Conquering Polio | There Is No Patent | 4
American History Tellers

Conquering Polio | There Is No Patent | 4

Jan 28, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

<p>In the early 1950s, Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin were in a race to develop a vaccine against polio. While Salk’s killed-virus vaccine was the first to be distributed, Sabin continued working to perfect his own approach. In the end, Sabin’s oral polio vaccine—made from a weakened live virus—proved easier to administer and was ultimately distributed far more widely, though his name never achieved the same recognition. In this episode, Lindsay is joined by epidemiologist and oral historian Karen Torghele. Her book <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300272635/albert-sabin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Albert Sabin: The Life of a Polio Vaccine Pioneer</em></a> is due to be published by Yale University Press in June of 2026. </p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>