Polio generated a large amount of fear during the 50's. Parents were extremely fearful of how the disease could affect their children. Polio can cause paralysis and if it goes untreated polio can even cause death. Sceintific discoveries from Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin helped to create a vaccine for Polio and ultimately end the fear that many people had towards the disease.
Medical Innovations of the 50's
By: Bailey Ecklund
Polio vaccine
The Ultrasound helped to ensure that a fetus stayed healthy throughout the extent of a pregnancy. The ultrasound was first used clinically in 1956 and helped to provide expecting mothers with a picture of their baby.
The synthesis of Penicillin was labled the worlds first wonder drug. Chemist John C. Sheeham completed the first chemical synthesis of penicillin in 1957 and through this discovery he also developed new ways to synthesis peptides and protecting groups. By completeing the the synthesis of Penicillin Sheehan would change the future of antibiotics forever.
The first mechanical heart procedure was preformed in 1951. Henry Opitek was 41 when he had the surgery. The surgeon Dr. Forest Dewy Dodrill succesfully completed the suregery and Mr. Opitek lived until 1981.
Works Cited
“Important Advances in Medicine During the 1950's.” Ethnobotanical World, 5 Sept. 2007, ktbotanicals.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/important-advances-in-medicine-during-the-1950%E2%80%99s/.
Lewis, Tanya. “5 Fascinating Facts About Fetal Ultrasounds.” LiveScience, Purch, 16 May 2013, www.livescience.com/32071-history-of-fetal-ultrasound.html.
“Milestones in Medical Technology.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Oct. 2012, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/05/health/digital-doctor.html#/#time15_370.
“The 1950s Medicine and Health: Overview.” U*X*L American Decades, Encyclopedia.com, www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1950s-medicine-and-health-overview.