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The Moth in the Iron Lung

A Biography of Polio

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The Moth in the Iron Lung

Written by: Forrest Maready
Narrated by: Forrest Maready
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About this listen

A fascinating account of the world’s most famous disease - polio - told as you have never heard it before. Epidemics of paralysis began to rage in the early 1900s, seemingly out of nowhere. Doctors, parents, and health officials were at a loss to explain why this formerly unheard-of disease began paralyzing so many children - usually starting in their legs, sometimes moving up through their abdomen and arms. For an unfortunate few, it could paralyze the muscles that allowed them to breathe.

Why did this disease start to become such a horrible problem during the late 1800s? Why did it affect children more often than adults? Why was it originally called teething paralysis by mothers and their doctors? Why were animals so often paralyzed during the early epidemics when it was later discovered most animals could not become infected? The Moth in the Iron Lung is a fascinating biography of this horrible paralytic disease, where it came from, and why it disappeared in the 1950s. If you’ve never explored the polio story beyond the tales of crippled children and iron lungs, this book will be sure to surprise.

©2018 Forrest Maready (P)2018 Forrest Maready Medicine & Health Care Industry Physical Illness & Disease World Health Care

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Must read!

Fantastic novel. I've never gotten through a book so quickly. Forrest tells a horrifying tale beautifully. The fact that those who hold power internationally have the ability to do such things should frighten all.
A must read for the truth about poliomyelitis.

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Profile Image for Catherine Heard

Erroneous Information

The author makes misguided correlations, and ignores scientific studies that proved the efficacy of the polio vaccine. If you are considering reading this book, I recommend reading counter-arguments that point to the flaws in Maready’s reasoning.

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