The compelling true story of Dr. Jonas Salk's quest to develop a vaccine for polio.
In 1916, the United States was hit with one of the worst polio epidemics in history. The disease was a terrifying enigma: striking out of nowhere, it afflicted tens of thousands of children and left them—literally overnight—paralyzed. Others it simply killed. At the same time, a child named Jonas Salk was born....
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio shortly before assuming the Presidency, Salk was given an impetus to study this deadly illness. After assisting in the creation of an influenza vaccine, Salk took up the challenge. His progress in combating the virus was hindered by the politics of medicine and by a rival researcher determined to discredit his proposed solution. But Salk's perseverance made history—and for close to seventy years his vaccine has saved countless lives, bringing humanity close to eradicating polio throughout the world.
Splendid Solution chronicles Dr. Salk's race against time to achieve an unparalleled breakthrough that made him a cultural hero and icon of modern medicine.
Praise for Splendid Solution
“Gripping...colorful and fast-paced...brings Salk to life.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Provides [a] shot of adrenaline in retelling [the] polio vaccine race...To tell this tale, Jeffrey Kluger has pulled intricate scientific concepts from remote lab shelves and has shone a readable, engaging light on them. Splendid Solution is meticulously reported and gracefully told, with medical, social, and political factors made equal parts of a very large equation.”—The Boston Globe
“Tense and gripping...Tells how polio was beaten fifty years ago in one of the triumphs of modern medicine.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The compelling true story of Dr. Jonas Salk's quest to develop a vaccine for polio.
In 1916, the United States was hit with one of the worst polio epidemics in history. The disease was a terrifying enigma: striking out of nowhere, it afflicted tens of thousands of children and left them—literally overnight—paralyzed. Others it simply killed. At the same time, a child named Jonas Salk was born....
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio shortly before assuming the Presidency, Salk was given an impetus to study this deadly illness. After assisting in the creation of an influenza vaccine, Salk took up the challenge. His progress in combating the virus was hindered by the politics of medicine and by a rival researcher determined to discredit his proposed solution. But Salk's perseverance made history—and for close to seventy years his vaccine has saved countless lives, bringing humanity close to eradicating polio throughout the world.
Splendid Solution chronicles Dr. Salk's race against time to achieve an unparalleled breakthrough that made him a cultural hero and icon of modern medicine.
Praise
Praise for Splendid Solution
“Gripping...colorful and fast-paced...brings Salk to life.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Provides [a] shot of adrenaline in retelling [the] polio vaccine race...To tell this tale, Jeffrey Kluger has pulled intricate scientific concepts from remote lab shelves and has shone a readable, engaging light on them. Splendid Solution is meticulously reported and gracefully told, with medical, social, and political factors made equal parts of a very large equation.”—The Boston Globe
“Tense and gripping...Tells how polio was beaten fifty years ago in one of the triumphs of modern medicine.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
