Poliomyelitis and the Salk Vaccine: Preface
The Bentley Historical Library and the Historical Center for the Health Sciences (now the Center for the History of Medicine), with support from the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, collaborated to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the announcement that the poliomyelitis vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk was safe and effective. As part of the commemoration, a printed guide was prepared to highlight and illustrate the archival and manuscript holdings in the Bentley Historical Library relating to polio and the development and the testing of the Salk vaccine. In the period since the guide was published, several new collections and record groups pertaining to polio have been received. This online guide includes the original content as well as recent additions.
Invitation to the April 12, 1955 announcement (University of Michigan News and Information Services, Box 9)
Although the majority of Salk's polio vaccine research was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, the results of the vaccine field trial were administered and evaluated at the University of Michigan by Dr. Thomas Francis of the School of Public Health. Francis and Salk had collaborated on earlier projects when Salk was at the University of Michigan from 1942 to 1947. On April 12, 1955, the results of the world's largest field trial were announced. The collections and archives described in this guide therefore relate largely to the evaluation leading up to the momentous announcement. The bulk of the documentation is contained in the Thomas Francis papers.
Researchers planning a visit to the library are encouraged to contact the Bentley Library's Access and Reference Services in advance.
Center for the History of Medicine
The Center for the History of Medicine was founded in 1990 and is a unit of the University of Michigan Medical School. The Center's mission is to conduct original research on the history of medicine; promote dialogue on issues related to health and society in university, medical, and lay communities; and to preserve and make accessible materials related to the history of medicine, biomedical research, public health, nursing, and medical and hospital administration. An online exhibit was produced cooperatively by the Center and the Bentley to commemorate the 40th anniversary.