Polio Vaccines: Wanted Dead or Alive

The development of polio vaccines in the 1950s gave the ability to protect children against a crippling and often fatal disease that had cast an ominous shadow for decades. But medical science had simultaneously generated two types of polio vaccine – one that contained killed polio virus, developed and championed by Dr. Jonas Salk, and one that included live but attenuated polio virus, discovered by his bitter rival and public critic, Dr. Albert Sabin. Prompted by a new biography of Sabin, this panel presentation explores the contrasting personalities of the two scientists, how the vaccines were originally tested (an unexpected excursion into the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War), and the risks and benefits of each vaccine type. Debates and decisions about the optimal polio vaccine continue today, shaping the daily practice of pediatricians and public health workers throughout the United States and around the world.

The event will feature NYU Professors David Oshinsky (Professor of History and Director of the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU Grossman School of Medicine), Frances Bernstein (Clinical Professor, Russian & Slavic Studies), and Perri Klass (Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics). The panel moderator is Trace Jordan (Clinical Professor, College Core Curriculum).

Brought to you by the Medical Humanities Working Group