First Shipment of Polio Vaccine, April 13, 1955
Dale Winters is the man on the left who is signing off on a new shipment that just arrived at Cutter Laboratories. This photo marks the beginning of a monumental moment that was supposed to be an amazing medical breakthrough, but which ultimately led to disaster (see following image in this section). To understand why this photo immortalizes such an important event, one must first establish the context of the era. In the early 20th century, polio was a deadly disease that grew epidemic proportions across the world. The US was devastated by this disease; over 15,000 Americans would be paralyzed by it annually. In the early 1950s, the issue came to a head when large polio outbreaks caused a panic and demand for a vaccine or a cure. People were terrified, so when a vaccine was introduced, the public’s fear was temporarily assuaged. With that in mind, look at the boxes in between the two men and it will become clear why this photo means so much. It documents a major historical event in medical science. In addition to the historical evidence contained within this photo, it is also a visually stunning piece. Everywhere you focus your attention to, there is a marker that tells a part of the story.