Splendid Solution

Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio

By: Jeffrey Kluger

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

The riveting story of one of the greatest scientific accomplishments of the twentieth century, from the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Apollo 13.

With rivalries, reversals, and a race against time, the struggle to eradicate polio is one of the great tales of modern history. It begins with the birth of Jonas Salk, shortly before one of the worst polio epidemics in United States history. At the time, the disease was a terrifying enigma: striking from out of nowhere, it afflicted tens of thousands of children in this country each year and left them, literally overnight, paralyzed, and sometimes at death's door.

Salk was in medical school just as a president crippled by the disease, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was taking office, and providing the impetus to the drive for studies on polio. By the early 1950s, Salk had already helped create an influenza vaccine, and was hot on the trail of the polio virus. He was nearly thwarted, though, by the politics of medicine and by a rival researcher eager to discredit his proposed solution. Meanwhile, in 1952, polio was spreading in record numbers, with 57,000 cases in the United States that summer alone.

In early 1954, Salk was weighing the possibility of trials of a not-yet-perfected vaccine against, as the summer approached, the prospect of thousands more children being struck down by the disease. The results of the history-making trials were announced at a press conference on April 12, 1955: "The vaccine works." The room, and an entire nation, erupted in cheers for this singular medical achievement.

Salk became a cultural hero and icon for a whole generation. Now, at the fiftieth anniversary of the first national vaccination program, and as humanity is tantalizingly close to eradicating polio worldwide, comes this unforgettable chronicle. Salk's work was an unparalleled achievement, and it makes for a magnificent listen.

©2005 Jeffrey Kluger (P)2005 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The book is well researched and accessible, made all the more tense and gripping by the author's depiction of the pre-vaccine world." (Publishers Weekly)

Interesting and brought back memories

I was a small child when this story was playing out and remember receiving my Salk vaccine shots at the age of 5 quite clearly! My best buddy when we were five was the son of a physician who contracted polio. So, this book brought back vivid memories.

It was very interesting, very detailed but always for a purpose. The narration was excellent. One annoying issue that was not the reader's fault: at the end of each chapter, there was not even a split-second pause before the next chapter was announced; sometimes the "Chapter XX" actually seemed to cut off the last word of the previous chapter. Not sure what that was about, but it was distracting each time it happened.

fascinating

if you are a science nerd like me, this is a riveting historical account of one of medicine's great advances... personal tales woven into the public ones which became an international one.

Very Interesting to me indeed!!!!

As a member of the health care team as a pharmacist and one who was a child of the age group most susceptible to Polio during this period in the 1950's, I found this story fascinating. It brought back forgotten memories of that time such as the memory of getting both the Salk vaccine by injection and then later the Sabin vaccine via a sugar cube. I vaguely remember the fear in my parents at that time and the issues in Idaho with some children getting Polio from Cutter's vaccine. Ironically later in my life after pharmacy school, I went to work for Lilly Pharmaceuticals for 26 yrs. During my years with I became aware of Lilly's involvement in Polio vaccines, but I learned much more about their actual role by listening to this audiobook.

Fascinating

There is so much information in this book regarding the research that went into finding how to overcome polio. I enjoyed learning from this book. I recommend it highly.

Outstanding History of Polio Vaccine

Any additional comments?

I had polio in 1955 at 6 months of age so I was personally interested in the book. I have read a few books on the development of the Polio Vaccines and the battles between Salk and Sabin. This has been my favorite.

The science details in this book are understandable by all. The science isn't the main point of the book. The book deals with the personal, finical, and political hardships of bringing the Salk Vaccine to use.

Even if you haven't been directly affected by polio, this book is a great history read. It's not just dry facts. It made Salk feel like a real person, with good points and flaws. I was able to "feel" the pressure and stress he lived with.

Wonderful story about Dr. Salk and his vaccine

Where does Splendid Solution rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very close to the top. I've read lots of good books, fiction and nonfiction. This was a remarkable story...well written and an enjoyable listen. Highly recommended.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Splendid Solution?

The description of the press conference when the field study results of the vaccine were released to the public.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He makes the characters come alive. Something not possible when reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I read the book whenever I had a chance...in the car, working out in the gym, and at bedtime. One helluva a great book.

Highly recommended

Have to choose a title for a school book report? Look no further. I stayed up well past my bedtime listening to this book (yes, even mommies have bedtimes); I was absolutely fascinated by it. Science and history rolled into one.

Kluger does a wonderful job of making the story about more than just the bench research; in fact, there is actually very little science in the book. This is a story about how a dreaded disease attacked people and how people - laymen and scientists -- pulled together (and apart) to conquer the disease.

Get this book. You will not be disappointed.

Fantastic Race to End Polio: The Vexing Vaccine!

Would you consider the audio edition of Splendid Solution to be better than the print version?

This book provided a peep-show into the politics, money, and egos that mash against each other in the ivory towers of academic medicine.

From a scientific perspective, there are always inherent risks with medical interventions and vaccinations are no exception. However, this story provides a real world, poignant account of the disease alternative. A must read for all those non-scientist mothers who are choosing to not vaccinate their children.

Interesting challenges tackled for a nasty bug.

In Splendid Solution, Jeffrey Kluger tells a thorough history of the life and career of Jonas Salk and the development of the Flue and Polio vaccines that he was instrumental in delivering to the world. I found this to be a fascinating story that shows both the technical challenges for developing vaccines as well as the confrontational and political issues involved. The scientists involved are shown to be more of a collection of domineering and passionate partisans as opposed to a group of rational technologists. My only complaint for the story is that the level of detail in describing certain events seems to be excessive, as in the sequence that reports and VIP’s entered the Polio vaccine trial announcement ceremony. That said, Splendid Solutions tells an important story that saved perhaps millions of shattered lives over the last 50 years. I give Splendid Solution a good read.

History We Lived Through

What did you like best about Splendid Solution? What did you like least?

The complete history of search for a prevention of the childhood plague was fascinating.

The technical editing of the book was absolutely the worst I've ever experience in all the books I've listened to over the last nine years. The last word of every chapter was cut off by the announcement of the next chapter. It was startling and somewhat disconcerting.

What did you like best about this story?

It was wonderful to hear the whole history of the Salk Vaccine. As a child, I was told how a brother's playmate contracted Polio or Infantile Paralysis and succumbed to the disease. My brother ran a high fever but recovered quickly. Now I understand what happened to both boys. And I was one of the lucky children who received the vaccine during the testing.