Jonas Salk

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How Jonas Salk’s Polio Vaccine saved the world for generations
Jonas Salk revolutionized the medical industry with a vaccine that was a cure for possibly the largest illness, the United States may have ever had, Poliomyelitis. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, there was a scarce amount of scientists that had the capabilities of discovering a vaccine for this lethal virus. Salk put his knowledge to the test and decided that he was bound to find this astonishing cure. Going into research, he knew that he was not the only Scientist attempting to beat out the terminal illness. Therefore, he needed additional minds to guide and aid him in his trials. For Mr. Salk, not being selfish and working with others to find a cure for Polio, was more important than financial gain. With all of this this being said, he and his family knew, there stood a lengthy ride ahead of him. But, at the end of that journey there is a world changing discovery, waiting for him.
Polio is an acute illness caused by the three strains of poliovirus. The disease selectively destroys the motor neurons of the spinal cord and brain stem, resulting …show more content…
He grew up in East Harlem and the Bronx with his parents and siblings. As a child, he always valued the idea of becoming a scientist and helping find a cure for a disease (Polio Place). When he grew and became fifteen years old, he entered City College hoping to fulfill his lifelong dream. College was extremely hard for Salk. He spent up to fifteen hours in the school library studying for upcoming tests that were a large portion of his grade. Four years later, Mr. Salk graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree. After the four challenging years he just finished in college, he wanted to keep striving to meet his goal. Therefore, he entered into medical school in 1935. In 1939, he completed his years of schooling, and was ready to push forward to the next stage of his life (Polio
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