David Bodian by unidentified photographer; black and white photograph.

Creator
Bodian, David

Dates
15 May 1910 - 18 Sep 1992

Institutional Affiliation(s)
Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
1942-1992

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1939-1940; 1942-1992 

Date Range of Collection
1936-1978

Volume of Collection
100 linear feet

Biography

David Bodian was born in St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. in anatomy in 1934 and his M.D. in 1937 from the University of Chicago. He came to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1939 as a research fellow in anatomy. The following year, Bodian was an assistant professor of anatomy at Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He returned to Johns Hopkins in 1942 as a lecturer in anatomy in the school of medicine and assistant professor of epidemiology in the school of public health. In 1957, Bodian became professor of anatomy and the director of the anatomy department in the school of medicine. Along with his colleagues, Howard Howe and Isabel M. Morgan, Bodian helped lay the groundwork for the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines through their research into the neuropathology of poliomyelitis. Bodian's team demonstrated that the polio virus that was transmitted through the mouth and digestive tract was in fact three distinct types of virus, and they showed that antibodies to the virus were carried through the bloodstream, demonstrating that for a vaccine to be effective it must include antibodies recognizing all three types of virus. Bodian's group also developed early poliomyelitis vaccines—first a formalin-treated vaccine that successfully immunized monkeys, and then another that significantly elevated the levels of antibodies in children. In addition, Bodian developed a technique to stain nerve fibers and nerve endings (named the Bodian stain) and made major contributions to the knowledge of the basic structure of nerve cells. 

The David Bodian Collection spans most of his career at Johns Hopkins. It contains professional correspondence, manuscripts, committee records, scientific data, slides, photos, medical illustrations, and reprints. The correspondence and committee records document Bodian's research about the polio virus and his involvement in the nationwide effort to vaccinate America's children against polio.

This collection may contain some restricted records. Materials pertaining to patients, students, employees, and human research subjects, as well as unprocessed collections and recent administrative records, carry restrictions on access. For more information about the policies and procedures for access, see Policy on Access and Use.

When citing material from this collection, credit The Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. For permission to reproduce images, contact the holder of the copyright.

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