In this research article, the author presents the results and analysis of his research, thematically dedicated to such a severe infectious disease as poliomyelitis, which primarily affects the child population and leads to a severe form of disability, with predominant damage to the lower extremities, with their deformation and atrophy. Thematic selections of various philatelic, numismatic and phaleristic materials are presented, such as: postage stamps, envelopes (art stamped envelopes and first day covers), postal souvenir sheets, special cancellation postmarks, maximum cards, commemorative medals and coins, thematic badges, which present thematic plots dedicated to both the disease itself and vaccinations against it, as well as collectible biographical philatelic, numismatic and phaleristic collectible materials, thematically dedicated to the world-famous Jonas Salk, the author of the polio vaccine, and Dr. Albert Sabin, who dedicated his life to the fight against poliomyelitis. All the philatelic, numismatic and phaleristic collection materials found as a result of the author's research were transformed by him into screenshot copies and presented in this article as illustrative materials, with short author's comments to them. In total, in this research article, its author presents 107 screenshot copies, the most diverse philatelic, numismatic and phaleristic screenshot copies.

The study of any issues related to all areas of medical science, its history and heroes of medicine is always a relevant and popular issue! This directly concerns the issue of studying such a formidable infectious disease as poliomyelitis, with its serious complications, as well as the history of the creation of oral and injection vaccines, both for its prevention and treatment. A special place is occupied by the memory of the creators of these vaccines, two American virologists - Yonas Salk and Albert Sabin. The author of this research article tried to reflect all these issues, using such a non-standard, creative, innovative method as illustration, in addition to the text part of this article, all screenshot copies found on the Internet, such means of collecting as philately (postage stamps, envelopes and postal blocks), numismatics - commemorative medals, and phaleristics - thematic badges. 

Aim of study

The purpose of writing this research, author's article is to present and describe various philatelic, thematic materials found by the author on the Internet as a result of the search work, directly related to both the disease itself - poliomyelitis, vaccinations against it and the history of their invention, and the presentation of the heroes of the fight against it - scientists and doctors - Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin. Also, charitable organizations are presented that finance both the production and the process of delivery and practical use of the polio vaccine in a number of poor countries of the world. This is, first of all, the world organization Rotary, which sponsored and finances the release of philatelic materials dedicated to poliomyelitis and the fight against it, first of all, a large philatelic collection, the series "STOP-POLIO".

Hypothesis of the study

During the preparation for this study and the receipt of collectible philatelic materials used for writing the subsequent research article, the author put forward a working hypothesis that in the means of world philately, as in other means of collecting, there may be a sufficiently large number of philatelic miniatures reflecting various subjects, depicting both the scientists-researchers themselves who created vaccines against poliomyelitis and were engaged in the fight against this formidable infectious disease, and materials reflecting on them both children and adults who suffered from poliomyelitis and its complications, the process of using various types of vaccines, and the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered from poliomyelitis, using various types of orthopedic devices, special shoes, therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy.

Methods and means of research   

In conducting this thematic research, its author actively used the method of literary-critical analysis on the problem under study. For this purpose, special collection sites and Internet pages of philatelists-collectors collecting postage stamps and envelopes were carefully studied, both on medical topics in general, and on obstetrics and gynecology in particular. All thematic philatelic materials found on the Internet were sorted, grouped, and also converted by the author of this research using a special computer program into their screenshot copies, both black and white and color. These screenshot copies were used by the author of the article, later, as thematic illustrations, accompanied in the text of the research article by brief, accompanying comments.

