Biologics Regulation and ResearchThe People and Work of Buildings 29 & 29A

Brief History of Polio

A photo of two men and one woman seated at a desk in a laboratory. They are wearing white lab coats and looking at a bottle

Dr. Samuel Baron, at left, Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, at center, and an unidentified male in a DBS laboratory Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum

1958

NIH developed a special committee to assess Sabin’s vaccine.

In 1958, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed a special committee in the Division of Biologics Standards (DBS) to assess live oral polio vaccines. The committee was charged with testing virus strains that had been approved for use in manufacturing the oral vaccine. Researchers around the world began studies of the effectiveness and safety of Sabin’s oral polio vaccine. Dr. Ruth Kirschstein and Dr. Samuel Baron led the committee. Dr. Roderick Murray, Dr. Gerald Van Hoosier, Dr. Samuel Baron, and Lab Technician George Rusten were also involved in polio safety testing.

1956

1962