"Could You Patent the Sun?” – Jonas Salk and the Scientist as Hero

In the 1950s, Dr. Jonas Salk introduced the vaccine that would ultimately eradicate one of the world’s most pressing biological emergencies: polio. Within several decades, the disease that once brought fear to an entire generation had been virtually eliminated. Dr. Salk accomplished the answer to the world’s search for a preventative measure. What did he ask in return? The answer is very little.

Dr. Salk bestowed the polio vaccine on the globe for the benefit of humankind. He did not desire a patent for his work, and simply continued along in pursuit of science that would improve the lives of others. When asked who possessed the patent to the polio vaccine, Dr. Salk stated, “There is no patent. Could you patent the Sun?” To him, the cure for polio was as much the property of all as was the light of the Sun. In return, the world still recognizes Jonas Salk as the brilliant and benevolent scientist who freed children from the threat of a terrifying disease. He is, in nearly all respects, a scientific hero.

Unfortunately, when the pursuit of scientific solutions is primarily in the hands of competing pharmaceutical companies, rather than research institutions, the research environment ceases to function best for society. In the end, the pursuit of the final reward – the patent – causes companies to keep potential answers to problems internal, as sharing of information only helps competitors. Once again, this returns us to many of the important criticisms of existing patent law that Joseph Stiglitz identifies.

It is difficult to say whether Dr. Salk’s gift was a product of his unique personal qualities or of the scientific and societal environment in which he worked, and it would be interesting to discover which of these is the case; however, it is not difficult to conclude that the world would be better off with more individuals possessing the same innovative spirit and concern for humanity as did Jonas Salk. 

See NPR news article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/10/162670836/wiping-out-polio-how-the-u-s-snuffed-out-a-killer