In the Shadow of Polio: A Personal and Social History
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Author Description
In 1954 Kathryn Black's mother became one of the millions of people worldwide stricken with polio. A year later, as the Salk vaccine became widely available, the nation heaved a collective sigh of relief, and promptly buried its memories along with its dead. In the Shadow of Polio offers a penetrating look at this intense and significant period in American history. Black explores the lethal progression of her mother's illness and its devastating emotional impact upon her family, interweaving her story with chapters that broaden into the social and historical context of the epidemic that randomly swept the nation in the 1940s and 1950s. Rich with anecdotes from Black's years of interviews and correspondence, In the Shadow of Polio is a journey into the homes and hospitals, the lives and memories of the people who lived through this period in our common past.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the intersection of personal trauma and public health history by examining the long-term societal impact of the mid-twentieth-century polio epidemic. Kathryn Black, a journalist and daughter of a polio survivor, utilizes a dual-narrative framework to reconcile her family's private struggle with the broader national experience of the 1940s and 1950s. By synthesizing archival research with intimate interviews, the author argues that the rapid introduction of the Salk vaccine led to a collective cultural suppression of the epidemic's lingering psychological and physical consequences.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A detailed account of the 1954 polio outbreak and the subsequent introduction of the Salk vaccine.
- A personal narrative documenting the progression of the author's mother's illness and its effect on family dynamics.
- Primary source material gathered through extensive interviews and correspondence with polio survivors and their families.
- An analysis of the social and historical context of American hospitals and home life during the mid-century health crisis.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and readers frequently highlight this book as a significant contribution to the history of medicine, noting its ability to balance clinical historical data with poignant personal testimony. The text is widely regarded as a foundational resource for understanding the human cost of the polio epidemic beyond the medical statistics.
Page Count:
330
Publication Date:
1997-05-16
Publisher:
Da Capo Press
ISBN-10:
0201154900
ISBN-13:
9780201154900
History
Biography
Memoir
Social Science
Poliomyelitis
Medicine