Mistakenly Believed To Have Survived Polio
The following people are often reported to have had polio, but their own statements or other evidence contradict this.
| Name | Life | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Daley, BudBud Daley | 1932 !born 1932 | A Major League Baseball pitcher. Commonly reported to be a right-hander who had to learn to play southpaw after an attack of polio in childhood left his right arm weakened and shortened. Daley instead asserts that his right arm and shoulder were damaged at birth when forceps pinched a nerve. A combination of massage and exercises helped restore his limb to health. |
| Douglas, William O.William O. Douglas | 1898–1980 | A United States Supreme Court Associate Justice for thirty-six years. His various memoirs claim that he nearly died from polio shortly before his second birthday. In the book Wild Bill: The Legend and Life of William O. Douglas, biographer Bruce Allen Murphy argues that it could not have been polio and that this was one of several legends Douglas fabricated. |
| Kellerman, AnnetteAnnette Kellerman | 1887–1975 | A swimmer and actress. She is often said to have taken up swimming to strengthen her legs after they were weakened by childhood polio. It was, instead, rickets that caused weakness and bowing and which meant she had to wear leg braces until the age of seven. Kellerman's biography mentions polio on two occasions. Kellerman met President Roosevelt and devised some exercises for him. She also advised Sister Elizabeth Kenny, who became famous for her controversial but popular method of treating polio. |
| Thaw, JohnJohn Thaw | 1942–2002 | An actor best known as Inspector Morse. While it is often speculated that Thaw's characteristic limp was from polio, in truth, the limp originated in childhood, when he would copy his grandfather's limp. A car accident later exaggerated the limp. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Poliomyelitis Survivors
Famous quotes containing the words believed, survived and/or polio:
““There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.””
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)
“The truth is that our race survived ignorance; it is our scientific genius that will do us in.”
—Stephen Vizinczey (b. 1933)
“If you think dope is for kicks and for thrills, you’re out of your mind. There are more kicks to be had in a good case of paralytic polio or by living in an iron lung. If you think you need stuff to play music or sing, you’re crazy. It can fix you so you can’t play nothing or sing nothing.”
—Billie Holiday (1915–1959)