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Polio Survivors’ Iron Lungs Opened for Childbirth Care

By Drooid · · How we work

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Story summary
  • Women in iron lungs were briefly removed or had the cylinder opened for childbirth.
  • Susan, a polio survivor, did not speak until age three, prompting vocal-cord concerns.
  • Elizabeth remained permanently disabled, never walked again, and could not hold her children.
  • While their mother was in hospital, the children lived with their aunt, who urged them to call her mother.