One of the surest ways to stop the spread of a disease is to develop a vaccine against it. At the Canyon Creek Schoolhouse laboratory, bacteriologists (Dr. Roscoe Spencer) and entomologists (Dr. Ralph Parker) worked together to that end. Despite the limited technology and understanding of bacteriology of the 1920s, once Spencer and Parker began to work together in 1921, a vaccine was developed in less than three years.

As illustrated by this photo of two RMSF researchers, the development of a RMSF vaccine was only possible because of cooperation between state and federal agencies, scientific disciplines, and the research staff.

Image: Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum, 1114