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The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care
For readers of
Pale Rider
comes a suspenseful account of how the battle against a mid-century polio epidemic sparked a worldwide revolution in medical care.
The appalling death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been even higher were it not for mechanical ventilation and intensive care units. In The Autumn Ghost, Dr. Hannah Wunsch traces the origins of these two innovations back to a polio epidemic in 1952. Drawing together compelling testimony from doctors, nurses, medical students, and patients, Wunsch relates a gripping tale of an epidemic that changed the world.
In vivid, captivating chapters, Wunsch tells the dramatic true story of how insiders and iconoclasts came together in one overwhelmed hospital in Copenhagen to save the lives of many polio patients dying of respiratory failure. Their radical advances in care marked a turning point in the treatment of patients around the world--from the rise of life support and the creation of intensive care units to the evolution of rehabilitation medicine.
Moving, gripping, and informative, The Autumn Ghost will leave readers in awe of the courage of those who battled the polio epidemic, and grateful for the modern medical care they pioneered.
The appalling death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been even higher were it not for mechanical ventilation and intensive care units. In The Autumn Ghost, Dr. Hannah Wunsch traces the origins of these two innovations back to a polio epidemic in 1952. Drawing together compelling testimony from doctors, nurses, medical students, and patients, Wunsch relates a gripping tale of an epidemic that changed the world.
In vivid, captivating chapters, Wunsch tells the dramatic true story of how insiders and iconoclasts came together in one overwhelmed hospital in Copenhagen to save the lives of many polio patients dying of respiratory failure. Their radical advances in care marked a turning point in the treatment of patients around the world--from the rise of life support and the creation of intensive care units to the evolution of rehabilitation medicine.
Moving, gripping, and informative, The Autumn Ghost will leave readers in awe of the courage of those who battled the polio epidemic, and grateful for the modern medical care they pioneered.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 9, 2023
56 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 8, 2023
(Disclosure I am a close colleague of the book’s author, Dr. Hannah Wunsch, having published numerous papers with her.)
My first and only encounter with polio was having a classmate in elementary school that wore a leg brace and a shoe with an enormous heel due to her battle with polio a few years earlier. That, and a small scar on my left arm, virtue of having received the polio vaccine. Like many 50’s kids, polio was something that FDR had and crippled a number of children; that was it.
But it was much, much more. In The Autumn Ghost, Wunsch writes about the history of a disease that terrified many just in the last century, in many ways reminiscent of the COVID-19 scare of a few years ago. The inability to provide logistical and medical care was overwhelming. Someone, somewhere, had to come up with a stop-gap therapy until a vaccine could be produced. Despite the hysterics, there was a group of dedicated and selfless individuals whose care for patients with paralytic polio saved countless lives. The Autumn Ghost tells their story.
This book is profound in many ways. Clearly, the author has done diligent research on the polio scourge of the 20th century and how it led to advances in medical care. But The Autumn Ghost is much more than a dry retelling of events. It delves deeply into the lives of patients and clinicians affected by polio, providing a humanistic touch to the book. The reader will feel like they were actually in Copenhagen during the autumn of 1952, witnessing a calamity repeated throughout Europe and North America. Additionally, we get to see how academic medicine can be contentious and not always an objective domain.
The final part of The Autumn Ghost describes how Ibsen’s work on alleviating respiratory insufficiency in patients with paralytic polio was the catalyst for a new type of acute care: specialized units that treated extremely ill patients with one or more severely affected organ systems. Today these units exist worldwide and are known as intensive care units.
If you don’t have a background in science, do not despair; this book will still fascinate you. I recommend that in the few instances where Wunsch goes deep into the weeds, just skip over a few pages. You won’t lose any of the book’s continuity.
There are few medical history books worth reading and suitable for a broad audience. Fortunately, Wunsch has provided us with The Autumn Ghost, which is superb in so many ways.
My first and only encounter with polio was having a classmate in elementary school that wore a leg brace and a shoe with an enormous heel due to her battle with polio a few years earlier. That, and a small scar on my left arm, virtue of having received the polio vaccine. Like many 50’s kids, polio was something that FDR had and crippled a number of children; that was it.
But it was much, much more. In The Autumn Ghost, Wunsch writes about the history of a disease that terrified many just in the last century, in many ways reminiscent of the COVID-19 scare of a few years ago. The inability to provide logistical and medical care was overwhelming. Someone, somewhere, had to come up with a stop-gap therapy until a vaccine could be produced. Despite the hysterics, there was a group of dedicated and selfless individuals whose care for patients with paralytic polio saved countless lives. The Autumn Ghost tells their story.
