A Man for His Time
Despite the prosperity of the 1950s, the U.S. fought a war at home against racism and segregation, and abroad against the spread of Soviet communism. While the world was enveloped in darkness and despair, Dr. Salk's cure for polio brought hope and joy. Willy Wonka captures the legacy of Dr. Salk: "So shines a good deed in a weary world."
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Conclusion
Dr. Jonas Salk was a man with a simple vision: to help make the world a better place for everyone. Despite criticism and discouragement from his fellow scientists, he accomplished the unthinkable by nearly eradicating polio. With less than 400 cases of polio left in the world today, his mission to destroy polio is almost complete. Additionally, the killed-virus vaccine has given scientists the potential opportunity to completely destroy entire diseases forever. At the peak of notoriety, Dr. Salk remained true to his beliefs and rejected his right to patent his vaccine. When commonly asked why he declined billions of dollars in not patenting his vaccine Dr. Salk replied, "Can you patent the sun?" Jonas Salk's reward was simply knowing he completed a job well done. He reinforced his legacy of groundbreaking research and charity by creating the Salk Institute for Biological Studies to continue his scientific mission to find cures to diseases and help save lives. The Salk Institute's success can be measured by it's world renowned faculty, and fulfilling Dr. Salk's vision for the Institute: "Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality."