Because Elizabeth Kenny had a riding accident, millions of children were helped

Just before the end of the 1800s, 18 people died of an unknown disease in Vermont. More than 1,000 others were permanently paralyzed. Since then, such outbreaks of polio – as it later became known – have recurred worldwide. They often left people with disabilities behind – most of them children.

The treatment of these paralyzed children took place in the 1930s Australian Elizabeth Kenny brought about a revolution. Instead of splinting body parts that were shaking from spasms, she prescribed long-term heat and exercise therapy for her patients. In many cases, these led to a relief or even disappearance of the symptoms.

Medicine had reservations and Google got the date wrong

At the time, this type of therapy was criticized by experts as ineffective. However, Kenny was not deterred and had several successes to present. From 1934, despite all the criticism, the Kenny treatment spread across Australia and from the 1940s around the world. In 1946 a film was even made about Sister Kenny.

Incidentally, the Australian only found medicine because she had a riding accident when she was seventeen. After that, she took over the medical care in the vicinity of her birthplace on her own initiative.

From 1915 she served in the army as a medic and later patented an improved stretcher. Only then did she begin the successful therapy for polio. She died in 1952 at the age of 72.

Google honors the doctor with a doodle on Wednesday — reportedly for her 142nd birthday. However, this anniversary is already on September 20. So just as drugs were wrong back then, today Google is wrong about Kenny.

(lion)