A post from a couple weeks ago where I mention the renaming of the road outside of our building to Albert Sabin Way made me think of other places that have Dr. Sabin’s name. I thought I would briefly touch on some of the places that are named after him.

Sculpture in honor of Dr. Sabin, given by the Rotary Club of Cincinnati, 2001

One very close to where the Winkler Center is located is the Albert B. Sabin Education and Conference Center, which is located on the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Main Campus. In 1999, the medical center announced the naming of the building after Dr. Sabin. The building opened in 2000 as part of a large renovation program for the campus. According to the hospital’s website, this Center contains meeting space, the hospital’s libraries, a cafeteria, and many hospital services. At the time of the announcement of the naming, a press release stated, “In naming our center for Dr. Sabin, we hope to inspire all of those we teach to follow his example.” Continue reading →

The Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives contains 14.5 linear feet (29 boxes) dedicated to Dr. Sabin’s work as a civilian consultant with the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board from 1941 to 1943 and again from 1946 to 1969.

Dr. Sabin to Colonel James Simmons, 1941

From 1943 to 45, Dr. Sabin served on active duty with the Medical Corps, first as a Major and later as Lieutenant Colonel. He researched such diseases as dengue, sandfly fever, Japanese B and St. Louis encephalitis, and other neurotropic viral infections as part of the military’s effort to reduce non combat-injury related illnesses and deaths. He helped to develop the St. Louis and Japanese B encephalitis and dengue vaccines. His service, both as a civilian and while on active duty, took him to many places across the world and allowed him to interact with many great scientific minds. Continue reading →

Trip to Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, 1991

Dr. Sabin’s oral polio vaccine has helped millions of children since its first public distribution many years ago. Besides the numerous awards and accolades that Dr. Sabin received for his work, he traveled around the world and advised others on how to implement a vaccination program. Along the way, Dr. Sabin was greeted by crowds, including many children, who expressed their appreciation for his work. The photos seen here are only a couple of the photos we have in our collection from his visits around the world. Continue reading →

Who are these "famous scientists"?

A couple weeks ago, I posted a photo of a gathering at the Polio Hall of Fame in January 1958. Recently, I found another photo from the same event. Continue reading →

Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award, 1965

For Dr. Sabin’s contributions to the scientific community, particularly the development of the oral polio vaccine and the assistance in its distribution, he was given many different awards and other types of recognition over the years. The Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives is home to a large collection of those awards. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a couple of these awards and distinctions and tell you a little more about them. Continue reading →

One thing I have noticed about Dr. Sabin by reading his correspondence is that he is passionate. Whether it is his stance on the effectiveness of the oral polio vaccine, biomedical research, or humanitarianism, Dr. Sabin was willing to write a letter or speak about his opinion about many different topics. Here are a couple of samples from the collection that I thought were interesting.

Letter from Dr. Sabin to President Johnson, 1965

Recently, I found a letter Dr. Sabin wrote to President Lyndon Johnson regarding his Presidential Order to freeze federal funding for a Health Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1966. This bill, as Dr. Sabin argued, was important to the health and well-being of many Americans because it funded many research projects, including the development of the rubella (German measles) vaccine. He wrote, “I hope very much that the subject can be quickly reconsidered and that what has been frozen may be ‘thawed out’ and allowed to flow to the National Institute that will use the funds for programs of very great importance to the welfare of the people of this country and the world.” Continue reading →

Together, these four men represent the public face of polio – the courageous victim, the devoted foundation leader, the brilliant researchers with their lifesaving vaccines.
-Historian David M. Oshinsky,
in reference to President Franklin Roosevelt, Basil O’Connor, and Drs. Sabin and Salk

Prior to starting on the grant to digitize the Albert B. Sabin archives, I wasn’t quite sure what polio was or how much of an impact the Sabin vaccine had. After spending the last couple of months reading Dr. Sabin’s correspondence, I started to learn some of the names of scientists who had a hand in helping to eradicate polio throughout the world.

Several great scientific minds were honored at the Polio Hall of Fame for their contributions to the fight against the disease.

While going through some boxes to locate photographs to scan for this project, I came across several copies of the photo seen here, which was addressed to Dr. Sabin from Basil O’Connor, who was the one of the founders of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The photograph is from the dedication of the Polio Hall of Fame in January 1958 at what is now called the Institute for Rehabilitation in Warm Springs, Georgia, and the busts on the wall represent the most influential polio researchers at the time.

Continue reading →

Just last year, the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of April 24, 1960. Why was this date so important? Sunday, April 24, 1960, is also known as “Sabin Sunday,” which was the first public distribution of the Sabin oral polio vaccine in the United States. This took place right here in Hamilton County, Ohio!

Advertisement for Sabin Sundays in the Cincinnati Enquirer, 1960

One document I found (of many) referring to this massive undertaking was a copy of an advertisement from the Cincinnati Enquirer, which was published on Sabin Sunday. Called the “Children’s Crusade,” from April 24-May 11, children could receive a free oral polio vaccine from doctors and clinics around Cincinnati and the surrounding area. This effort was sponsored by the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Pediatrics Society, the Southwestern Ohio Society of General Physicians and the Cincinnati Board of Health. I love the photograph of Dr. Sabin administering the vaccine because this is the way many of that generation remember receiving the vaccine. Continue reading →