Intensive care units and mechanical ventilation are at the foundation of modern medical care. The origins of these two innovations are in the polio epidemic of the 1950’s. On The Point, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Hannah Wunsch about the polio epidemic and the evolution of modern rehabilitation medicine. Her book is The Autumn Ghost.
Polio and the dawn of modern medicine
![Book cover](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3116104/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1672x1686+0+0/resize/880x887!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb2%2F1b%2F84d61290483c84ae85e9e3e20b6b%2Fscreenshot-2023-12-05-at-1-04-29-pm.png)