Jeff Montgomery edited body.tex  over 9 years ago

Commit id: 40b8b0f2cea35094a7db574ffdbe44f97734635b

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\begin{quote}  The story of Salk’s search for a vaccine isn’t one that should be told in isolation, stopping with the elimination of polio in the US. Instead, it sits within a rich tapestry of stories about scientific discovery and progress.  \end{quote}  Except that Salk's treatment \textit{wasn't} responsible for eradicating polio in the US. His treatment was too expensive for millions of Americans at a time when children were kept indoors during summer to prevent infection. Despite the oft-repeated Salkian quote, "There is no patent. \href{http://www.biotech-now.org/public-policy/patently-biotech/2012/01/the-real-reason-why-salk-refused-to-patent-the-polio-vaccine-a-myth-in-the-making}{Could you patent the sun}?", adminstrative powers above Salk (his involvement is unclear) determined they \textbf{could not legally patent the vaccine}, given previous works. Yet, Still,  three vaccine shots and a booster priced polio protectionof one's children only  within the range reach  of middle class Americans and above. So infection rates dropped among those demographics  that could afford the Salk vaccine, while rates expanded among lower income communities, especially among isolated minority groups. This was an economic as well as access problem: pediatricians could command higher prices given that this was a multi-course regimen requiring repeat visits. regimen.  Dr. Albert Sabin, another polio researcher, knew that Salk's vaccine was not the best possible solution or even sufficiently safe. His arguments for impartiality and caution were largely ignored by the council backing Salk's vaccine (now the March of Dimes), yet Sabin labored on. He developed a single orally-dosed treatment that allowed low-cost, wide-scale distribution of this life-saving treatment. As described in the aptly titled book review, \href{http://www.technologyreview.com/review/404390/the-myth-of-jonas-salk/}{The Myth of Jonas Salk}, Sabin's treatment was truly responsible for ending polio in the US (and is currently the one in use to eradicate polio across the globe):  \begin{quote}