For many generations in the early to mid-1900s, experiences with polio were among the common memories. Thanks to scientific advancements and the courage of local residents, these memories shifted from those of illness and summers marked by the closure of pools and theaters to stories of protection through vaccination.
In 1954, Corpus Christi was chosen as a trial site for Jonas Salk’s vaccine. Nearly 4,000 Nueces County second graders took part in the trial, about 80% of the age group. Students were bussed to Exposition Hall to receive their shot (and a lollipop). They also received mementos naming them “Polio Pioneers” for being a part of the trial.
Results of the trial were outstanding, and disease rates in Corpus Christi improved. The vaccination program then spread across the country, using Salk’s three-shot series. Progress was made but the innovation wasn’t done.
This 1962 delivery of the Sabin oral vaccine marked the transition from shots to sugar cubes. If you haven’t heard the story of the polio pioneers, you have likely heard about taking the vaccine by sugar cube — if you didn’t experience it for yourself.
After the herculean efforts of local health professionals in protecting kids from polio in the 1950s, they surely appreciated the ingenuity and ease of delivering that protection with a sugar cube.