Results of the study and discussion 

I would like to begin my story about the polio problem by introducing the scientists who have dedicated their lives and scientific work to combating this infectious disease. I would like to present brief biographies of the scientists who have done a lot to defeat polio. Jonas Edward Salk is an American virologist and immunologist, inventor of the polio vaccine [1-4]. In 1948, Salk participated in a project funded by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, aimed at determining the number of different types of polio virus. While working on the research, the scientist saw an opportunity to expand this project to develop a polio vaccine. Together with an experienced research group that he assembled, Salk devoted the next 7 years to this work. As a result of the mass use of the developed vaccine in 1956-1961 among children in age groups particularly susceptible to infection, the incidence of poliomyelitis decreased by 96% [1-4]. In 1955, American scientist Jonas Salk announces the results of a year-long testing of the polio vaccine he developed: it is recognized as safe and effective. The subsequent introduction of the vaccine throughout the country brings quick results: if in 1955 29 thousand cases of polio are registered in the USA, then two years later - only 6 thousand. By 1959, the vaccine is already used in 90 countries of the world [1-4]. Figure 1 shows a small philatelic collection, which includes postage stamps and artistic stamped envelopes from different countries of the world, thematically dedicated to Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor and creator of the world-famous polio vaccine [5-24, 40-42, 54, 55].

Figure 1. A selection of collectible philatelic materials dedicated to the creator of the polio vaccine, Jonas Salk

Further, in thematic figure 2, a small numismatic selection of commemorative medals and coins (obverse and reverse) dedicated to the fight against poliomyelitis and the inventor of the vaccine against it, Dr. Jonas Salk, is presented [25-38, 59-63].

Figure 2. Thematic numismatic collection of commemorative medals and coins dedicated to Dr. Jonas Salk

Before presenting a selection of collectible, philatelic and numismatic materials thematically dedicated to the scientist Albert Sabin, we would like to present his brief biographical data. Doctor Albert Yakovlevich Sabin, the creator of the world's first oral live polio vaccine, made a huge contribution to the development of world virology with his work. Born in 1906 in Bialystok, which was then part of the Russian Empire, as a child he moved to America with his family, where he graduated from university and received a doctorate in medicine. Sabin devoted his entire life to the study of antiviral immunity. 1957 - the first oral polio vaccine was successfully tested in the USSR, Chile, Holland, Japan, Mexico and Sweden. Three years later, permission was received for distribution in the United States. Since the early 1960s, Sabin's vaccine has been saving millions of children around the world [42-44].

Figure 3 shows a small selection of postage stamps and artistic stamped envelopes dedicated to the doctor Albert Sabin, who dealt with issues of diagnosis and treatment of poliomyelitis [25, 45-48, 56, 58].

Figure 3. Philatelic collection dedicated to Albert Sabin

Further, in Figure 4, a small numismatic selection of commemorative medals is presented, thematically dedicated to Albert Sabin, both as the author and creator of the oral form of poliomyelitis vaccination, and dedicated to this vaccine [49-53].

Figure 4. Numismatic collection dedicated to the fight against poliomyelitis

Figure 5 shows a small phaleristic selection of thematic icons – 5 screenshot copies dedicated to Dr. J. Salk and the injectable form of polio vaccine he invented [64, 65].

Figure 5. A phaleristic collection of thematic icons dedicated to poliomyelitis and the author of the injectable vaccine against it, Dr. Jonas Salk

This concludes another author's research article on medical topics. The author is preparing a number of new articles for publication, devoted to both new materials on poliomyelitis and various areas of medicine and its heroes.

Conclusions 

1. The author of this research, thematic article, managed to present the topic he studied in sufficiently full volume, both the text and illustrative part. 

2. This research article presents such important sections of collecting as philately, phaleristics and numismatics, in the form of screenshot copies, with their general presentation in the article, in the form of - 107 copies of screenshot copies. 

3. The use by the author of this research article, in the form of accompanying illustrations to the text part of the article, screenshot copies of the collection materials he found, is an innovative, exceptional innovation in the design of research articles of this kind. 

4. These research materials, presented by their author in this article, may be of interest to both the medical community and numerous collectors in its various areas of collection tools and, first of all, those involved in medical topics. 

5. The author of this article managed to fully achieve the goal of his research and confirm the research hypothesis he put forward.