General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I was a child in a time before there were vaccines for most [View all]colorado_ufo
(5,733 posts)When I was a child, polio was so feared that for whole summers public swimming pools were closed. Scientists weren't even sure how polio was spread. The first vaccine, the Salk vaccine, was the injectable. Years later, when I was in high school, came the Sabin vaccine, which was distributed on sugar cubes. I was a member of the Future Nurses Club, and we actually helped distribute the vaccine by putting it on the sugar cubes and giving it to people in public places.
There were no vaccines yet for many common illnesses, and I had had chicken pox, measles, and other childhood illnesses. When I had the measles, the doctors were so afraid that I would lose my sight that we had to keep the room completely dark for days, perhaps up to two weeks. The shades were down and curtains drawn, and I was not allowed out of bed.
So many things are forgotten with time that it is critical for those of us who remember and understand to tell our story to others.