This book is profound in many ways. Clearly, the author has done diligent research on the polio scourge of the 20th century and how it led to advances in medical care. But The Autumn Ghost is much more than a dry retelling of events. It delves deeply into the lives of patients and clinicians affected by polio, providing a humanistic touch to the book. The reader will feel like they were actually in Copenhagen during the autumn of 1952, witnessing a calamity repeated throughout Europe and North America. Additionally, we get to see how academic medicine can be contentious and not always an objective domain.
The final part of The Autumn Ghost describes how Ibsen’s work on alleviating respiratory insufficiency in patients with paralytic polio was the catalyst for a new type of acute care: specialized units that treated extremely ill patients with one or more severely affected organ systems. Today these units exist worldwide and are known as intensive care units.
If you don’t have a background in science, do not despair; this book will still fascinate you. I recommend that in the few instances where Wunsch goes deep into the weeds, just skip over a few pages. You won’t lose any of the book’s continuity.
There are few medical history books worth reading and suitable for a broad audience. Fortunately, Wunsch has provided us with The Autumn Ghost, which is superb in so many ways.
November 30, 2024
This was fascinating. I learned so much about polio and the beginnings of intensive care medicine. It’s astounding to me that so much of the medical technology we take for granted was invented or discovered so recently in history.
December 2, 2024
4.5 stars, rounding up because it was so fascinating and easy to follow despite my lack of medical knowledge.
My friend Yael recommended this one, and I completely agree with her observation that the most astonishing thing about it is how very recent this history is. This is within living memory! Medical and dental students volunteered to pump "balloons" by hand twenty times a minute, eight hours a day, to act as ventilators that allowed children with polio to breathe! I'm sure I'll forget most of the information in this book because my memory just isn't that great, but that's a fact I'll keep and share.
My friend Yael recommended this one, and I completely agree with her observation that the most astonishing thing about it is how very recent this history is. This is within living memory! Medical and dental students volunteered to pump "balloons" by hand twenty times a minute, eight hours a day, to act as ventilators that allowed children with polio to breathe! I'm sure I'll forget most of the information in this book because my memory just isn't that great, but that's a fact I'll keep and share.
July 8, 2025
As a critical care respiratory therapist and new medical student, this book is wildly inspiring as I learned how the path to modern critical care medicine and mechanical ventilation was paved. I have a special interest in mechanical ventilation and seeing how this therapy evolved through trial and error and by the tireless efforts of Ibsen, Lassen, the “student ventilators” and other professionals, because of the polio epidemic, is remarkable. It makes me greatly appreciate the modern day therapies at my fingertips more than ever. Thank you for writing this book, Dr. Wunsch.
January 12, 2025
It is incredible to see how much medicine has advanced. I really hope we can continue to make advancements in medicine.
October 27, 2023
There is so much more to the story than just the finding of the vaccine.
An excellent book to be reading while undergoing necessary travel vaccines prior to to a trip to less public health blessed areas of the globe. Yes, they are necessary.
I have a deeper appreciation for the times our mother a child in the 1920s and 1930s then, a nurse and mom raising kids through the 1950 and 1960's. Those times she and her family lived through and endured were times of dramatic change and growth in the medical field.
So many things we take for granted in todays neighbourhood hospitals had their roots in those decades and multiple connections to the care and treatment of polio afflicted patients.
Intensive care practises - rooms, wards, teams - medical machines, breathing machines, iron lungs, bypass operations, oxygen and CO2 saturation. An entire medical history of modern times all in the rather recent past - mostly unacknowledged in contemporary thought.
Until Covid-19 brought our vulnerabilities back to daily life, world wide.
Another pandemic to keep the human condition in perspective.
The miracles of modern medicine do not just arrive full blown overnight.
This book tells the story of the many risks and failures and inventions and adjustments and struggles and power plays and dedication and hours of effort, crushing loses, brutal recoveries, endless treatment, leaps of faith, dedication, trust, sacrifices of time, intellect and even lives and incremental achievements ...
Do not take your miracles for granted.
An excellent book to be reading while undergoing necessary travel vaccines prior to to a trip to less public health blessed areas of the globe. Yes, they are necessary.
I have a deeper appreciation for the times our mother a child in the 1920s and 1930s then, a nurse and mom raising kids through the 1950 and 1960's. Those times she and her family lived through and endured were times of dramatic change and growth in the medical field.
