I’M LARRY SPRUILL AND I’LL HAVE
THAT STORY COMING UP.
>> Devin: WE’RE SEEING HOW
CRITICAL, SAFE, AND EFFECTIVE
VACCINES CAN BE.
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
OTHER VACCINES WE TAKE FOR
GRANTED?
>> Karen: WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT
TWO MICHIGAN WOMEN WHO CREATED A
VACCINE THAT WOULD SAVE
COUNTLESS LIVES.
KIMBERLY GILL HAS THEIR STORY.
>> Kim: THESE WERE PUBLIC HEALTH
RESEARCHERS WHO DEVOTED THEIR
LIVES TO SAVING CHILDREN AND
LIFTING UP THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED
THEM DO IT.
THEIR WORK WOULD GO ON TO SERVE
AS A MODEL AROUND THE WORLD.
YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNEE THE
NAMES OF DR. KENDRICK AND
DR. ELDERING.
AND THEY WOULDN’T MIND IT ONE
BIT.
>> THEIR WORK WAS FOR THE
CHILDREN, MAKING CHILDHOOD
SAFER.
THEY DID NOT SEEK TO HAVE THEIR
FACE ON "TIME" MAGAZINE.
>> Kim: BUT THEY WERE WORTHY OF
THAT AND FAR MORE.
IN THE 1930s IN GRAND RAPIDS,
KENDRICK AND ELDERING DEVELOPED
AND TESTED ONE OF THE MOST
EFFECTIVE AND SAFE VACCINES FOR
WHOOPING COUGH AND DID IT ON
THEIR OWN TIME WITH A SHOESTRING
BUDGET.
>> THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
WEST MICHIGAN BRANCHES FOR MILK,
WATER, AND OTHER BIOLOGICAL
PRODUCTS AND ROUTINE TESTING.
AND THEN THEY DID THIS AFTER
HOURS BECAUSE THEY LOVED THE
WORK.
THEY WOULD SAY, WE WOULD GO
HOME, FEED THE DOGS, COME BACK
AND DO WHAT WAS INTERESTING.
>> Kim: DR. CAROLYN IS A
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT GRAND
VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY AND DONE
EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE PAIR
AND THE VACCINE THEY WOULD
DEVELOP.
AT THE TIME, WHOPPING COUGH WAS
KILLING 6,000 CHILDREN A YEAR IN
THE U.S. AND CAUSING GREAT
SUFFERING FOR MANY MORE.
KENDRICK AND ELDERING CREATED A
BETTER PLATE TO COLLECT SAMPLES
FROM THOSE WHO WERE SICK.
>> THEY LIVED ON A RATHER LARGE
HILL AND PARKED IT NOSE DOWN TO
ROLL INTO GEAR.
KENDRICK WAS KNOWN AS BEING A
FAST DRIVER.
THEY WOULD SAY, WE WOULD GO
AROUND THE BACK AND UP THE
STAIRS BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING
INTO THE APARTMENTS OF POOR
PEOPLE.
>> Kim: THE GREAT DEPRESSION WAS
IN FULL SWING.
>> THERE WAS NO MONEY, SO THEY
GOT MONEY FROM SCHOOL BOARDS AND
LOCAL DOCTORS AND THE LOCAL
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
AND THEY WOULD SAY, WE’RE GIVING
YOU $300 BUT THAT’S IT.
BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE MORE.
>> Kim: WHEN THE RESEARCH WAS IN
JEOPARDY, KENDRICK REACHED OUT
TO ELEANOR ROOSEVELT.
>> ELEANOR ROOSEVELT VISITS THE
LAB AND THERE’S GREAT FANFARE
AND A PICTURE OF THEM IN THE
NEWSPAPER.
AND THEN THEY FUND FOLKS TO WORK
WITH THE LABORATORY.
>> Kim: THEY TESTED THE VACCINE
IN GRAND RAPIDS PRE-SCHOOLERS
WITH FULL CONSENT, UNUSUAL AT
THE TIME WHEN STUDIES WERE
TESTED IN ORPHANS AT THAT TIME.
>> THEY INJECTED NIGHT EACH
OTHER’S ARMS TO MAKE SURE NO ONE
WAS INJURED.
>> Kim: BOTH HAD EXTENSIVE
IMPRESSIVE CAREERS, AND THEIR
LEGACY LIVES ON IN THE WORK OF
OTHERS, TOO.
>> THEY CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
THEMSELVES AND CREATE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS.
THEY BELIEVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THEIR PEOPLE.
THEY THEN SUPPORTED THE
EDUCATION OF THE PEOPLE IN THEIR
LAB.
AND THEY SAID THEY WANTED US TO
LEARN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
PROCESSES.
AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO LEARN,
THEY WOULD LET ME LEARN AND
ENCOURAGE ME TO LEARN.
>> Kim: THERE’S A STATUTE OF TWO
HEALTHY CHILDREN.
AND WHAT WOULD THEY THINK OF
THAT?
>> THEY HAD THE RESPECT OF KNOWS
PUBLIC HEALTH.
IF THEY SAW THEMSELVES IN BRONZE
IN DOWNTOWN GRAND RAPIDS, THEY
WOULD BE APPALLED AND WOULD HAVE
SAID, SET UP A VACCINE CLINIC
HERE, THAT’S WHAT THEY WOULD
VALUE, A VACCINE CLINIC.
>> Kim: AND OUR THANKS TO THE
GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR
MANY OF THE WONDERFUL PHOTOS YOU
SAW.
AFTER KENDRICK’S DEATH, A LIFE
SAVED BY PREVENTION CANNOT BE
IDENTIFIED.
WHO ARE THE MEN AND WOMAN WHO
WOULD BE DEAD TODAY HAD IT NOT
BEEN FOR THE VACCINE?
THERE WERE SEVERAL HUNDRED
THOUSANDS OF THEM, PERHAPS OUR
PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS AMONG
THEM.
IT CERTAINLY COUNTS!
>> Karen: DEFINITELY.
I LOVE THE STORY.