The Invisible Enemy: The Effects of Polio on the American War Effort during World War II, 1941-1945

<p>This thesis looks at the social, political, and military effects of epidemic polio on America's war effort during World War II. The primary sources consulted include newspapers, military medical reports, photographs, memoirs, speeches, and archival collections. It looks at the effects of polio on the home front, more specifically how epidemics and the rising rates of polio were a detriment to the civilian war effort. It also focuses on the American military's preparation for and response to polio outbreaks among troops both at home and abroad. Finally, it discusses the experiences of the servicemen who contracted polio during the war. This work fills a major hole in the historiography of the disease and highlights the overlapping interests of the public, the medical community, and the military during a time of war.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MA (Master of Arts)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - unrestricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Bryant, Jacob Owen

• National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
• World War II
• Poliomyelitis
• Military Medicine
• Infectious Disease
• Arts and Humanities
• History
• Military History

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1404

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-2597