So many things we take for granted in todays neighbourhood hospitals had their roots in those decades and multiple connections to the care and treatment of polio afflicted patients.
Intensive care practises - rooms, wards, teams - medical machines, breathing machines, iron lungs, bypass operations, oxygen and CO2 saturation. An entire medical history of modern times all in the rather recent past - mostly unacknowledged in contemporary thought.
Until Covid-19 brought our vulnerabilities back to daily life, world wide.
Another pandemic to keep the human condition in perspective.
The miracles of modern medicine do not just arrive full blown overnight.
This book tells the story of the many risks and failures and inventions and adjustments and struggles and power plays and dedication and hours of effort, crushing loses, brutal recoveries, endless treatment, leaps of faith, dedication, trust, sacrifices of time, intellect and even lives and incremental achievements ...
Do not take your miracles for granted.
June 23, 2024
What an amazing book - probably the best non-fiction I've read in years! The author has done an incredible amount of research, and it's clear she is knowledgeable.
I learnt so much about polio and the subsequent development of vaccines, iron lungs, and ICUs. There is also the heart-wrenching stories of children and adults afflicted with the disease, and the stories of hard-working doctors, nurses, and scientists (not to exclude the engineer, Philip Drinker). It was a page-turner! Much better than any fiction thriller.
Interesting little anecdotes like the following (about the Polish researcher, Hilary Koprowski) make for little breaks of humour such as the following excerpt:
...Described by historian David Oshinsky as a man who "both inspired and intimidated people with his worldly charm, volcanic temper, and willingness to take risks," Koprowski decided one winter afternoon in 1948 to take one of those risks in pursuit of a polio vaccine. Using a Waring blender, he created a "gruesome cocktail." He mixed together pieces of rat spinal cord and brain tissue that had been infected with a live attenuated version of the poliovirus, turning it into an "oily glop." He carefully poured out the concoction into two small graduated beakers. He and his assistant drank it down, as a first test of whether it was safe. "Have another?" his assistant asked. "Better not," Koprowski said, "I'm driving."
I learnt so much about polio and the subsequent development of vaccines, iron lungs, and ICUs. There is also the heart-wrenching stories of children and adults afflicted with the disease, and the stories of hard-working doctors, nurses, and scientists (not to exclude the engineer, Philip Drinker). It was a page-turner! Much better than any fiction thriller.
Interesting little anecdotes like the following (about the Polish researcher, Hilary Koprowski) make for little breaks of humour such as the following excerpt:
...Described by historian David Oshinsky as a man who "both inspired and intimidated people with his worldly charm, volcanic temper, and willingness to take risks," Koprowski decided one winter afternoon in 1948 to take one of those risks in pursuit of a polio vaccine. Using a Waring blender, he created a "gruesome cocktail." He mixed together pieces of rat spinal cord and brain tissue that had been infected with a live attenuated version of the poliovirus, turning it into an "oily glop." He carefully poured out the concoction into two small graduated beakers. He and his assistant drank it down, as a first test of whether it was safe. "Have another?" his assistant asked. "Better not," Koprowski said, "I'm driving."
Read
August 11, 2023Until COVID-19, the majority of people had never lived through epidemics. It certainly brought into focus what past generations had to endure, especially in terms of limited medical knowledge and without the same sort of antibiotics and treatments that are in the medical arsenal today.
THE AUTUMN GHOST is a most interesting look at the polio epidemic, that ravaged millions over half a century ago. The author has done an incredible job of researching the subject, bringing into complete focus how it was experienced and handled. While the focus is on polio in the 1950’s, Wunsch discusses other bouts of the disease long before that. In New York for example in 1916, there were well over 6600 cases, and countless others across the American states. Public gatherings were restricted, and playgrounds and libraries were shut down. Children were also restricted from going into movie theaters, plus public telephones were disinfected every night.
There was also misinformation running rampant, with notions that flies or cat and dogs the cause of the outbreak. In fact, 80,000 cats and dogs were killed due to the thought they were behind the polio scourge.
It was in the 1950’s in Copenhagen, that the most advances were being made, long before anywhere else in the world. Bjorn Ibsen studies anesthesiology, and it was a specialty that interested him. When the outbreak hit the hospital he was at, he was quite proactive in his thinking, using positive pressure ventilation via intubation into the trachea, as oxygen was pumped into the lungs. Ibsen also was noted as the originator of the intensive care unit, another progressive method of dealing with illness.
