In the first half of the 20th century, parents worldwide were terrorized by the prospect of their children contracting poliomyelitis, a devastating viral disease that often resulted in paralysis or death. Thanks to Dr. Jonas Salk (1914–1995), creator of the world’s first anti-polio vaccine, the scourge of polio has been almost completely eradicated today. Dr. Salk’s injectable vaccine — made available to the public beginning in 1955 — is responsible for preventing millions of polio cases worldwide. Another Jewish scientist, Dr. Albert Saban (1906–1993), later developed an oral anti-polio vaccine; Salk and Saban were fierce rivals. Source: Wikipedia
Learn more about Dr. Jonas Salk on Wikipedia. >>
In 1985, Dr. Salk appeared on the PBS program Open Mind and expressed his vision — in hindsight, many might say his overly optimistic and idealistic vision — for the future of the human race [28:32]. >>
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