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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
A SHOT IN THE DARK
Dora never took “no” for an answer. As a wife and a balabusta extraordinaire, she kept her Bronx apartment in immaculate order. With her children she was a rough taskmaster.
She doted on her eldest son, a docile, studious boy. “Always your head’s in a book—destined for greatness.”
She kvelled when he exceeded even her expectations.
After his City College graduation with a Bachelor of Chemistry degree, he informed her he had set his sights on law school.
“Lawyers are a dime a dozen, Jonas,” said Dora Salk. “Go to medical school. The world will thank you for it.”
Yiddishkeit Glossary:
balabusta – homemaker
kvell – burst with pride, to boast (What? You never kvelled over your kids? Say it isn’t so. 😉 )
***
*Remember Polio? If you don’t, Jonas Salk is the man to thank. I, for one, am grateful for those times I had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into Dr. Cohen’s office for polio shots. A stick in the arm beats Infantile Paralysis any day of the week. 😉
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Exceptional man in a well-told tale.
You deliver a new hero each week, m’lady.
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Dear CE,
I do write them as I find them. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The past is such a rich seam of stories for you, Rochelle. This one is great. Do you accept challenges? If so, how about a story from the future one week?
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Dear Neil,
Hmmm….I will have to ponder your challenge. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This strikes a chord Rochelle as the discoverers of insulin – which my son is reliant on to live – did a similar thing, refusing to patent it in order to make it available to all. Unfortunately our modern pharma companies don’t seem to share that same ethos…
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Dear Iain,
The pharma companies are certainly out for the money these days, aren’t they? I didn’t know about the discoverers of insulin refusing patent. I know millions whose lives literally depend on that kind of humanitarianism. Thank you for sharing that with me. Love to you and your son.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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If you want to get into conspiracy theories, many in the diabetes community think the reason we are still waiting for a cure is because big pharma would stand to lose so much money if insulin was no longer required that they are deliberately blocking research. Not sure I believe it myself, but it does make you ponder…
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A good dose of historical fiction there, Rochelle. Also, it was quite fantastic of the good doctor not to have patented his vaccine. Don’t think the modern pharmas would do anything like that.
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Dear Varad,
Modern pharma companies border on being evil, in my humble opinion. Thank you re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Unlike a certain corrupt scientist or two from his day,It’s good to know he did the right thing. People should keep referring to him more often since he did it all legitimately
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Dear Larry,
Having been born at the height of the polio epidemic, I am very grateful to Dr. Salk. I wept as I did my research. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great message Rochelle. I think the anti-vaccers forget or too young to understand the crippling devastation that is polio.
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Dear Tanille,
Don’t even get me started on anti-vaccers. No one remembers polio. What a blessing. But we don’t learn from history, do we? I’d better stop there and say thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I remember when the Salk Vaccine came to my school. I was in first or second grade. Long lines of us in the cafeteria, some crying because they hated needles, others joking and laughing. Me? I was a bit nervous, but also excited to thing this was going to help make me safe from the dreaded polio.
Great story as always, Rochelle.
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Dear Linda,
I remember the polio shots and boosters as a child. My mother had to drag hysterical me into the office. Knowing what I know now, I’m grateful for every sting of the needle. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the authenticity of this, the interaction and the setting. Beautiful story
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Dear Tien Skye,
What a wonderful comment/compliment. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Nicely told tale, as usual. Thank you, Dr. Salk.
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Dear Trent,
We have much to thank Jonas Salk for, don’t we? And thanks to his mother for talking him out of law school. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes, smart mother!
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Lovely bit of inspiration, Rochelle. It’s nice to read a story on this prompt that isn’t about a woman getting murdered in the snow. 😉
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Dear Josh,
Would I murder a woman in the snow? I might, however…never mind. I actually wept over the research. Ever hear of polio, boys and girls? Ever hear of measles? Oy…we won’t go there, will we? At any rate, Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I missed the polio summers by a generation, but my dad talked about it. Every May, somebody would get sick. Then maybe another. Always children. They would be gone for weeks or months or forever. Sometimes they would live their lives in an iron lung, or with braces, or in a wheelchair. Nobody knew what caused it, why people caught it, or what to do about it. Salk changed all that. Did you know the first three people to get the vaccine were Salk and his family?
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All of Dr. Salk’s team vaccinated their own children first. That was a leap of faith indeed. I was born in the midst of the epidemic. My brother and I are lucky that polio passed us by. I hated the shots…in fact fought them tooth and nail. I’m grateful now for every needle.
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A great man. They are few and far between and we wish there were more. A lovely story based on fact, Rochelle. Good writing as always. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
The more research I did, the more impressed I grew. He could have amassed a fortune but chose to give it away for the greater good. Would that there were more like him. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A great story about a great man. I hope you had a good swim. 🙂
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Dear Lady C,
Anytime I swim, it’s a good swim. 😉 Thank you re my story. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A great story, although very little fiction here. Dr. Salk was, indeed, a great man. I wish more doctors in this day and age had the same ethics. It seems to be all about money today which puts so many people at risk because they cannot afford the outrageous costs today. Keep educating us.