Iron lungs were created, and we are recall images of them in magazines. They were certainly massive machines, but at the time life savers for many children. The author says that many children were placed in iron lungs before it was necessary, so if and when the time came, they would be prepared.
There was much experimentation as well with felines, to see how they breathed when paralyzed. There have been interesting outcomes of the polio epidemic. Eleanor Abbot was a schoolteacher in the U. S. who had polio in 1948, in her thirties. As she recovered in a polio ward with other children, she invented a board game to entertain the children. It was so much fun she was told to take the game to a toy company. She went to Milton Bradley and showed a prototype of the game. It turned into Candy Land, a popular best seller even to this day.
The book is a must-read for medical students, and anyone who wants to learn about epidemics past. It was said people suffered from post polio syndrome decades later, episodes triggered from polio earlier in life. We learn about every aspect of polio and all the advances that had eradicate and control the spread of the disease. Definitely one of the best medical books of the year.
THE AUTUMN GHOST is a most interesting look at the polio epidemic, that ravaged millions over half a century ago. The author has done an incredible job of researching the subject, bringing into complete focus how it was experienced and handled. While the focus is on polio in the 1950’s, Wunsch discusses other bouts of the disease long before that. In New York for example in 1916, there were well over 6600 cases, and countless others across the American states. Public gatherings were restricted, and playgrounds and libraries were shut down. Children were also restricted from going into movie theaters, plus public telephones were disinfected every night.
There was also misinformation running rampant, with notions that flies or cat and dogs the cause of the outbreak. In fact, 80,000 cats and dogs were killed due to the thought they were behind the polio scourge.
It was in the 1950’s in Copenhagen, that the most advances were being made, long before anywhere else in the world. Bjorn Ibsen studies anesthesiology, and it was a specialty that interested him. When the outbreak hit the hospital he was at, he was quite proactive in his thinking, using positive pressure ventilation via intubation into the trachea, as oxygen was pumped into the lungs. Ibsen also was noted as the originator of the intensive care unit, another progressive method of dealing with illness.
Iron lungs were created, and we are recall images of them in magazines. They were certainly massive machines, but at the time life savers for many children. The author says that many children were placed in iron lungs before it was necessary, so if and when the time came, they would be prepared.
There was much experimentation as well with felines, to see how they breathed when paralyzed. There have been interesting outcomes of the polio epidemic. Eleanor Abbot was a schoolteacher in the U. S. who had polio in 1948, in her thirties. As she recovered in a polio ward with other children, she invented a board game to entertain the children. It was so much fun she was told to take the game to a toy company. She went to Milton Bradley and showed a prototype of the game. It turned into Candy Land, a popular best seller even to this day.
The book is a must-read for medical students, and anyone who wants to learn about epidemics past. It was said people suffered from post polio syndrome decades later, episodes triggered from polio earlier in life. We learn about every aspect of polio and all the advances that had eradicate and control the spread of the disease. Definitely one of the best medical books of the year.
April 12, 2025
I gave this book 4 stars not because of the style of writing or the talent of the writer but rather because of the subject matter and my interest in the information. Since I am 82 years old, I grew up in a time as a youth that polio was on the minds of the families That surrounded my family although my family was not touched directly by polio. There were things you did and didn’t do during the summer in my family because the chance was too great and the disease to catastrophic to take that chance.
This book mostly was based on the activities and the actions that were taken around polio in Denmark as ravaged that country. at the time, I was much too young to understand all the research that was going on and even now I don’t fully understand it, but I do understand the panic of trying to find something to stop. This literally crippling disease, the information given in this book the way in a major way the way Denmark responded to their crisis of increasing polio diagnosis without really having much to help the patient who had developed the disease other than supportive care and no immunization against it was eye-opening. I kept waiting for more to be developed on the story of iron lungs and their use in Europe or in Denmark and it wasn’t until later that I got a better insight into why they in Denmark and the Europe did not follow the path that was seemingly more often used in the United States with use of iron lungs for polio patients. The place that anesthesiologist had in the alcoholic pecking order of doctors at the time was sad in all we know now about what anesthesiologist and eventually pulmonologist can do to help patients with lung problems the development of the vaccines both by Salk and Sabin I thought were the only medical research and vaccination plans that were happening in the world. It was to me eye-opening again to realize that so much other things were being tried in different places. (Some of that was probably due to the fact that I was a child and definitely not reading medical journals or even newspapers much.)
I definitely learned a lot, increased my empathy for people, and realized that as a world, we have to cooperate among all the countries to conquer the varying problems and diseases that are in the world .
