Jewish Contributions to Humanity

#3 in a series

How Jewish Medical
Researchers Saved
Millions of Lives with
their Discoveries.

JONAS SALK (1914-1995) b. New York City. The polio vaccinator.

To understand Salk’s impact on medicine, one must first understand the fear that polio held
over the populations of wealthy countries in the 1950s. Thousands of children died from the virus
every year in the United States, and tens of thousands
suffered from it, including Itzhak Perlman and Frank-
lin Roosevelt. During an appointment in 1947 at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Salk used
a method he practiced earlier when researching flu
vaccines, and designed a polio vaccine with a dead
polio virus (he injected it with formaldehyde). Salk was
eschewing the prevailing scientific consensus, which
was that only live viruses could produce an effective
vaccine. After testing his “killed virus” vaccine, though,
on his family, and after overseeing a massive clinical
trial, Salk proved to the world that he had discovered
the vaccine for the most feared postwar disease in the
developed world. Remarkably, he declined to patent
the disease, effectively turning down the fortune that
would’ve awaited him.

Crowds gathered at the Michigan Capitol for the Women’s March in Lansing Sunday.

“It was extremely empowering to be
part of a rally with such passionate and
courageous people, all determined to
make change happen now.” — MICHELLE BUDAJ

all the young people in my life,” said
Valerie Dutton of Wyandotte.
“I wanted to go to this march with
my daughters because they are the
future. And the way to make a differ-
ence is at the polls, which was the
theme of the March,” said Nancy Fine
of Southfield, who attended with her
daughters, Allison and Rachel.
“There are many ways to show that
you are passionate and care about
an issue,” Rachel Fine said. “I feel
connected to the social justice move-
ment through the work I do every
day at Repair the World.
“Going to stand with my mom and
sister in solidarity with other proud,
strong women is another way for us
to stand up for what is important to
us,” she said.
“I went to the Women’s March

to continue to create awareness on
women’s rights and unite with others
on several issues creating dissatisfac-
tion for so many,” Michelle Budaj of
Birmingham said.
“It was extremely empowering to
be part of a rally with such passion-
ate and courageous people, all deter-
mined to make change happen now.”
Her friend Sala Wanetick of Hazel
Park said, “I attended the Women’s
March because I think it is important
we unite to show our dissatisfaction
with the current administration —
particularly its views toward women
and other marginalized groups.
“I hope the momentum from
the marches nationwide can grow
through the coming November elec-
tions,” she added.
“I am marching today to give

ALBERT SABIN (1906-1993)

b. Bialystok, Poland.
The polio eradicator.
While Salk’s vaccine prevented most of
Polio’s harmful and deadly complications, it
did not prevent the initial infection, which oc-
curred in the intestines. That’s where Albert
Sabin came in, developing an oral vaccine with
a weakened version of the live virus—a vaccine
that prevented polio from ever establishing it-
self in the intestines, where it would otherwise
multiply and proliferate. Although polio is virtu-
ally eradicated in the developed world, it still ex-
ists in small numbers in developing countries,
and the World Health Organization remains
concerned about its potential to spread.

CESAR MILSTEIN (1927-2002) b. Bahia Blanca, Argentina.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1984. Aiding
the body’s natural defenses.The body’s natural antibodies
are remarkable, but not perfect, at tagging harmful elements
(bacteria, viruses) for the immune system to attack. Cesar Mil-
stein helped complement the body’s natural defense system by
producing monoclonal antibodies in 1975. These are laboratory-
produced antibodies that can be designed to attach to specific
cells that the body’s immune system may not have previously
identified as harmful. Monoclonal antibodies are now used in
drugs for cancer, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and numer-
ous other diseases. They are one of modern medicine’s most
promising tools for fighting a multitude of illnesses that afflict
humanity, and they play a central role in our relentless efforts to
fight cancer.

Original Research by Walter L. Field Sponsored by Irwin S. Field Written by Jared Sichel

continued on page 18

jn

January 25 • 2018

17