Monday, July 14, 2025

ELIZABETH KENNY'S FIGHT AGAINST POLIO

 

Elizabeth Kenny 1950

I read about Elizabeth Kenny a couple of decades ago when I was doing polio research for a novel. I was impressed with her approach to treating infantile paralysis (a.k.a. poliomyelitis or polio).

 

First, let’s look at the disease in the years before Kenny’s treatment.

Polio has been around for thousands of years, but it had little to no effect on populations until the middle of the 1800s. Before this time, outbreaks were so limited that they either weren’t recognized or weren’t recorded. Numerous people contracted polio unawares with flu-like fever and aches, and—BAM—their immune systems created antibodies. Many didn’t even have any symptoms. Some progressed to temporary or permanent paralysis. While others had respiratory failure, which was why Philip Drinker and Louis Shaw developed the iron lung in 1929, saving many lives.

 

Iron Lung

The earliest notable outbreaks occurred in Europe in the mid-1800s besides one in Louisiana. In 1894, the first recognized US epidemic was in Vermont. With increasing frequency and higher numbers of people infected, the polio epidemics became wider spread and growing numbers of people died. What changed to cause polio to go from an occasional, disregarded illness through the millennia to epidemics suddenly sweeping around the world?

 

Sanitation!

 

Surprisingly, the increase of more sanitary conditions created a ripe environment for polio to spread. Yes, you heard that right. Sanitary conditions made people more susceptible to polio. Of course, no one knew that at the time. In trying to clean things up to get rid of other killer diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery, polio was able to bloom and spread. How could this be?

 

If a mother had been exposed to and fought off polio, she developed antibodies that temporarily protected her baby in the womb as well as with the first breast milk. Before sanitation became a thing, a newborn would have been exposed to polio in its unclean environment while being protected by its mother’s antibodies. When exposed, the baby could fight off the disease and develop its own antibodies with minimal to no symptoms. No one would have likely noticed that the baby was even ill. Most people were “immunized” very early in life. Only those with poor or weak immune systems reached the second (often paralyzing) phase of the disease.

 

Therefore, if a baby, in this new, cleaner environment, isn’t exposed to polio while protected by its mother’s antibodies, then it could contract it later on when it doesn’t have the benefit of its mother’s antibodies. And if that child grows up without ever being exposed and has a baby, that next generation wouldn’t have a mother’s antibodies to protect them and to help fight the disease. This was why so many babies were stricken and paralyzed.

 

Enter Elizabeth Kenny, born in Warialda, New South Wales, Australia on September 20, 1880, during a time when polio was on the rise. At age seventeen, she broke her wrist and convalesced in Toowoomba under the supervision of Dr. Aeneas McDonnell. While there, she became interested in how muscles worked and studied McDonnell’s anatomy books and model skeleton. McDonnell became her lifelong mentor. She later trained at a private hospital in Sydney, graduating in 1911.

 

Kenny 1915

She started her own nursing practice, traveled by foot, horseback, or buggy to the bush country, and charged no money. One of her patients, in 1911, had contracted polio, the first case Kenny had come across. She wrote to McDonnell, asking advice on how to treat the disease. Not much could be done at the time, so he advised to treat the symptoms. Which for the wider medical community meant complete immobilization with casts and heavy splints. Being a bit outside this community and unaware of the standard treatment, she interpreted the advice the best she could by putting warm, wet compresses on the limbs and passive movement of the muscles. The girl recovered.

 

Soon, Kenny served as a nurse for the Australian forces during WWI on a hospital ship. After her time in service, she went back to treating polio and cerebral palsy. In the 1920s and 1930s, she built several polio treatment clinics around the world.

 

Brisbane Clinic 1938

Rockhampton Hospital 1939

Kenny’s unorthodox method didn’t sit well with people who ascribed to the generally accepted medical care for polio—immobilization. The belief at the time was that this disease was in the nervous or spinal system. Kenny believed the key to polio lay in the muscular framework. Her regiment of hot, wet compresses for pain and passive movement of the limbs to reduce spasms reflected that.

 

A royal commission in 1935 studied her methods. Their report was unfavorable. At nearly the same time, a London inquiry came to a similar conclusion.

