Researching Epidemics in the Rubenstein Library: Polio

Medical text that provides information on the pathology and diagnosis of polio as well as an overview of pre-1914 epidemics. The book also covers a variety of treatment options and describes individual polio cases.

Epidemiological study of polio in Massachusetts. The report includes a review of what was known about polio and its transmission, the history of the disease in the state, and detailed analysis of individual cases.

Report issued by the New York Department of Health following a 1916 polio epidemic. The report reviews the actions taken by the city in response to the epidemic, provides case statistics, and maps showing the spread of the disease.

Elizabeth Kenny was a nurse who developed a new treatment for polio. The treatment was considered controversial at the time, but was widely used in the United States.

Pamphlet published by the organization now known as the March of Dimes about the response to a serious epidemic of polio in Hickory, N.C. during the summer of 1944.

Short booklet issued by the organization now known as the March of Dimes. The publication provides information about polio as well as statistics on its prevalence in the U.S.

Memoir written by a young woman who contracted polio in the early 1940s. She writes about the experience of being ill and her treatment in the hospital.

Short informational item published after the introduction of the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk in 1955.

Memoir of a 1953 polio epidemic in Caldwell County. N.C. The writer's young daughter contracted polio and used an iron lung during her time in the hospital.

An exhibit from the National Museum of American History that provides a good overview to the American polio epidemics of the 20th century, the legacy of those outbreaks, and the creation of the vaccine. The exhibit includes a small selection of images and other digitized primary sources.

A collection of digitized documents from the Eisenhower Presidential Library related to the introduction of the Salk vaccine in 1955. Most of the items are publications of the federal government.

Film produced by the U.S. government about the polio vaccine being administered to the residents of Columbus, Georgia. Other similar videos can be found through the library catalog or, often, on YouTube. The March of Dimes has added many of their promotional films related to polio to YouTube.

Collection of images documenting the people and places of Duke University. Includes photographs of the polio ward at the Duke University Medical Center.

Collection of mid-20th century audio recordings that includes recordings of two 1953 radio programs produced as fundraisers for the March of Dimes.

Records of North Carolina chapter of the men's service organization that, among its many causes, continues to support polio eradication internationally. Includes records from early 2000s polio campaigns.

Helen Kaiser was the first director of physical therapy at Duke. Her papers include a number of items, mostly publications, related to polio. [This collection is part of the Duke Medical Center Archives.]