Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-30


and associates of the University
of Pittsburgh.
BY present scientific evidence.
it should protect children against
the vicious polio virus. There is
even reason to believe that a
few shots of the vaccine can give
Lifetime protection.
At the moment, the vaccine is
like a new type Of airplane. The
engineers are pretty sure it will
fly and perform as expected. But
the acid test is to fly it.
So an army of half a million
to a million little children will
step forward soon to take shots
of the vaccine. After summers
end it can be learned whether
the vaccine really defends them
against polio and paralysis.
It's Just a Promise.
If the vaccine passes the criti-
cal test, then all the Nations 46
million children could start get
ting the vaccine next year. In q
few years, no one would need be
vulnerable to polio.
All this is just q promise. But
1t is based on all the scientific
facts known now about polio.
This vaccine could fail, If 1t does.
there are prospects for other vac
cines, perhaps a better one.
The vaccine story S simple. in
retrospect-just as the solution
of a detective mystery is simple
in retrospect.
DR.. Salk'S vaccine is made Of
dead virus, using all three types
of virus which can cause human
paralysis.
It is safe, because dead virus
cannot cause polio. But the dead
virus can still create defenseS
against live, dangerous virus.
The key question is: Is the
defense obtained this way really
good enough?
The answer can only be found
by giving the vaccine to hum
dreds of thousands of children,
before the polio season begins.
Local health authorities and the
National Foundation for Infan-
tile Paralysis are conducting
these field trials.
Virus to Strike Many.
This summer many Of these
vaccinated children. along with
unvaccinated youngsters, will be
invaded by polio virus in natural
exposure or infection.
Do most-or all-the vacci-
mated children escape paralysis,
as compared with the non-vac-
cinated?
If the answer is yes. the vac
cine works and can abolish polio.
If it doesn't, the search must
start afresh.
The reason for believing the
vaccine will work is easy-anti-
bodies.
Antibodies are natures police
men. They are tiny protein par
ticles circulating in the blood.
which can combine with and dis
arm an invading germ or virus.
When some germ attacks you.
your body starts making an
tibodies against it. If you make
enough antibodies soon enough,
you win the battle. If you don't,
you become Ill and sometimes
die.
Once you have made anti
bodies, you usually keep them.
You have your antibody fac
tories all set up, ready to go
OF work at a moments notice.
The antibodies against one kind
of germ or virus work only
against that specific disease
agent.
hHtAUOuACS OCVCAVpCUs
It is now known that most
Of us by age Is already have
antibodies against one, two. or
all three separate types of virus
which can cause paralytic polio.
We made them sometime in the
past when virus invaded us.
Most of us never knew we had
the virus. Once you make anti
bodies against a virus. you ap-
parently are protected for bfe
against that type of virus.
The purpose of a vaccine is
to make you set up antibody iac-
tories by giving you dead or
safe virus.
DR.. Salk has been testing his
vaccine on children for a year
and a half.
OF nearly 5000 children vac
-