Plaque Text for this Pennsylvania Landmark:
Pioneering research here at the University of Pittsburgh’s Virus Research Laboratory from 1948 to 1955 produced the world’s first polio vaccine. Led by Dr. Jonas Salk, researchers’ innovations resulted in a breakthrough that was announced on April 12, 1955. Subsequent inoculations of school children virtually eradicated polio in the United States by 1962.
More about the Salk Polio Vaccine:
The first member of his family to attend college, Dr. Jonas Salk’s first foray into vaccines was actually at the University of Michigan, working on an influenza vaccine in 1942! After working as assistant professor of epidemiology for five years, Dr. Salk moved to Pittsburgh in 1947 to serve as director of the Virus Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where this plaque is now located!
It took seven years of experimenting, funded by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now the March of Dimes), before this new vaccine was ready for public testing. It used a new technique—injecting “dead” polio virus to encourage the body to develop antibodies—which didn’t thrill a lot of folks. To help out, such notables as Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, and Elvis Presley lent their fame to the cause. In the early 50s, there were about 45,000 polio cases in the US every year. After seven years of vaccination, that number had fallen to 910 in 1962.
Today, polio’s all but been eradicated in the USA. The last case in the country was brought in by a traveler in 1993! Despite the huge success of his vaccine, Dr. Salk never patented it, wanting the most possible people to benefit from it. A researcher until the end, he spent his final years researching a vaccine against AIDS!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission!
- Donate to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
Salk Hall, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Terrace St. at Sutherland Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!