Jonas Salk: Creator of the polio vaccine, who gave it away for free
In 1955, Jonas Salk could have become one of the richest men in America. His polio vaccine was worth billions, but he gave it away for free.
“Could you patent the sun?” he famously asked when pressed about profits. He wanted every child protected, not just those who could pay.
Within seven years, U.S. polio cases dropped from 45,000 to just 910. His decision eventually helped eliminate domestic polio transmission in America.
Here’s the remarkable story, and you can visit the University of Pittsburgh where Salk made his breakthrough.
Salk Got His Own Lab
Jonas Salk arrived at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1947 to run their Virus Research Laboratory.
The lab was smaller than he wanted and the university had too many rules, but it gave him independence.
In 1948, Harry Weaver from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis called with funding and a mission: find out if there were more types of polio than the three scientists already knew about.
Dead Virus Beat Live Virus
Salk spent his first year gathering supplies and recruiting Julius Youngner, Byron Bennett, L. James Lewis, and Elsie Ward.
With additional grants from the Mellon family, he built a working virology lab and joined Franklin Roosevelt’s National Foundation polio project.
Fear of the disease brought massive funding that reached $67 million by 1955. Salk used formaldehyde to destroy the poliovirus while keeping the parts that triggered immunity.
Salk used dead virus at a time when the disease was already at epidemic levels.
Animal Tests Proved It Worked
Salk’s team confirmed three types of poliovirus and showed that killed virus from each type made monkeys produce antibodies.
When they injected the vaccine, it protected the animals from paralytic polio.
These successful tests on laboratory animals cleared the way for human trials, but Salk knew the real test was coming.
From Iron Lung to Vaccine Shots
On July 2, 1952, Salk vaccinated 43 children at the D.T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh.
He started with kids who had already survived polio to see if the vaccine boosted their immunity.
A few weeks later, he tested children at the Polk State School. All showed dramatically higher antibody levels with no side effects, proving the vaccine worked in humans.
Antibodies Created Resistance
Before testing on healthy children, Salk vaccinated himself, his lab staff, his wife and their three sons in 1953.
Everyone developed strong antibodies against polio without any problems. By using his own family as test subjects, Salk showed the world he truly believed his vaccine was safe and effective.
News Broke on National Radio
The story leaked when columnist Earl Wilson heard about a private meeting where Salk briefed the March of Dimes advisory committee.
On March 26, 1953, Salk officially announced his breakthrough on CBS radio, then published his results in the Journal of the American Medical Association two days later.
He became an instant celebrity as Americans realized someone had finally beaten their most feared disease.
Two Million Children Volunteered
Thomas Francis, Salk’s former mentor, organized the largest medical experiment in history.
Starting with 4,000 children at Franklin Sherman Elementary School in Virginia, the trial grew to include 1.8 million kids in 44 states.
About 440,000 received the vaccine, 210,000 got placebo shots, and 1.2 million served as controls. The “Polio Pioneers” would determine if the vaccine truly worked.
Delivering Results Worldwide
On April 12, 1955, exactly ten years after Franklin Roosevelt’s death, Francis announced the results.
The vaccine was 60-70% effective against Type 1 polio, over 90% effective against Types 2 and 3, and 94% effective against deadly bulbar polio.
It was safe, effective, and ready for mass production.
Salk Refused to Get Rich
When asked who owned the patent, Salk gave his famous reply: “Could you patent the sun?”
The University of Pittsburgh and National Foundation explored patenting but found Salk’s techniques weren’t novel enough anyway.
Salk deliberately chose not to profit from his discovery, wanting the vaccine distributed as widely as possible instead of enriching himself.
Hall of Fame Records in America
The impact was immediate and dramatic.
Annual polio cases dropped from over 45,000 before the vaccine to just 910 by 1962. In 1953 there were 35,000 cases, but by 1957 only 5,600 Americans got polio.
Within 25 years, domestic transmission stopped completely. Salk had eliminated one of childhood’s greatest terrors through careful science and generous spirit.
Visit the Jonas Salk Legacy Exhibit
You’ll find the exhibit in the ground floor lobby of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health at 130 De Soto Street in Oakland.
The display includes Salk’s original lab equipment like centrifuges, incubators, glass flasks, and his actual desk from the 1950s research.
An iron lung sits next to the lab setup, showing what polio patients faced while Salk worked floors above them in the old Municipal Hospital.
You can see thousands of original consent forms and vaccination cards from Pittsburgh kids who were the first test subjects.
The exhibit is free and open weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If you were part of the original Pittsburgh school trials, call 412-648-3232 to access your personal vaccine records.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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