Pulitzer Prize-winner David Oshinsky spoke at UF Wednesday night about the historical and cultural effects that polio, which hasn't been seen in the U.S. in two decades, has had on the 20th century.
Oshinsky, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in History for his most recent work, "Polio: An American Story."
About 50 people came to Pugh Hall to hear his lecture, which was hosted by the UF Department of History in partnership with the Alexander Grass Chair in Jewish Studies.
Oshinsky spoke about the scientific and cultural details of the race to cure polio, a childhood disease that ravaged the U.S. in the '40s and '50s.
He told personal anecdotes, including his experience as one of the two million children who were part of the largest public health experiment in history.
Oshinsky emphasized the paralyzing fear the virus caused across the country and the "great polio crusade" that ensued in the effort to knock out the disease that targeted children.
"I often write about things I remember," he said, "and I remember my mother making me stay out of crowds, out of swimming pools and away from beaches."
"This is a story with a great ending," Oshinsky said, speaking of how quickly the vaccine was discovered after research began.
As Oshinsky closed, he reminded the audience that although polio has been eradicated in the U.S., it still exists in the rest of the world.
But there is hope that the virus will be eliminated from the planet by 2010, he said.
UF history senior lecturer Steven Noll uses Oshinsky's novels, including "Polio," in his courses to help students better connect with the material.
"I'm always looking for books that engage students and that are fun to read," Noll said. "And he's just such a good writer."
"This is not a book you want to read going to sleep, 'cause it will keep you up," he said.
