Join us on for a talk about the origin and history of the polio vaccine, followed by a demonstration of a circa 1940s iron lung

12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. EDT
Ballard Room, Fifth Floor
Countway Library

This event is open to Harvard ID holders.
Registration is required.
Lunch provided.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, polio was endemic in the United States. The poliovirus, which was first cultured at Boston Children’s Hospital and led to a Nobel Prize for John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins in 1954, causes disease by infecting the GI tract. In about 1 out of 200 people with polio, the virus disseminates to the central nervous system and destroys motor neurons, leading to muscle paralysis. The apparent conquest of polio through vaccination in the United States was a result of basic research, clinical trials, public health efforts, and the widespread public uptake of the polio vaccine.  At the same time, in the setting of potentially reduced vaccine uptake, this lecture and demonstration serve as a reminder of the expertise and effort required for the treatment of patients who require long-term support in an iron lung. 

The Countway Library’s Center for the History of Medicine has a working Emerson Respirator “Iron Lung” machine on display on L2 of the Library. This event offers a unique opportunity to learn about respiratory physiology and the history of medicine through both a lecture and a demonstration of how the device actually works.

Questions?
Contact us at chm@hms.harvard.edu