H. Res. 208
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
April 20, 2005.
Whereas Dr. William S. McEllroy, Dean of the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in 1947 recruited Dr.
Jonas Salk to develop a virus research program at the
University of Pittsburgh;
Whereas Dr. Salk, the first member of his family to attend
college, had prior to moving to the University of Pitts-
burgh served in an appointment at the University of
Michigan for 51⁄2 years, and during this period at the
University of Michigan, which was during World War II,
Dr. Salk became known for his expertise on the immu-
nology of influenza and developed the vaccine that con-
tinues to be used against influenza;
Whereas Dr. Salk set up a research laboratory in The Munic-
ipal Hospital for Contagious Diseases, now Salk Hall at
the University of Pittsburgh;
Whereas the epidemic of polio peaked in 1952, having af-
fected nearly 58,000 people, mainly children and young
adults;
Whereas many of those affected were confined to mechanical
ventilators known as iron lungs to breathe while many
others were crippled and needed crutches for mobility;
•HRES 208 EH
Whereas University of Pittsburgh faculty member Dr. Jonas
Salk and his team of researchers developed the first vac-
cine against polio;
Whereas in April 1955, at the University of Michigan’s
Rachkam Auditorium, Dr. Francis announced the results
of the most comprehensive field trial ever conducted in
the history of public health, involving 1,830,000 children
in 217 areas of the United States, Canada, and Finland,
indicating the vaccine was safe and effective;
Whereas the Salk polio vaccine was approved for widespread
public use and the incidence of polio in the United States
fell by 85–90 percent during the first 3 years of wide-
spread use of Salk’s polio vaccine (1955–1957);
Whereas the Salk polio vaccine developed at the University of
Pittsburgh is considered one of the most significant med-
ical achievements of the twentieth century;
Whereas the international immunization of children and
young adults at that time resulted in the worldwide eradi-
cation of polio by 1962 and since that time has prevented
any significant re-emergence of the disease;
Whereas in 1963 Dr. Salk founded the Jonas Salk Institute
for Biological Studies, an innovative center for medical
and scientific research; and
Whereas Dr. Salk’s last years were spent searching for a vac-
cine against AIDS: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes the University of Pittsburgh and the
University of Michigan on the fiftieth anniversary of the
discovery and the declaration that the Salk polio vaccine
•HRES 208 EH
was potent, virtually eliminating the disease and its
harmful effects;
(2) recognizes the pioneering achievement of Dr.
Jonas Salk and his team of researchers at the University
of Pittsburgh in the development of the Salk polio vac-
cine;
(3) recognizes the unprecedented scope and mag-
nitude of the field trials conducted by Dr. Thomas
Francis, Jr., and his team of more than 100 statisticians
and epidemiologists at the University of Michigan; and
(4) states its appreciation to—
(A) the University of Pittsburgh for the elimi-
nation of a disease that caused countless deaths and
disabling consequences;
(B) the members of Dr. Salk’s research team;
(C) the individuals, a majority of whom were
residents of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who
generously agreed to participate in clinical trials to
validate the efficacy of the polio vaccine;
(D) the family members of Dr. Salk for their
participation in medical history;
(E) the University of Michigan for its efforts
in proving the Salk polio vaccine was safe and effec-
tive; and