Throughout
the first half of the 20th century until the early 1950s, polio
was one of the most dreaded diseases, killing thousands and paralyzing
more than 20,000 people each year, most of them children. In 1948,
medical researcher, Jonas Salk, began to develop a vaccine against
this "plague." Over the next few years, nearly two million school
children were involved in clinical trials for the vaccine he ultimately
developed, and on April 12, 1955 when it was announced that the
vaccine was successful in preventing the disease, Jonas Salk was
hailed as a "miracle worker" and national hero. In 1960, Dr. Salk
established the Salk Institute for Biological Studies which continues
to be a major center for medical research. Jonas Salk is also
known for his philosophical ideas - he was dubbed "The Father
of Biophilosophy", which implements a "biological, evolutionary
point of view to philosophical, cultural, social and psychological
problems." During the last years of his life, Dr. Salk dedicated
his efforts to seeking a cure to the modern-day plague of AIDS.
