.

The deadly heat of 1952

In the summer of 1952, in the state of Texas in the south of the United States, there was a rare heat
even for these latitudes for weeks. The thermometer during the day rose above 38 degrees, the night
also did not bring coolness. But it was not the heat that bothered the Texans, who spent the second
month sitting at home, locking the doors and windows. US residents experienced the largest polio
outbreak in the history of the country this summer, claiming hundreds of lives every day. And mostly
children died.

All cinemas, swimming pools and almost all shops were closed, churches canceled services.
Government organizations disinfected the streets daily, coating them with insecticides to kill
mosquitoes. By that time, it was already known that insects practically do not tolerate polio (it is
transmitted with contaminated water or food, from dirty hands, less often by airborne droplets), but
local authorities tried to do at least something to stop the epidemic. "iron lungs": the story of one of
the last victims of polio
Paul Alexander was 6 years old in 1952. Because of the epidemic, he had to spend the summer in
the backyard of his parents' house. Despite all the precautions, one July day he felt strange: his neck
hurt badly, his head was buzzing. As soon as Paul told his mother about this, she immediately put
him to bed and called the doctor. The doctor diagnosed polio and prescribed the strictest bed rest.

In the first days, everything was more or less in order: Paul had a temperature, but not too much,
there were strengths to draw and play. The doctor monitored his condition and did not recommend
that his parents take their son to the hospital: it was overflowing with children in much more serious
conditions.

A week later, Paul's health deteriorated sharply. His body ceased to obey him: he could no longer
hold a pencil, stopped talking, and breathed with difficulty. His parents took him to the hospital, and
there they had to wait in a queue for many hours, consisting of the same frightened adults with sick
children. When the doctor finally examined the boy, he left Paul no chance of recovery.
A few years later, when Paul's "iron lung" began to fall apart, his friends posted a video on YouTube
calling for help. He was approached by engineer Brady Richards, who makes a living fixing racing
cars. He was able to figure out how an old car works and now helps Paul keep it in order.