The wonders of science

The wonders of science: before a vaccine was introduced in the 1950s, the average number of suspected cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in England and Wales was over 100,000 each year, and in some years over 2000 people died from pertussis. By 1972, when over 80% of children were vaccinated, this had fallen to 2069 suspected cases and 2 deaths.

An effective vaccine was discovered in the 1930s by a group of scientists working on it as a side project! Their fascinating story is explored in this article https://www.history.com/news/whooping-cough-vaccine-pertussis-great-depression

If you are worried about pertussis further information can be found on the University of Oxford’s Vaccine Knowledge Project website https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/pertussis-whooping-cough – including the size and scope of the challenge to reduce deaths of this painful and debilitating infection worldwide.

Image: Grace Eldering, third from right, and Loney Clinton Gordon, far left, who worked with Pearl Kendrick and helped pioneer a combined vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus.

Grand Rapids History and Special Collections, Archives, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids, MI

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