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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2005;293:1581-1583.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Today, for most people, the ravages of poliomyelitis are a distant memory conjured up by black-and-white photographs of children with leg braces or people encased in iron lungs.

But 50 years ago, the threat of polio was very real. The disease crippled sons and daughters and led worried parents to keep their children out of swimming pools for fear they would catch the virus. When scientists announced on April 12, 1955, that they had produced a vaccine that was "safe, effective, and potent," the accomplishment was heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century.

This month, major celebrations at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor will commemorate that announcement. It was at Pittsburgh that Jonas Salk, MD, and his research team developed the vaccine, and at Michigan where Thomas Francis, Jr, MD, analyzed the data from the field trial . . . [Full Text of this Article]

POLIO’S RISE