Polio (Infantile Paralysis)
Polio was a debilitating, infectious disease that plagued many in the early 1900s. Children were the most vulnerable demographic, and when they contracted it, it was called infantile paralysis.
Initial symptoms include, fatigue, headache, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, and stiffness of neck or pain in the limbs. More extreme cases involved the virus attacking the nervous system, causing paralysis. Paralysis usually happened in the legs of the individual, and thus patients would need crutches. It can be fatal, there is no cure, and at the time, a vaccine has not been developed yet.
Child with Polio, Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital Archive
Polio Victim in Iron Lung, Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital Archive.
Promotional Material to Fight Against Polio, Courtesy of Associated Press
Epidemics were on the rise, especially in industrialized countries like Europe and the United States (despite the rise of overall hygiene). By the mid-20th century, hundreds of thousands of children were affected by polio annually.
In addition, the polio epidemics affected not only those afflicted with polio, but also the everyday lives among the people who are afraid of contracting it. People cancelled events, public places closed, and many fled their homes to escape it.
First Visualization of the Polio Virus, 1953, Courtesy of Sanofi Pasteur Canada
Evening Star Newspaper, Courtesy of Chronicling America
Polio Case and Death Rates in the United States, Courtesy of US Public Health Service; US Center for Disease Control; and WHO