The "Iron lung" was a big round
cylinder, only the head of the patient would show. Attached to the
cylinder just above the head of the patient was a mirror, the only
means the children had to view the world around them.
In the newsreels they would show rows upon rows of Iron Lungs
in a sanitarium with very young children smiling for the camera. The
word "Polio" would bring the above image to mind and fear to your
heart. A neighborhood boy had polio at a young age and ended up with a
deformed leg.
Four blocks down from my parent's house was a little shopping
center that consisted of a grocery store, bakery, and a barbershop.
Once in while on Sundays a small strange group of people would come up
to the grocery store and purchase cokes, candy bars and other snacks.
The adults in the neighborhood would shunn these people if they
happened to be in the grocery store when these people came in, they
would just leave.
As a young boy I was not aware what was wrong with these people
and then one day I was told to stay away from them because they had
tuberculosis.
There was a sanitarium down by the water about a mile from this
shopping center. The people were Eskimos brought down from Alaska.
After Fact - When I had children of my own, I made sure they got their
polio shots.
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