Summary of Forrest Maready's The Moth in the Iron Lung

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The use of the iron lung to treat polio patients was extremely limited, but the images of victims stuck inside the iron lung would forever change the way people thought about disease and medicine. #2 The story of polio is often told as one of the greatest medical achievements of all time, with the Salk and Sabin vaccines being the culmination of decades of research.
But what many people don't know is that polio was completely unknown to most doctors until the late 1800s, and then it became an epidemic disease that mainly affected the rich and well-to-do. #3 Polio is a disease of the dead. To conclusively diagnose someone with polio, you must obtain a cross-section of their spinal column and place it under a microscope. The body is very good at protecting its central nervous system from invaders, but something changed in the late 1800s which turned this once harmless infection into a frequent killer. #4 The National Peace Jubilee in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1869 was the grandest musical event the world had ever seen.
It was a celebration of the restoration of peace throughout the land, and it was a resounding success.