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Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 21 June 15–July 27, 2020 The "Kenny method" was based on a fundamental mis- conception: While some researchers of the time had already correctly surmised that polio paralysis was neuro- logical, Kenny believed the problem was a muscular one that could be corrected through "muscle reeducation." Whatever the flaws in her theories (which were based on observation and intuition rather than scientific study of anatomy or disease processes), some patients insisted that Kenny's painful therapeutic treatments had lasting benefits. Kenny later claimed an astounding 80 percent recovery rate. Many physicians responded derisively, calling Kenny a quack and a crackpot. However, her efforts garnered consid- erable public support, leading to the establishment of "Kenny clinics" at a number of Australian and English hospitals. American Heroine An invitation from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., brought Kenny to the U.S. in 1940. Minneapolis General Hospital allowed her to open a polio treatment ward there, and by 1943, she had established her own institute. (It survives today as the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute.) Over the next few years, physicians cautiously embraced Kenny's methods for polio treatment, though not her flawed theories of why they worked. Her professional rep- utation remained checkered, not helped by her stubborn resistance to any criticism, but her work with polio patients soon made her a popular celebrity. Kenny published an autobiography in 1943, And They Shall Walk (cowritten with Martha Ostenso), which RKO adapted as a romanticized 1946 biopic, Sister Kenny, star- ring Rosalind Russell. Kenny received a host of honors and awards, including several honorary degrees. A 1951 Gallup poll named her the most admired woman in America. THE TRIUMPH OF HOPE Sister Elizabeth Kenny (pictured above, with white hair) was invited to open a polio treatment ward at the Minneapolis General Hospital in the 1940s. Hopeful parents brought their polio-stricken children for sessions of "muscle reeducation." Actress Rosalind Russell (above right) played Kenny in a 1946 biopic. Photos: Minnesota Historical Society By then, Parkinson's disease had greatly hampered Kenny's ability to work, so she retired to Australia in 1951. She died on Nov. 30, 1952, only months before Jonas Salk, M.D., announced his development of the polio vaccine. Compassion or Science Sister Kenny's success in promoting her unorthodox treat- ment approach was astounding, especially given her lack of professional bona fides, and surviving patients still remem- ber her warmly. In the '30s and '40s, orthodox treatments for polio were almost as grim as the disease; Sister Kenny's methods were painful, but offered the promise of improve- ment and recovery. Patients who did recover saw her as a miracle worker. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the Kenny method remains in doubt. Her physical therapy techniques were sound, but whether those techniques actually helped polio patients is less clear. Some cases of paralytic polio resolve on their own, and Kenny's methods were never subjected to controlled clinical trials. Ultimately, Kenny's success had less to do with the clin- ical value of her methods than with the hope they offered to a worried public, frustrated with the medical establish- ment's frequent lack of empathy, entrenched hostility toward new ideas, and inability to constructively address the fears of patients and their families. While polio has been largely eradicated, those institu- tional problems haven't really gone away, which is why Sister Kenny's story still resonates decades later. _________________________________________________ Aaron Severson is the associate editor of Working Nurse. You can find his recent historical features "William Rathbone VI (1819-1902), Father of English District Nursing" and "A Brief History of Measles and Its Vaccines," at WorkingNurse.com. WN Kenny's professional reputation remained checkered, but her work with polio patients soon made her a popular celebrity. A 1951 Gallup poll named her the most admired woman in America .