The virus and the vaccine : the true story of a cancer-causing monkey virus, contaminated polio vaccine, and the millions of Americans exposed / Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bookchin, Debbie.

Contributor:

Schumacher, Jim, 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

SV40 (Virus)--History--Popular works.

SV40 (Virus).

Poliomyelitis vaccine--Contamination--History--Popular works.

Poliomyelitis vaccine.

Poliovirus Vaccines--adverse effects.

Poliomyelitis vaccine--Contamination.

History.

United States.

Drug Contamination.

Neoplasms--etiology.

Poliovirus Vaccines--history.

Polyomavirus Infections--etiology.

Simian virus 40--pathogenicity.

Tumor Virus Infections--etiology.

Medical Subjects:

Poliovirus Vaccines--adverse effects.

United States.

Drug Contamination.

Neoplasms--etiology.

Poliovirus Vaccines--history.

Polyomavirus Infections--etiology.

Simian virus 40--pathogenicity.

Tumor Virus Infections--etiology.

Genre:

Popular works.

Physical Description:

xvii, 380 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : St. Martin's Press, [2004]

Summary:

Jonas Salk's polio vaccine has taken on an almost legendary quality as a medical miracle, for it largely eradicated one of the most feared diseases of the 20th century. But the story of the vaccine has a dark side, one that has never been fully told before... Between 1954 and 1963, close to 98 million Americans received polio vaccinations contaminated with a carcinogenic monkey virus, now known as SV40. A concerted government effort downplayed the incident, and it was generally accepted that although oncogenic to laboratory animals, SV40 was harmless to humans. But now SV40 in showing up in human cancers, and prominent researchers are demanding a serious public health response to this forgotten polio vaccine contaminant. A gripping medical detective story, "The Virus and the Vaccine" raises major questions about vaccine policy.

Contents:

Introduction

1. The paralyzed president

2. A nation at war with polio

3. A young man from Pittsburgh

4. The vaccine that opened Pandora's box

5. Triumph and disaster

6. Does anyone know what's in this vaccine?

7. The virus discovered

8. We were scared of SV40

9. The worst thing in the world

10. Why not a safer vaccine?

11. Everyone knows SV40 doesn't cause cancer

12. A wild-assed idea

13. Don't inflame the public - 14. A call to turn aside the dogma

15. On the scientific map

16. The perfect war machine

17. A study marred by strife

18. Wasted time, wasted money

19. No funding, no research

20. Alexander's tumor

Conclusion

Notes and sources

Appendix A : association of SV40 with human disease

Appendix B : correspondence between Bernice Eddy, Joseph Smadel, and Roderick Murray (chapters 6 and 7)

Appendix C : documents and articles concerning the discovery of SV40 in Salk's and Sabin's vaccines (chapters 8 and 9)

Appendix D : memos and correspondence relating to multi-laboratory study and carbone-pass rapid access to intervention development (RAID) Grant (chapters 17 and 19)

Acknowledgments

Index.

ISBN:

0312278721

OCLC:

52942995