On Apr. 12, 1955, a convocation was held at the University of Michigan (UM), where Dr. Thomas Francis Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center at the UM School of Public Health announced that the killed poliovirus vaccine developed at the University of Pittsburgh was ‘safe, effective and potent.’ Headlines around the world proclaimed, “The Vaccine Works!.”

The news was cause for celebration by the millions of Americans who had donated to the March of Dimes in the fight against polio.

Financed by nearly one million dollars worth of dimes which have been donated to the National Foundation, the Francis Report may slow down what has become a double-time march of disease to a snail’s pace.

In strong statistical language the historic trial of a vaccine and its subsequent analysis was revealed. Over 113 pages in length, the Report at long last called a halt to speculations and finally re-enforced laboratory findings with concrete field evidence. There can be no doubt now that children can be inoculated successfully against polio.

For one thing what was feared turned out to be unfounded — the vaccine proved incredibly safe. Reactions were nearly negligible. Only 0.4 percent of the vaccinated children suffered minor reactions. An even smaller percent (0.004-0.006) suffered so-called “major reactions.”