although we are set up by congress to demonstrate to the american people we are open 355 , days a year, 356 on leap years, free of charge. we get americans from every corner of our wonderful country but visitors from all over the world. we aim to delight people in the wonders of plants and put a smile on your face. and with that smile, we believe we can educate about some of the wonders and services the plant kingdom provides to human beings. >> you are watching american history tv, all weekend, every

weekend, on cspan3. to join the conversation, like us on facebook. >> each week, american history tv's "reel america" brings you archival films that help tell the story of the 20th century. ♪ >> these are the proud heels -- hills of the state of virginia in the springtime of 1956. springtime reckoning to a small

boy, urging him to wonder with the wind, over the pasture fence to catch a calf. not an easy thing because a calf is a youngster like himself. ride him? sure. well what is a day without a , little rough and tumble? when a boy needs comfort, there is always home. and mother and father. this is the world of randy kerr of oakton, virginia. typical, except for one thing. randy was the first child to receive an injection of salk polio vaccine. in the field trials in 1954. much had preceded this moment when randy kerr made history. in the all-out fight against polio led by the national foundation for infantile paralysis, there were many years of struggle and heartbreak.

parents lived in fear of the sudden attack and tragic aftermath. thousands upon thousands of children and adults fell prey to the crippler. march of dimes funds were needed everywhere. needed desperately by patients. needed by an army of scientists who searched for a preventive. in 1954, a vaccine to prevent paralytic polio developed by jonas salk was tested in the largest field trial and medical -- field trials in medical history. finally in 1955, salk vaccine is safe and effective. the next challenge is production in quantity. a huge task, a complex process all detailed in this book. it is officially called a protocol. here, the manufacturer records every step in the production of one lot of vaccine. the first requirement is trained scientists and technicians.

their every action is important starting with the scrub up. the equipment they use get scrubbed up. a scalding steam bath for 15 minutes. when it comes out, it is completely sterilized, ready for the job ahead. vital to the production of the vaccine are monkeys from the far east. given the best of care. meanwhile another basic , ingredient of the polio vaccine is being prepared. a rich, nourishing liquid called medium 199. some 68 different elements going to medium 199. -- go into medium 199. each is carefully checked, weight, and combined according to the formula. when all is thoroughly blended the medium is tested for absolute sterility. why this elaborate preparation? into medium 199 will go monkey kidney tissue, carefully minced by hand.

in these bottles, the monkey kidney tissue grows, getting nourishment from the rich medium 199. for six days, the bottles rock and the tissue grows. then because all the nourishment in the medium is exhausted, half is siphoned off to be replaced by fresh medium but with a difference. the difference, a big one, is here for the first time, live poliovirus is planted in the medium. three strains of polio virus are added. completed vaccine will protect against all three types of paralytic polio. and once more, the bottles rock. in four days, the virus multiplies 250 to 1000 times.

another stage in the complex production of vaccine has been reached. the polio virus solution is ready for harvesting. the endless testing has now begun. a titration test measures the amount of live virus present in the solution. this test is made seven different times during production. next, filtration. a vitally important process. first, the virus solution goes through these metal tubes containing porcelain filters then through sheets of us vestas -- asbestos to strain out kidney tissue and remove stray bacteria. more tests. rabbits are inaugurated -- in nokia latent -- innoculated to

make sure no b virus, a dangerous but non-poliovirus, is in the solution. guinea pigs too receive injections to make certain the solutions are free of tuberculosis. finally, the climax of production. inactivation. the power of the poliovirus to infect man will be utterly destroyed. the colorless, pungent chemical formaldehyde will deal the deadly blow to the poliovirus. fourr 66 hours in a warm incubator room, the in activation process continues. what remains can only do good. provide humans from protection from paralytic polio. a chapter ends. the enemy of man is now ready to become his servant.

at every step of the way, checks and double checks. this technician is working on a tissue culture safety test double checking the complete inactivation of the virus. four such tissue tests are conducted on every batch of vaccine. behind this door, the final phase of production. it calls for a giant tank, into it will go the three different types of inactivated polio solution, combined for the first time. the solutions are filtered into the pooling tank and twice later. additional chemicals complete and preserve the vaccine. then the preparation is mixed for five hours. at the end of that time, the polio vaccine is complete.

but testing is not. two animal tests are performed. one on white mice injected with vaccine is called the lcm test. and the live monkey potency test. monkeys receive polio vaccine, then are observed and examined to be sure the vaccine is potent enough to cause formation of polio-fighting antibodies in humans. more tests. a sterility test. the sixth of its kind is performed. it takes time and infinite care. only vaccine found completely free of bacteria is approved for the next step. that step is putting vaccine into bottles under completely sterile conditions. these are the bottles which

finally will find their way into doctors' offices and clinics all over the country, even as they reach the end of the production line. other tests are in progress and tests are sent to the government. no vaccine can leave the pharmaceutical house until all tests by the manufacturer and government are completed satisfactorily. the protocol is finished and then sent to the national institutes of health for government approval, required by law. in bethesda, maryland, the national institutes of health is a vast center of medical progress. the main research arm of the united states public health service. in the office of dr. roderick murray, chief of the division of biologic standards, the

manufacturer's protocol is first reviewed. then he summons scientists from his staff. each is given a copy of the protocol, which he will study carefully, checking every process, every test, for consistency. at the same time, another vital judgment is being made in the laboratories of the national institutes of health. here, a sample from every batch of vaccine is received. then subjected to a whole battery of complex scientific tests. a sterility test confirming those of the manufacturer is carried out. a tissue culture test on the vaccine sample. again substantiating tests , already made by the manufacturer. living tissue is inoculated with the polio vaccine, incubated

and then carefully examined. the monkey test, one of the most important tests. 20 monkeys are involved in the testing of every lot of vaccine and each receives three injections from the manufacturer 's sample. the purpose is to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the polio vaccine. these are just some of the painstaking review and testing procedures of the national institutes of health. each contributing to the final judgment and recommendation on every lot and vaccine. once the public health service authorizes its release, the polio vaccine can begin to protect american youngsters. in 1955, over 10 million children received one or more injections of salk vaccine including this boy, the president's own grandson, david eisenhower.

and now, like millions of boys and girls across the nation, david is protected against paralytic polio, free to play and enjoy the delights of summertime with the president, his grandfather. from the united states public health service, a report on these vaccinations in 1985 by -- 1955 by the distinguished former surgeon general dr. leonard a. shealy. >> as we enter the second year of widespread polio vaccine, it is my pleasant duty to report to you the results of polio vaccinations today. good news, indeed. we had a special opportunity to study effectiveness last year. here's a very simple chart which indicates how the vaccine worked during 1955. this is based on reports from 22 states and new york city. among vaccinated children, the attack rate for polio was only

6.3 current -- per 100,000. the unvaccinated rate was 29.2 per 100,000. almost four times as high. the studies involved about 8.5 million children whose ages ranged from 5-11. even though these children had -- most of these children had only one injection instead of three, the vaccine was found to be about 78% effective. put another way, the boys and girls who received at least one injection of vaccine at four -- at least times as much four protection as those without it. we can all be proud of the salk vaccine. we can all share in the hope that this victory will lead to many moore's in the years ahead. >> for maximum protection for paralytic polio, three inoculations. the second given not less than three weeks after the first.