS). It reminds us that the final chapters on Polio are not yet written...