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Dear Jan,
Of course the fiction is that I can’t verify the words between mother and son. 😉 Ethics? We don’t need no stinkin’ ethics. It’s all about the money. Crazy times we live in. Thank you, m’luv.
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Beautifully told!
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Thank you, Connie. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Mama was right. Becoming a doctor was the right choice. One I’m grateful for.
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Dear Alice,
Millions of us are grateful…or should be. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thing is, until you said something I didn’t know I should be. Now I am.
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😀
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Dear Rochelle,
A wonderful piece of history, this. And perfect timing with all those crazy anti-vaxxers making a foolish ruckus. I had no idea he didn’t patent it. What a wonderful humanitarian. So many peeps in the pharmaceutical industry could learn a thing or two…
Shalom and lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
It’s sad that the pharmaceutical industry has become more about big business (and annoying TV ads) than truly helping people or curing disease. On top of that you have the anti-vaxxers whom I hold personally responsible for the current measles outbreak. Really? Oy, see what you did? 😉 Well you know how I feel. Thank you for such a lovely comment.
Shalom and lotsa hugs,
Rochelle
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This is a great story, Rochelle. I got chills. I know nothing about polio. Thank Dr. Salk for that. Too bad more companies weren’t as liberal with their medicines. I’m looking at you, Martin Shkreli.
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Dear Nobbin,
No doubt, it would be gratifying for Dr. Salk to read this. Can you imagine what would happen if the pharmaceutical industry followed his lead? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I know each week, you’ll deliver a story that will inspire. I look forward to it! Yes, I have “kvelled” over my daughter and son plenty. Love the new words! =)
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Dear Brenda,
Kvell is such a great word. It’s a mother’s prerogative to kvell with gusto. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great story/piece of medical history, Rochelle. I always look forward to reading your stories.
Thank God for Dr. Salk.
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Dear Adele,
We need more Dr. Salks, don’t we? Thank you so much.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Interesting story – and interesting bit of history about the inventor(?) discoverer(?) of the polio vaccine.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan,
Dr. Salk spent years researching…no sure if you’d call him inventor or discoverer…perhaps both. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wonderful story about a remarkable Doctor. Well done, Rochelle 🙂
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Thank you very much, Maria. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A hero fpr sure… wonder why he didn’t get the Nobel Prize…
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Dear Björn,
It does boggle the mind that neither Salk nor Sabin received the Nobel Prize. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I always find myself kvelling (?) over my kids – I cannot help it 😀
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Dear Colline,
We are mothers. We kvell. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dora never knew what her son should be, more than her son. More like an Indian mother. Who always wants her son / daughter to be a doctor or an engineer.
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Dear Abhijit,
While the joke is that Jewish mothers want their sons to be doctors or lawyers, I’d have to disagree with you on this one. I think Dora did know her son in this instant. And those who sailed through childhood without polio have them to thank. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I really must read to the end before Googlng all the terms 🙂
He sounds like a great man, he could have made a fortune. Reminds me of Sir Tim Berners-Lee – if he’d patented the WWW where would we be?
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Dear Ali,
Perhaps I should’ve putt the glossary at the beginning. 😉 Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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he must be a mama’s boy. good thing he listened to her. 🙂
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Dear Plaridel,
Perhaps he was a mama’s boy. Or just a good listener. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a wonderful man, and a wonderful story, totally non-profiteering, can you imagine any off the pharma companies being so gracious now days? I really don’t think so. Thanks Rochelle, another lesson learnt!
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Dear Shrawley,
The pharmaceutical industry could learn a lot from Dr. Salk. Alas, they have no ears to hear anything other than the mating call of the Almighty Dollar (or £ depending on your side of the pond 😉 ) Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sadly true
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Thanks Rochelle for reminding us of Dr.Salk.
We all have to thank him for his niceness and ethics. The world is much more than merely earning degrees or money.
Mothers have a huge role to play. We need more doctors for sure.
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Dr. Anita,
We do owe Dr. Salk and his mother a debt of gratitude. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wonderful story about an exemplary scientist, and so timely. There are many, many good and ethical scientists out there and there is a lot being done on ethics, but all we hear about these days are the bad examples. I got the vaccine with a sugar cube, don’t remember a needle. The pox vaccine was with a needle, but for the first I was too small to remember and for the second a teen, so no drama there. And, both diseases are mostly gone. This should have happened with measles by now… As a kid I could very well have done without them, fever and pain, three weeks of school lost, eyes hurting…
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Dear Gabi,
The term “polio shot” used to strike terror into my childish heart. In retrospect I’m grateful for it. By the time I was in my early teens, I think, we got the sugar cube instead of the needle. At any rate, either way…
Oy, Measles. I had both varieties. I remember having to be kept in a dark room and being quite ill. The mumps vaccine came out when I was 14. I asked my mother to take me to the doctor for that one. (Imagine her surprise). There was never a question when my children came along. Guess what? None of them had measles or mumps. (Don’t get me started on anti-vaxxers 😉 )
Thank you re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle!