This book mostly was based on the activities and the actions that were taken around polio in Denmark as ravaged that country. at the time, I was much too young to understand all the research that was going on and even now I don’t fully understand it, but I do understand the panic of trying to find something to stop. This literally crippling disease, the information given in this book the way in a major way the way Denmark responded to their crisis of increasing polio diagnosis without really having much to help the patient who had developed the disease other than supportive care and no immunization against it was eye-opening. I kept waiting for more to be developed on the story of iron lungs and their use in Europe or in Denmark and it wasn’t until later that I got a better insight into why they in Denmark and the Europe did not follow the path that was seemingly more often used in the United States with use of iron lungs for polio patients. The place that anesthesiologist had in the alcoholic pecking order of doctors at the time was sad in all we know now about what anesthesiologist and eventually pulmonologist can do to help patients with lung problems the development of the vaccines both by Salk and Sabin I thought were the only medical research and vaccination plans that were happening in the world. It was to me eye-opening again to realize that so much other things were being tried in different places. (Some of that was probably due to the fact that I was a child and definitely not reading medical journals or even newspapers much.)
I definitely learned a lot, increased my empathy for people, and realized that as a world, we have to cooperate among all the countries to conquer the varying problems and diseases that are in the world .
September 23, 2025
I would not recommend this unless you have a burning interest for medical history or polio.
Dr. Wunsch writes a thoroughly researched historical narrative about polio: its history, pathology, research, development of interventions, and its lasting effect on modern medicine. The book reads more like a textbook than a nonfiction narrative, to its detriment. In an attempt to be comprehensive it becomes a hodgepodge of too many overlapping narratives spanning years across multiple nations' medical and education systems. I feel like there is a compelling history about medical advancement here, but its telling does the reader no favors in organizing a coherent narrative.
To its credit, there are a lot of compelling stories from patients, medical students, and doctors about overcoming an illness that hitherto had no known treatment, vaccine, or cure. There are some thought-provoking moments around the happenstance of medical innovation, the fallibility of doctors, and even quality of life / euthanasia for those on life-sustaining care. But the author only passingly mentions these things as novelties; they are lost in a slew of other details that may or may not be significant.
Stylistically I felt like some lines meant to dramatize the epidemic only served to make it melodramatic. The constant use of the war metaphor with doctors as soldiers or generals felt somewhat distasteful, given that much of these events happen during or immediately after an actual war with occupation by a Nazi Germany. There are also some quips throughout the book that felt like a weak attempt to keep the reader hooked when the content really ought to speak for itself.
Dr. Wunsch writes a thoroughly researched historical narrative about polio: its history, pathology, research, development of interventions, and its lasting effect on modern medicine. The book reads more like a textbook than a nonfiction narrative, to its detriment. In an attempt to be comprehensive it becomes a hodgepodge of too many overlapping narratives spanning years across multiple nations' medical and education systems. I feel like there is a compelling history about medical advancement here, but its telling does the reader no favors in organizing a coherent narrative.
To its credit, there are a lot of compelling stories from patients, medical students, and doctors about overcoming an illness that hitherto had no known treatment, vaccine, or cure. There are some thought-provoking moments around the happenstance of medical innovation, the fallibility of doctors, and even quality of life / euthanasia for those on life-sustaining care. But the author only passingly mentions these things as novelties; they are lost in a slew of other details that may or may not be significant.
Stylistically I felt like some lines meant to dramatize the epidemic only served to make it melodramatic. The constant use of the war metaphor with doctors as soldiers or generals felt somewhat distasteful, given that much of these events happen during or immediately after an actual war with occupation by a Nazi Germany. There are also some quips throughout the book that felt like a weak attempt to keep the reader hooked when the content really ought to speak for itself.
July 15, 2023
Treatments during the Polio epidemic
A chilling but thoughtful look at Polio.
In 1916, the United States found itself in the grip of a polio epidemic which ultimately took the lives of 6,000 and paralyzed 27,000. Scientists, researchers and the medical community searched in vain for answers. Where did Polio virus come from? How was it transmitted? Could it be prevented? Could it be cured?
After WWI, medical personnel had more time to research and conduct trials. 1929 brought the Iron Lung, but few other advancements were noted. There was no vaccine. During the 1930’s, work continued, but was soon to be interrupted by WWII. Almost 30 years had passed since 1916. Children and adults were still suffering and dying.
