LOOK AT US -- IN 1935
Posted by John Hoeger
on Jun 06, 2015
David Melcher, president of Yucca Valley Rotary, has a collection of Rotarian magazines going clear back to its beginning in 1911. He recently noticed a paragraph in the Jan 1935 issue that talks about our own club, the Rotary Club of San Bernardino, highlighting our club’s efforts to eliminate Polio as far back as 80 years ago.
The paragraph is on page 40 and is part of a report on the activities of Rotary clubs around the world. To see the original, you can click on the magazine cover on the left; then navigate to page 40. Here is what is says:
Furnish Paralysis Serum
San Bernardino, Cal. --- Establishment of a foundation to provide a costly serum to combat infantile paralysis in the county has just been completed by the Rotary Club of San Bernardino, working with the county medical society and the county hospital. Through a fund provided by the Rotary club, it is believed that all the serum required locally can be produced at the county hospital. Heretofore no adequate supply has been available locally, necessitating the purchase of the serum in cities too far distant and at too great a cost for most parents. Charity patients will, of course, be provided with the serum free of charge. Those patients who are not in this classification, but who cannot afford to pay the 50 to 150 dollars [$2,050 in 2015 dollars] usually charged for the serum, may now purchase it through the foundation at a nominal sum. Money collected for the serum from those who can pay will be used to maintain the foundation. Since there is no known treatment to immunize against infantile paralysis, and the present treatment must be administered before paralysis sets in, it is highly important that an adequate supply be always on hand. Rotarians of San Bernardino and those working with them have thus made a significant contribution to the cause of those who might otherwise be maimed for life.