Researcher ORCID Identifier
0009-0003-2876-0271
Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Reader 1
Andrew Aisenberg
Reader 2
Andre Wakefield
Reader 3
Aaron Aruck
Rights Information
Hope G Walter
Abstract
In 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk became the most famous scientist in the United States when he developed a successful vaccine against polio, a devastating disease which had terrified the American public since the turn of the century. Using contemporary reports as well as fan mail received by Dr. Salk from within five years of the vaccine's invention, this study explores the public reception of Salk and how the public used Salk as a framework for reinterpreting the ideal scientist, the role of science in society, and science in the Cold War moment.
Recommended Citation
Walter, Hope, ""Thanks a Million ... Doctor Salk": Public Reception of Jonas Salk as a Cold War Scientist" (2025). Scripps Senior Theses. 2531.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/2531
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