The occupation of Denmark by Germany began April 9, 1949. Blegdam was the only Infectious Disease Hospital in Copenhagen. It was overwhelmed by patients suffering from infections and trauma. But, at Blegdam, advances would come and history would be made. In the early 1950’s, the names Sabin and Salk would be heard.
As I read this book, the search for the cause ane the hunt for a cure, I couldn't help but think of the recent CoVid epidemic. I had a better understanding of the reasons that it took so long to identify this virus and formulate a vaccine.
I read this EARC courtesy of the Greystone Books and Edelweiss. Published 2023
A chilling but thoughtful look at Polio.
In 1916, the United States found itself in the grip of a polio epidemic which ultimately took the lives of 6,000 and paralyzed 27,000. Scientists, researchers and the medical community searched in vain for answers. Where did Polio virus come from? How was it transmitted? Could it be prevented? Could it be cured?
After WWI, medical personnel had more time to research and conduct trials. 1929 brought the Iron Lung, but few other advancements were noted. There was no vaccine. During the 1930’s, work continued, but was soon to be interrupted by WWII. Almost 30 years had passed since 1916. Children and adults were still suffering and dying.
The occupation of Denmark by Germany began April 9, 1949. Blegdam was the only Infectious Disease Hospital in Copenhagen. It was overwhelmed by patients suffering from infections and trauma. But, at Blegdam, advances would come and history would be made. In the early 1950’s, the names Sabin and Salk would be heard.
As I read this book, the search for the cause ane the hunt for a cure, I couldn't help but think of the recent CoVid epidemic. I had a better understanding of the reasons that it took so long to identify this virus and formulate a vaccine.
I read this EARC courtesy of the Greystone Books and Edelweiss. Published 2023
March 6, 2023
I loved this book. The tone is conversational and all explanations of the science are clear and easy to understand. There was a lot of biographical information which I love, but not just of the healthcare professionals, but also of the victims and survivors of polio. These stories were powerfully evocative and not like anything I’ve come across in the many books on polio that I’ve read. The book also provides a great history of intensive care. While there is some discussion of polio vaccines to complete the story, the book is about so much more than vaccines and it was a real eye-opener. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of medicine. Thank you to Edelweiss and Greystone Books for the digital review copy.
August 23, 2025
A debut book?! You're kidding!
I'm biased as Poilo has been a long time interest for me - second to tuberculosis - and I will eat up an infectious disease book every time, but the rigorous organization and clearly set out information is a charming point in this book I constantly delighted in! I found myself being bored of all other pursuits knowing 'The Autumn Ghost' was waiting for me.
The thorough research, the pockets of human touch, the occasional photograph, and the passion for knowledge radiates from this book. It calls to you from your shelf, bookstore window, and library catalogs; completely irresistible. Amust-readd for those harboring a thirst for air.
Finished 8:14pm
I'm biased as Poilo has been a long time interest for me - second to tuberculosis - and I will eat up an infectious disease book every time, but the rigorous organization and clearly set out information is a charming point in this book I constantly delighted in! I found myself being bored of all other pursuits knowing 'The Autumn Ghost' was waiting for me.
The thorough research, the pockets of human touch, the occasional photograph, and the passion for knowledge radiates from this book. It calls to you from your shelf, bookstore window, and library catalogs; completely irresistible. Amust-readd for those harboring a thirst for air.
Finished 8:14pm
October 2, 2023
An accessible and engaging account of the medical personalities and innovations that the polio epidemic gave rise to. With humor, balance, and empathy Wunsch tells the story of clinical and academic collaboration and competition, of trust in and distrust of new ideas in treatment, all woven through the stories of the lived experience of families with adults or children who contracted polio. An achievement in medical history that shows how dire situations can foster change and improved care.
Eva Gold
Eva Gold
December 10, 2023
A fascinating book. It was recommended to me with a view to interviewing the author for my podcast. Rather than just skimming the book, as I usually would in such circumstances, I found myself immersed in the story of the rise of polio in the early 20th century, and how the medical community responded and innovated.
Engagingly written, and told through the stories of the patients, the students who sat at bedsides for hours helping sufferers breathe and the medical professionals who had to learn and adapt to an overwhelming disease as it became an epidemic.
Engagingly written, and told through the stories of the patients, the students who sat at bedsides for hours helping sufferers breathe and the medical professionals who had to learn and adapt to an overwhelming disease as it became an epidemic.
