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At the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York, Simon Flexner, MD (1863-1946), showed that “germicidal substances” were present in the blood of monkeys that had survived polio. Other researchers reported similar results with humans. These substances were neutralizing antibodies to polio. Researchers took this finding to indicate that a vaccine might be used to induce antibody production to fight the virus.
Polio 1910
- Caption:
- Map of distribution of reported polio cases, 1910, Washington, DC
- Description:
- Map of distribution of reported polio cases, 1910, Washington, DC. In this epidemic, authorities recorded 506 cases and 16 deaths.
- Creator:
- The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
- Timeline Category:
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Polio
-
Diseases & Vaccines
- Source:
- The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Report of the Poliomyelitis Committee of the Medical Association of the District of Columbia Epidemic 1910. Reprinted from Washington Medical Annals, Vol. X, No. 2, May, 1911.
Simon Flexner
- Caption:
- Simon Flexner, MD
- Description:
At the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York, Simon Flexner (1863-1946), MD, showed that "germicidal substances" were present in the blood of monkeys that had survived polio (these substances were later known as antibodies). His research also led him to conclude, falsely, to the idea that poliovirus entered the body through the nose. Flexner was key in developing serum treatment for meningitis.
- Creator:
- The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
- Timeline Category:
-
Polio
-
Diseases & Vaccines
- Source:
- The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Presented by Dr. William Pepper, Dean, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, 1944.