Dancing in My Dreams

Confronting the Spectre of Polio

Kerry Highley

• Publisher: Monash University Publishing
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN:
  9781922235855
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Diseases & Allergies

A compelling exploration of polio's impact and the battle for effective treatment. For fifty years, the spectre of polio caused overwhelming fear. This is the story of the disease, the scientific endeavor that led to a vaccine, and the lives forever changed by the disease and its treatments.

Dancing in My Dreams examines the history of polio epidemics in Australia and the United States, revealing the social and medical responses to this devastating disease. It highlights the contrasting approaches of Elizabeth Kenny and Jean Macnamara, and the controversies surrounding their methods.

Through the voices of polio survivors, this medical and social history explores the challenges, triumphs, and lasting impact of polio. Readers will discover:

• The contrasting treatment methods of Elizabeth Kenny and Jean Macnamara
• The social and medical history of polio epidemics in Australia and the United States
• The personal stories of polio survivors and their struggles with disability

This is a crucial lesson from history, revealing how scientific beliefs are adopted, discarded, or modified over time.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Imprint Page and Copyright Information
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Prologue
• Ch 1: Introduction
• Ch 2: I’m Afraid It’s Polio …
• Ch 3: Staying Alive: Life in Hospital
• Ch 4: Silent Traveller: Polio in Australia
• Ch 5: Pushing the Boundaries: Polio Treatment and Elizabeth Kenny
• Ch 6: Sister Kenny Goes to America
• Ch 7: Dancing in My Dreams: Confronting the Spectre of Polio
• Images
• Ch 8: A Tale of Brains, Guts, and a Virus
• Ch 9: Polio: Retrospect and Prospect
• Annex
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index