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Overview
Polio infantile paralysis was until recently a greatly feared disease, but is now preventable by a vaccine, which has largely eradicated it from the Western hemisphere; a global eradication campaign is underway. This book tells of the story of polio in fascinating and personal detail, through a series of essays written by those who experienced the disease: its victims, those who cared for them and those who worked to eliminate it altogether.The opening chapter recounts the history of polio from its earliest depiction in Egyptian art to the present day; it is followed by three personal descriptions of the experiences of patients who were paralysed in youth by polio, but went on to build successful lives. The challenges of caring for polio sufferers are described by two physicians who worked on polio wards at the height of the epidemic. The story of the cultivation of poliovirus and the testing of the vaccines is related by two research scientists who devoted much of their careers to the laboratories where the breakthroughs were achieved. The final essays describe the public health vaccination campaigns which successfully eradicated polio from the Americas, as experienced by those who directed them.Dr THOMAS M. DANIEL is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and International Health and Director of the Center for International Health at Case Western Reserve University; Dr FREDERICK C. ROBBINS is University Professor and Dean Emeritus of the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.Contributors:THOMAS M. DANIEL, FREDERICK C. ROBBINS, MICHAEL W.R. DAVIS, ANN L. MCLAUGHLIN, RUTH E. FRISCHER, ROBERT M. EIBEN, MARTHA LIPSON LEPOW, JOAO BAPTISTA RISI, JR., CIRO A. DE QUADROS
The book contains black-and-white illustrations.
Synopsis
The story of polio in the words of its victims, doctors, and research scientists concerned with the means of eradicating it.
Gregg N. Milligan
This book contains a collection of well-written essays from people whose lives have been directly touched by the disease of polio. Included are a brief history of the disease, treatment and eradication efforts, and a brief look to the future in terms of efforts to completely eradicate this virus and to target other pathogens for eradication. It documents the history of polio using the stories of polio patients, caregivers, and researchers involved in some of the landmark discoveries leading to successful vaccines and the current eradication program. Rather than a drab recitation of events, facts, and sterile statistics, the contributors succeed in providing a very human perspective of the toll this disease has taken and the cost of eradicating the virus from the earth. The essays written from the patients' perspective are particularly poignant and convey an accurate sense of the fear, suffering, and triumphs associated with contracting the disease. It will probably be appreciated most by specialists in the fields of virology or epidemiology. However, it is written so that the majority of the book will also be of interest to the lay public. It makes good use of a limited number of black-and-white illustrations. The pictures of polio victims in "iron lungs" and other devices to aid breathing are used with a particularly dramatic effect. This book represents a very good effort to bring the human cost of disease and eradication efforts to light. Those interested in the history of this disease should find it particularly effective at providing the details of the fight against polio as they are remembered by those who lived them.
Editorials
Gregg N. Milligan
This book contains a collection of well-written essays from people whose lives have been directly touched by the disease of polio. Included are a brief history of the disease, treatment and eradication efforts, and a brief look to the future in terms of efforts to completely eradicate this virus and to target other pathogens for eradication. It documents the history of polio using the stories of polio patients, caregivers, and researchers involved in some of the landmark discoveries leading to successful vaccines and the current eradication program. Rather than a drab recitation of events, facts, and sterile statistics, the contributors succeed in providing a very human perspective of the toll this disease has taken and the cost of eradicating the virus from the earth. The essays written from the patients' perspective are particularly poignant and convey an accurate sense of the fear, suffering, and triumphs associated with contracting the disease. It will probably be appreciated most by specialists in the fields of virology or epidemiology. However, it is written so that the majority of the book will also be of interest to the lay public. It makes good use of a limited number of black-and-white illustrations. The pictures of polio victims in "iron lungs" and other devices to aid breathing are used with a particularly dramatic effect. This book represents a very good effort to bring the human cost of disease and eradication efforts to light. Those interested in the history of this disease should find it particularly effective at providing the details of the fight against polio as they are remembered by those who lived them.From The Critics
Reviewer: Gregg N Milligan, Ph.D.(The University of Texas Medical Branch)Description: This book contains a collection of well-written essays from people whose lives have been directly touched by the disease of polio. Included are a brief history of the disease, treatment and eradication efforts, and a brief look to the future in terms of efforts to completely eradicate this virus and to target other pathogens for eradication.
Purpose: It documents the history of polio using the stories of polio patients, caregivers, and researchers involved in some of the landmark discoveries leading to successful vaccines and the current eradication program. Rather than a drab recitation of events, facts, and sterile statistics, the contributors succeed in providing a very human perspective of the toll this disease has taken and the cost of eradicating the virus from the earth. The essays written from the patients' perspective are particularly poignant and convey an accurate sense of the fear, suffering, and triumphs associated with contracting the disease.
Audience: It will probably be appreciated most by specialists in the fields of virology or epidemiology. However, it is written so that the majority of the book will also be of interest to the lay public.
Features: It makes good use of a limited number of black-and-white illustrations. The pictures of polio victims in "iron lungs" and other devices to aid breathing are used with a particularly dramatic effect.
Assessment: This book represents a very good effort to bring the human cost of disease and eradication efforts to light. Those interested in the history of this disease should find it particularly effective at providing the details of the fight against polio as they are remembered by those who lived them.
3 Stars from Doody