http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/sal0bio-1
In 1955 Salk's years of research paid off. Human trials of the polio vaccine effectively protected the subject from the polio virus. When news of the discovery was made public on April 12, 1955, Salk was hailed as a miracle worker. He further endeared himself to the public by refusing to patent the vaccine. He had no desire to profit personally from the discovery, but merely wished to see the vaccine disseminated as widely as possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Lewisohn

Ludwig Lewisohn (May 30, 1882 – December 31, 1955)^[1][2] was an American Jewish critic, novelist and translator, known for his novel The Island Within.