"Salk didn't not patent the polio vaccine because he was some hero He did it to cover up what he had done In 1955 the experimental polio vaccines were injected into orphans; causing 40,000+ documented cases of polio, several hundred permanent cases of paralysis, and many deaths This is called #TheCutterIncident The Cutter Incident (1955) Background: After Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine (inactivated polio vaccine, IPV), the U.S. rushed to mass-produce it in 1955. Several pharmaceutical companies were licensed, including Cutter Laboratories. Cutter’s manufacturing process failed to fully inactivate (kill) the poliovirus in some vaccine lots. This meant live poliovirus was still present in doses injected in the public. What Happened: Around 200,000 children received the defective vaccine. 40,000 developed mild polio. 200+ were permanently paralyzed. 10+ died. Secondary transmission infected family members and others. (Shedding) Aftermath: Vaccination campaigns were briefly halted, then restarted with stricter oversight. Cutter Laboratories was held liable in civil court (negligence wasn’t proven, but liability was found). The incident spurred massive changes in vaccine regulation, safety testing, and federal oversight, laying the foundation for modern vaccine safety standards. Remembered as a public health tragedy caused by rushing production without robust safety protocols. Still cited in medical ethics, law, and policy discussions as a case of balancing speed, safety, and public trust in medicine. Similar to Covid, Radium Girls, and Asbestos.