 

Kenny in her garden with her secretary

However, she visited the US in 1940 and was received with enthusiasm. A medical committee of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis deemed her basic methods and practices in alignment with them in 1941. In 1942, she became a guest lecturer at the Minnesota Medical School, and an Elizabeth Kenny Clinic was opened in Minneapolis. After that, clinics with her name popped up across the US. She was showered with praise as well as degrees. Even though more than 85% of her over 7,000 patients at the Minneapolis clinic recovered compared to only 13% with the conventional accepted method, medical opinion remained divided. However, all of the people Kenny helped have to be grateful for her treatment.

 

Kenny in 1952, shortly before her death

Fortunately today, we don’t have to go backward to unsanitary conditions to protect ourselves from polio. We have a vaccine that can wipe out this devastating disease. However, a viable vaccine didn’t come in Kenny’s lifetime. She passed away in Toowoomba, Queensland on November 30, 1952.

 

Do you have a polio vaccine scar? Or did you get a sugar cube to help the medicine go down?

 

 

NEWLYWED GAMES

A "little white lie" grows into a very big problem. Meghann Livingston invents a husband to soothe her dying mother. But when her mom miraculously recovers and comes to visit, Meghann is hard-pressed to explain her "husband's" absence! Before Meghann can come clean, her handsome, elusive boss, Bruce Halloway, inadvertently steps into her romantic charade...and to Meghann's shock and horror, insists upon playing along. The masquerade's success depends upon them playing their newlywed games extremely well. When they do, both Meghann and Bruce—even as they struggle to overcome the consequences of their deceptions—find themselves falling in love...for real!

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her Carolina dog, Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub



Monday, May 26, 2025

Tuesday Tidbits: POPSICLE: AN ICY BEGINNING

Have you ever had an Epsicle?

 

You probably have and didn’t know it.

 

In 1905, eleven-year-old Frank Epperson, of Oakland, California, showed his friends a powder soda mix that could be whipped up with water into a flavorful drink. Getting distracted, as an eleven-year-old has a tendency to do, he forgot it outside overnight. The temperatures dropped, and in the morning, his drink had frozen solid with his stir stick still in it. He ran the glass under hot water to free the solid drink. Using the stick as a handle, he gave it a lick and loved it.

 

Making more, he shared his treat with his friends. He called his frozen confection Epsicle, a combination of his last name and icicle. He continued to create these for the neighborhood kids. Then as an adult, he made them for his own children, who called them Pop’s Sicle.

 

A man in Central Park tasting his daughter's popsicle, 1942

In 1923, when he sought a patent, his children persuaded him to use their name for them, Popsicle. These were popular at baseball games, amusement parks, and other events, advertised as “a drink on a stick.”

 

With the crash of the stock market, Epperson found himself “flat and had to liquidate my assets.” He sold his invention to the Joe Lowe Co., who catapulted it to national success. Epperson said he was never the same after selling.

 

The Joe Lowe Co. added a second stick to create the twin pop, which sold for a nickel. This was a money stretcher during the Depression where two hungry children could pool their pennies and split one.

 

Good Humor (who sold chocolate covered ice cream on a stick) took the Joe Lowe Co. to court several times for copyright infringement. The court compromised and ruled that Joe Lowe Co. had rights to water based frozen confections and Good Humor had rights to ice cream based ones. Neither side was completely happy. The angst continued between these rivals until Unilever bought the Joe Lowe Co. then later acquired Good Humor.

 

In 1986, the twin pop was discontinued by the Unilever Co. as they were deemed too messy by moms. However, other companies still make some. Cherry, grape, and orange are the favorite flavors with cherry being number one.

 

What was your favorite flavor as a kid? And as an adult?

 

Mine were lime and root beer until I discovered missile bars. They were a cherry/mango swirl of deliciousness. I still eat them today under the name of Monster Cherry-Mango Pops.

 



 

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS SERIES 


COURTING HER AMISH HEART (Book 1) ~ A doctor or an Amish wife? Kathleen Yoder can choose to be only one… Practicing medicine means sacrifice—no Amish man wants a doctor for a wife.

COURTING HER SECRET HEART (Book 2) ~ Caught between two worlds… Deborah Miller lives a double life as an Amish woman—and a fashion model! Soon she must choose between the Englischer world of modeling and the Amish man she’s come to love.

