Polio Means Grey Marrow
Polio is a viral disease that can cause paralysis. Its clinical name describes exactly which tissue the virus attacks.
Polio is a viral infection that can damage nerves and cause paralysis. The word is a shortening of *poliomyelitis*, built from Greek *polios*, grey, plus *myelos*, marrow, plus *-itis*, inflammation: inflammation of the grey matter of the spinal cord. That is precisely where the virus does its harm, in the motor neurons of the anterior horn. Vaccines developed by Jonas Salk in 1955 and Albert Sabin in the 1960s reduced a global disease to a handful of cases a year.
- A viral disease. *A polio outbreak.*
- Poliomyelitis — the full name. *Poliomyelitis.*
- Greek — *polios*, grey. *The source.*
- Myelos — marrow. *Grey marrow.*
- Vaccine — Salk 1955, Sabin 1960s. *The vaccine.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | polio | Polio. |
| Full form | poliomyelitis | Poliomyelitis. |
| Greek | polios | Grey. |
| Greek | myelos | Marrow. |
| Suffix | -itis | Inflammation. |
- Polio was once a summer terror.History.
- The name means grey marrow inflammation.Etymology.
- Two vaccines nearly ended it.Medicine.
Greek pieces in medical names
- -itis — inflammation, as in arthritis and bronchitis
- myel- — marrow or spinal cord, as in myelin
- polio- — grey, as in the grey matter of the cord
- -osis — a condition or process, as in fibrosis
- -emia — of the blood, as in anaemia
A shortening of *poliomyelitis*, coined in German in 1874 from Greek *polios*, grey, and *myelos*, marrow.
What does poliomyelitis mean literally?
Inflammation of the grey marrow, meaning the grey matter of the spinal cord where the virus attacks nerve cells.
Who developed the polio vaccines?
Jonas Salk produced an injected vaccine in 1955 and Albert Sabin an oral one in the early 1960s.