After Polio, from Woman to Woman. Reflections, Images and Narratives between the United States and Italy
The author examines a particular theme linked to polio epidemics that plagued the USA and Italy in the twentieth century, up to the discovery of the vaccine and beyond, with the identification of a Post Polio Syndrome in people infected decades earlier. By following the stories of women who have gone through the disease and its definitive outcomes, a choral experience is reconstructed. A document by Mia Farrow points the way to the inclusion of Polio Survivors families; Wilma Rudolph’s biography combines the theme of disability with that of racial discrimination; the life of Rosanna Benzi in an iron lung determined her political engagement.
keywords: post polio syndrome; polio survivors; mia farrow; rosanna benzi; wilma rudolph; marylin monroe