November 24, 2024
I’ve just finished this absolutely excellent book about the 1952 Polio epidemic in Copenhagen. The book details the ingenuity and courage of the the team there, who had to deal with caring for a sudden and huge influx of patients with respiratory paralysis, before the age of mechanical ventilators; including the heroic actions of hundreds of ‘student ventilators’, working around the clock to keep people alive. Hundreds were saved and the specialism of Intensive Care was born. A very readable and well-written book. Fascinating and inspiring.
November 24, 2024
This book covers such a wide variety of important topics for both healthcare professionals and the general public. Dr. Wunsch honours the contributions of patients, students, nurses, and physicians during the polio epidemic and highlights the huge impact the developments that resulted from this had on medicine and intensive care units across the globe. An essential human aspect is interwoven beautifully with the technical science aspects.
January 22, 2025
'Only those who know darkness / can fathom light in its beam; / without that then life would be / but the shadow of a dream.' - Rosa Abrahamsen
This is so incredibly fascinating and well-written. It isn't solely a categorical account of medicine, disability, and technology during an epidemic in the 1950s, where progress in each was crucial, but an important insight into the lives of those affected by it; survivors, victims, and medical personnel alike.
An event that remains in the memory of those who experienced it, the polio epidemic of the 50s isn't as distant in the past as so many people believe. There are firsthand accounts of it, and, yet, there was a vast portion of it that I had spent so much time completely unaware of, despite how deeply it rings true in conjunction with the (ongoing) global pandemic of COVID-19. A deeply compelling and eye-opening read, and one that I will ruminate on for quite some time.
This is so incredibly fascinating and well-written. It isn't solely a categorical account of medicine, disability, and technology during an epidemic in the 1950s, where progress in each was crucial, but an important insight into the lives of those affected by it; survivors, victims, and medical personnel alike.
An event that remains in the memory of those who experienced it, the polio epidemic of the 50s isn't as distant in the past as so many people believe. There are firsthand accounts of it, and, yet, there was a vast portion of it that I had spent so much time completely unaware of, despite how deeply it rings true in conjunction with the (ongoing) global pandemic of COVID-19. A deeply compelling and eye-opening read, and one that I will ruminate on for quite some time.
April 6, 2025
Excellent book, I learned so much
Born in 1940 I grew up in the era when polio was a truly frightening and devastating disease. This book explains in detail just what went into confronting and treating this disease. Extremely interesting! I never had polio but still have memories of how terrifying it was. Now I have a much better understanding on all that went into treating and preventing this disease.
Born in 1940 I grew up in the era when polio was a truly frightening and devastating disease. This book explains in detail just what went into confronting and treating this disease. Extremely interesting! I never had polio but still have memories of how terrifying it was. Now I have a much better understanding on all that went into treating and preventing this disease.
July 16, 2023
I love history of medicine books and this one was a treat. Both precise AND involving, which is the holy grail. And very fascinating to learn how recently intensive care was invented, and why. I also enjoyed learning some of the mechanics of polio symptoms and how they were misunderstood for so long.
August 21, 2023
This gripping story of a courageous medical innovation that saved countless lives during the polio epidemic of 1952 and gave birth to modern intensive care is a must read. Meticulously researched and beautifully written it puts you at the bedside of the patients and into the minds of their doctors and medical students. Highly recommended.
November 15, 2024
If you’re interested in the history of medicine (as I am), this book is fascinating and eye opening about the polio epidemic in the mid 20th century and how it led to the development of modern day anesthesia, mechanical ventilation and ICU care. So much I didn’t know and some fascinating people who were involved. A great read.
July 2, 2025
A very good book if you like medical/science history books. The book tells the story of the fight against Polio including the rise of the ICU. Unlike other books on epidemics, this one is more patient and respiratory therapy focused though the vaccine is discussed a bit. The book is well researched, easy to read, and even discusses post-polio syndrome, which I did not know about.
November 13, 2023
As someone who has spent her entire adult life in healthcare, I thoroughly enjoyed this remarkable history of so much more than polio. The author is adept at writing about medical situations in layman's terms.
December 29, 2023
"In every age, in every man, there is a particular spirit that desires to confront adversity and to wrestle with hardship, seeking not only survival but triumph over the malevolent forces that assail the human spirit." - Philip Roth
In the annals of human woe, a somber
chapter unraveled a malady of
cunning, a pestilence sly as the mythical
Leviathan, emerging from the shadows
to clutch its prey in a pitiless grip. An
age of unseen Reapers, whimsical and
capricious, waltzing through the
populace, leaving in their wake a trail of
frail limbs and shattered lives. Witness,
the great polio malaise, a stealthy
scourge casting its shadow upon the
unsuspecting masses.
