"Franklin's illness proved a blessing in disguise, for it gave him strength and courage he had not had before. He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons--infinite patience and never ending persistence."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: An Inspiration.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, America's 32nd president, was a shining beacon of hope in one of the nation's darkest hours. He served an unprecedented four consecutive terms not only during some of the most tumultuous years of American history, but also while battling a severe physical disability. He concealed the severity of his illness from the public throughout his presidency and discussion of it became a societal taboo, especially in the media, during his political career. However, after his state of paralysis was openly revealed and discussed, it only strengthened his public image as a strong, courageous, and optimistic man. While it is now widely known that Roosevelt was partially paralyzed in his legs, the origin of his disability remains a mystery. Though the general American public has long assumed his physical ailment was caused by infantile paralysis--commonly known as polio--in reality, the validity of the diagnosis is far from certain.
In 2003, the country was forced to reconsider the true nature of Roosevelt's illness when the Texas Medical Branch of Galveston proposed that his paralysis had not, in fact, originated from polio, but from a rare autoimmune disease: Guillain-Barre syndrome. Though there is no infallible method to determine with what, exactly, Roosevelt was afflicted, there is considerable doubt surrounding the accuracy of his polio diagnosis. The potential misdiagnosis may have been caused by a combination of the ineptitude of early medical technology and the overwhelming prevalence of polio as the height of the epidemic struck in the 1940s and 50s, which may have made Roosevelt's doctors more susceptible to the presumption that he had contracted polio, and not another disease.
Although his potential misdiagnosis rendered Roosevelt unable to seek effective treatment, it was, in the long term, undeniably beneficial to the nation and its citizens. Because the President was believed to have polio, extensive funding and research allowed other polio victims to receive therapy and eventually led to the development of the Salk vaccine, which was imperative to the eradication of the disease. Roosevelt himself played a monumental role in the fight against polio. His support of the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation and his creation of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, among other things, demonstrated his personal commitment to the cause.
The mystery of Franklin Roosevelt's illness is one that may never be solved. However, if not for his diagnosis of polio, research of the viral disease would not have made the leaps and bounds that it did, and the epidemic may very well have continued for many more years. If not for his physical disability, Roosevelt may never have developed the iron-willed character he possessed and may never have become the symbol of strength and perseverance that the American people desperately craved in a time of uncertainty. If not for the man behind the image, America may never have learned to fear nothing but fear itself.
In 2003, the country was forced to reconsider the true nature of Roosevelt's illness when the Texas Medical Branch of Galveston proposed that his paralysis had not, in fact, originated from polio, but from a rare autoimmune disease: Guillain-Barre syndrome. Though there is no infallible method to determine with what, exactly, Roosevelt was afflicted, there is considerable doubt surrounding the accuracy of his polio diagnosis. The potential misdiagnosis may have been caused by a combination of the ineptitude of early medical technology and the overwhelming prevalence of polio as the height of the epidemic struck in the 1940s and 50s, which may have made Roosevelt's doctors more susceptible to the presumption that he had contracted polio, and not another disease.
Although his potential misdiagnosis rendered Roosevelt unable to seek effective treatment, it was, in the long term, undeniably beneficial to the nation and its citizens. Because the President was believed to have polio, extensive funding and research allowed other polio victims to receive therapy and eventually led to the development of the Salk vaccine, which was imperative to the eradication of the disease. Roosevelt himself played a monumental role in the fight against polio. His support of the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation and his creation of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, among other things, demonstrated his personal commitment to the cause.
The mystery of Franklin Roosevelt's illness is one that may never be solved. However, if not for his diagnosis of polio, research of the viral disease would not have made the leaps and bounds that it did, and the epidemic may very well have continued for many more years. If not for his physical disability, Roosevelt may never have developed the iron-willed character he possessed and may never have become the symbol of strength and perseverance that the American people desperately craved in a time of uncertainty. If not for the man behind the image, America may never have learned to fear nothing but fear itself.
Amy Guo and Vivian Dai