March of Dimes

THE MARCH OF DIMES Birth Defects Foundation is a nonprofit organization and the successor to the (U.S.) National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the foundation in 1938 with his law partner, philanthropist Basil O’Connor. Infantile paralysis, commonly known as poliomyelitis (polio), was of great concern to the American public in the early 20th century as it faced severe polio epidemics during World War I and in the decades that followed.

Polio is an infectious viral disease affecting the nervous system with symptoms including weakness and paralysis of the muscles, with children under 5 being particularly vulnerable. In popular memory, polio raises the specter of children in leg braces and iron lungs. Roosevelt, who contracted polio as an adult in 1921 and suffered from its symptoms throughout his life, was alarmed by the physical, psychological, and financial toll that the disease took, especially on young people.

At its inception, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis differed from other philanthropic foundations through its focus on research. It was among the first foundations to spearhead research in the sciences, providing financial support for research on polio, including pioneering work resulting in the invention of the successful vaccine developed by Jonas Salk in 1952. That year coincided with the highest incidence of poliomyelitis in the United States, with more than 57,000 cases reported and more than half of them resulting in paralysis.

Using the Salk vaccine, widespread vaccination against polio began in the United States in 1955. As a result of the foundation's work, polio has not been seen in the United States since 1979. The disease is rare even in developed countries. In 1988, when the World Health Organization, along with other partners, launched its Global Polio Eradication Initiative, there were 350,000 cases worldwide. As of March 2005, there were 1,263 cases recorded for 2004. The virus continues to be endemic in six countries. In order of severity the countries are Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Niger, Afghanistan, and Egypt. Most worrisome, however, is the fact that previously polio-free countries in western and central Africa, such as Sudan and Côte d’Ivoire, are seeing a reestablishment of the disease, the ensuing result of civil unrest and displacement.

The foundation has been particularly successful at grassroots fundraising. Putting a spin on the highly popular newsreel series of the 1930s and 1940s, The March of Time, comedian Eddie Cantor coined the phrase March of Dimes, appealing to Americans to send their dimes to the White House. In this manner, over $3 million was collected in 1940 alone. As polio disappeared from the United States, the foundation changed its focus from eradicating polio to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality, while continuing to emphasize research and public education in 1958. The name was officially changed to the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in 1979.

Since the 1950s, 11 researchers funded by March of Dimes grants have won Nobel Prizes. Financial support for research in the prevention and treatment of inherited or otherwise acquired diseases in newborns has had positive results. For example, research in the late 1950s supported by the foundation led to the development of the PKU test, which involves a pinprick of [Page 682]blood taken from the heel of a newborn. Today this test is carried out on newborns to identify certain kinds of mental retardation so that they can be treated immediately and appropriately. In 1985 the March of Dimes funded research leading to the use of surfactants to treat respiratory distress syndrome, a common lung disorder in premature infants that causes difficulty in breathing.

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