Mid-20th century found the world
ensnared in the tentacles of this
malevolent force-an invisible
adversary striking the young and old
alike, a phantom marauder sowing
dread in hearts of families and
communities. Swift onset, a clandestine
invasion of the corporeal form; limbs
once robust rendered feeble, the
specter of paralysis looming large.
The battleground shifted from the seen
to the unseen, the poliomyelitis virus, a
microscopic antagonist, waging war
within sinews of existence. Yet, amid
this epoch of despair, a flicker of hope
graced the horizon. Valiant minds, akin to those in unyielding pursuit of the great white whale, embarked on a voyage against the polio tempest. Driven by the imperative to conquer, they navigated uncharted waters of medical science, seeking the elusive elixir to quell the virus's fevered dance.
Through toil and determination, these
medical Ishmaels forged vaccines, a
modern harpoon against the polio
Leviathan. Inoculations became a
prophylactic shield raised against the
unseen foe. The quest echoed maritime
sagas, a pursuit of dominion over
turbulent seas. And so, the tides turned.
The insidious grip of polio, once
unyielding, began to slacken. The inoculation, a beacon of scientific
achievement, heralded a new epoch-a
triumph over the relentless adversary haunting our imagination.
In the grand tapestry of human history,
the polio epic unfolded a saga of
anguish, resilience, and the indomitable
spirit rising undaunted from the abyss
of affliction.
In the annals of human woe, a somber
chapter unraveled a malady of
cunning, a pestilence sly as the mythical
Leviathan, emerging from the shadows
to clutch its prey in a pitiless grip. An
age of unseen Reapers, whimsical and
capricious, waltzing through the
populace, leaving in their wake a trail of
frail limbs and shattered lives. Witness,
the great polio malaise, a stealthy
scourge casting its shadow upon the
unsuspecting masses.
Mid-20th century found the world
ensnared in the tentacles of this
malevolent force-an invisible
adversary striking the young and old
alike, a phantom marauder sowing
dread in hearts of families and
communities. Swift onset, a clandestine
invasion of the corporeal form; limbs
once robust rendered feeble, the
specter of paralysis looming large.
The battleground shifted from the seen
to the unseen, the poliomyelitis virus, a
microscopic antagonist, waging war
within sinews of existence. Yet, amid
this epoch of despair, a flicker of hope
graced the horizon. Valiant minds, akin to those in unyielding pursuit of the great white whale, embarked on a voyage against the polio tempest. Driven by the imperative to conquer, they navigated uncharted waters of medical science, seeking the elusive elixir to quell the virus's fevered dance.
Through toil and determination, these
medical Ishmaels forged vaccines, a
modern harpoon against the polio
Leviathan. Inoculations became a
prophylactic shield raised against the
unseen foe. The quest echoed maritime
sagas, a pursuit of dominion over
turbulent seas. And so, the tides turned.
The insidious grip of polio, once
unyielding, began to slacken. The inoculation, a beacon of scientific
achievement, heralded a new epoch-a
triumph over the relentless adversary haunting our imagination.
In the grand tapestry of human history,
the polio epic unfolded a saga of
anguish, resilience, and the indomitable
spirit rising undaunted from the abyss
of affliction.
January 9, 2024
As an ICU pharmacist I really enjoyed this book describing some of the advances to critical care that occurred in response to the polio epidemic. This was well-written, thoroughly researched narrative nonfiction, interlaced with some real patient stories.
May 16, 2024
It can be a bit a bit dry at times, but overall, this was a pretty good book!
I now have tons of fun facts about positive and negative pressure surrounding lungs and anatomy.
It is fascinating to learn about the development of medicine and respiratory Sciences!
I now have tons of fun facts about positive and negative pressure surrounding lungs and anatomy.
It is fascinating to learn about the development of medicine and respiratory Sciences!
November 6, 2024
Well-researched, fascinating. At times the writing is while well-intentioned for entertainment, a little tangential. Also, as an EM doc, this was mind-blowing historical education. Hand-bagging patients for 8+ hours everyday while in medical school?!?
November 18, 2024
This gave me a lot to think about. The author did a phenomenal and thorough job of uncovering the Polio epidemic in the 1950s and the development of one of the first weakened/inactivated vaccines with all its flaws and benefits. It was interesting.
February 9, 2025
A spectacular and haunting review of the horrors of the polio epidemic revealing its impact on public health, the field of anesthesiology, and the inception of critical care. Thank you. This was great.
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