A great flash about a generous genius. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t even know Dr Salk’s name before I read it. Thank you for your flash. Now I’ll make sure I never forget it:) I belong to the fortunate who were able to have been vaccinated in the early 60s. It’s daunting to think of how many we owe so much to…
Hope you have a good weekend:)
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Dear Lucy,
So many of us have benefited from Dr. Salk’s generosity. Thank you for your kind comments and wishes. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I really enjoyed reading your story about such an incredible doctor. We truly were blessed by him.
Shalom,
Deborah
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Dear Deborah,
He was a Godsend, wasn’t he? Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely story, Rochelle. He was a great man indeed. I love the mother – and the little language lesson too.
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Dear Margaret,
I’m always happy to share what little Yiddish I know. 😉 Such an expressive language. Dora sounds like quite a formidable woman, but aren’t we glad that she was such a pushy mother? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another great history lesson, thanks! This is a really excellent picture. Thanks for hosting, and for being awesome!
Shalom, Ronda
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Dear Ronda,
I love sharing history lessons. 😉 Glad you enjoyed. Thank you for the ‘awesome’ comment. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A great tribute. Amazing to think that Jonas Salk would have been richer by $7 billion if his vaccine had been patented. Probably the biggest charity donor in history. India has not reported a single case of polio since January 2012. The method of vaccination may have changed but thanks to Jonas Salk’s vaccine the country has done remarkably well in eradicating polio.
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Dear Subroto,
Dr. Salk was an amazing man. Obviously, he cared more about the results than the riches it could afford him. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A beautifully written bit of history. I tremble when I think of the lives that have been saved, and enriched by his contribution. Excellent piece, Rochelle.
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Dear Violet,
To think of how many of us had a healthy childhood, due in part to this man. How many more kids would’ve ended up in iron lungs? Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love learning Yiddish terms from you, Rochelle. “Kvell” is my new favourite word. 🙂
Thanks for introducing us to Dr Salk.
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Dear Magarisa,
Kvell is a great word, isn’t it? 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Happy Passover!
Shalom shalom,
Mags
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Thank goodness Jonas Salk listened to his mother! The world doesn’t need another lawyer, but it definitely needed his polio vaccination. I remember taking my son for his – such a simple act to avoid such a damaging disease. Love your scenes of domesticity that lead to greatness – they remind us that the people who perform great acts and achieve amazing things are just normal people at heart, that any of us are capable of making a difference. Lovely story, Rochelle
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Dear Lynn,
We now have a generation of young adults who’ve probably never heard of polio and its devastating effects. When I was a small child it was still a threat that had lessened with vaccines. I hated polio shots back then and am so grateful for them now. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I know my son has had all of his and doesn’t even realise how devastating some of those diseases can be. We’re very lucky to live in the days we do, in the developed countries we do
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Exactly so. The anti-vaxxers baffle me to no end. Doesn’t the measles outbreak tell them anything?
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Every time we cut back on vaccinations it happens, yet we make the same mistakes over and over.
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This guy has greatness few modern inventors have today. I’m impressed and humbled by his service to humanity.
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Dear Fatima,
He was a very special human being. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And thank him we do…even though the anti-vaxers haven’t a clue!
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I couldn’t agree more, Dawn. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a good man
Great piece, Rochelle 😊
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Dear Laurie,
Thank you for such a lovely compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We need more caring individuals like Jonas Salk, I can remember the fear that an outbreak of Polio caused.
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Dear Michael,
I was born in the midst of the epidemic. Thanks to Dr. Salk, neither my older brother nor I contracted the disease. We do need more like him, don’t we? Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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another gem of history Rochelle, thank you. Love the scene from his childhood, and Balabusta & Kvell. I never knew his name, and here we all are free from polio. My best school friend had polio and walked with quite a limp. That was not so long ago, Thank you Dr Salk.
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Dear Francine,
Another friend shared that her sister had polio in 1953. Those of us who came through the era unscathed are fortunate. I look back on that and thank heaven for Dr. Salk. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Finally catching up, and yes! We were on the very same page this week! I wonder what about this photo inspired that. I get the ghost connection that I think many found (again, still catching up), but what took you and I to vaccinations? Go see the comments on mine for more on that.
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Dear Dawn,
For me, I’d already chosen the photo when they announced on some show that it was Jonas Salk’s birthday…or something like that. An anniversary? I’m not sure. But that led me to a documentary about him and his dedication. I was in tears halfway through. I knew that somehow I had to find a story about him in the photo. Read Wikipedia. They lived in an apartment. Voila! The picture could be an apartment building. Right? Of course, right!
With all the anti-vaxxer mishegass these days and measles outbreaks, I can see how you were led in a similar direction.
Yeah…lots of ghosts and body parts in trash bags. 😉
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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