COURTING HER PRODIGAL HEART (Book 3) ~ Mother-to-Be’s Amish Homecoming. Pregnant and alone, Dori Bontrager is sure her Amish kin won’t welcome her back into the community—or the child she’s carrying.

https://books2read.com/marydavisbooks




MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:
Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub


SOURCES:

The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century by Jean Anderson, 1997, p410

https://www.shared.com/these-facts-about-popsicles-may-surprise-you/

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-popsicle-4070016

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-popsicles-92923396/

https://www.history.com/news/frozen-history-the-story-of-the-popsicle

https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a3406/history-of-popsicles-0610/

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/22/425294957/how-an-11-year-old-boy-invented-the-popsicle

https://www.popsicle.com/us/en/our-story.html

Monday, May 12, 2025

Tuesday Tidbits: THE $2 BILL


Series 1976

Do you have one of these oddities tucked away in a drawer or box somewhere?

 

I remember when they came out in 1976. Or rather they were reissued in 1976.

 

Yes, REissued.

 

I thought they were a new thing back then, but the $2 bill has a long history. A lot of people—myself included—believed these were for our country’s bicentennial. In actuality, it was to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. Since it was the US Bicentennial, they put the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the reverse so it could serve two purposes.

 

Let’s roll back the clock nearly 250 years to the beginning of this misunderstood slip of paper.

 

When the Colonies were battling for independence in 1775, the Continental Congress issued $2 “bills of credit” to help finance the defense of what would become the United States. On May 10, 1775 these were released, making them older than our country.

 

1775

They quickly lost their value due to the lack of solid backing and counterfeiting.

 

The next—and first official $2 bill—was printed in 1862. It was a legal tender note of a larger size (7.375” by 3.125”) than we currently have today. This bill featured Alexander Hamilton on the front and beautiful scrollwork on the reverse with the numeral 2. Because the backs of these were green, they came to be known as “greenbacks.”

 

Series 1862

The $2 bill remained this larger size until the smaller note (6.14” by 2.61”) was adopted for all US currency bills in 1928.

 

Timeline

The $2 bill received various facelifts and renditions over the years.

 

Series 1886

The series 1886 depicts Winfield Scott Hancock, a US Army officer and 1880 presidential nominee.

 

Series 1890

The series 1890 depicts James McPherson, a US Army officer who served with Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh.

 

Series 1891

The series 1891 depicts William Windom, US Secretary of the Treasury.

 

Series 1896

The series 1896 (the “Educational series”) depicts a teacher and children on the front and on the reverse side Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse.

 

Series 1899

The series 1899 depicts George Washington, first US president.

 

Series 1928

The series 1928 depicts Thomas Jefferson on the front and Jefferson’s home, Monticello, on the reverse.

 

This little bill stayed in print until 1966 when it was discontinued. Then in 1976, it was brought back and is still a current denomination.

 

Series 1976-Author Image

The series 1976 depicts Thomas Jefferson on the front, as before, for his birthday on April 13th—the bill’s release day—and, the signing of the Declaration of Independence replaced Monticello on the reverse.

 

Though still in print today and legal tender, people believe them to be rare—me included—because they are seldom seen. Others think they are counterfeit. In 2005, a man tried to pay for his purchase with some $2 bills. The store and local police believed that they were counterfeit, and the man was hauled off to jail. In another instance, occurring in 2016, a 13-year-old girl tried to buy her school lunch with one. The school thought it wasn’t real because it was an older bill (series 1953) before the counterfeit markers would work on it, and she was detained by the police. Both matters were quickly cleared up.

 

Most people don’t use them, and cash drawers don’t have a slot for them. So why does the government keep printing them? And they are still printing them every couple of years. One reason is because they want people to use this cheaper to print bill. If people would use one two instead of two ones, it would cost the government almost half as much to print them for the same purchasing power.

 

If you want to learn more about the $2 bill, here is a documentary about it. (Running time—1:40:53)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b3TczZpC_Y

 

I just picked up a handful of crisp, brand new $2 bills at the bank to give my grandkids at Christmas. The teller smiled when I asked for them.

 

Do you have any of these tucked away in your house or wallet?

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 



MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:
Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub


SOURCES

https://www.uscurrency.gov/denominations/2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_two-dollar_bill

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/17/business/2-dollar-bill-history/index.html

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/two-dollar-bill-worth-4776868

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b3TczZpC_Y

ELIZABETH KENNY'S FIGHT AGAINST POLIO

  Elizabeth Kenny 1950 I read about Elizabeth Kenny a couple of decades ago when I was doing polio research for a novel. I was impressed wit...