Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1924 Letter to Dr. Egleston

Read Letter with this Link: https://www.fdrlibrary.org/documents/356632/390886/polio_egleston.pdf/876cb705-eaa5-481e-b243-1e8b619a6979

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a prominent figure in the Polio narrative, especially since he was personally impacted by the disease and had a lot of power as a politician to influence policy. This section will study a personal letter of his revealing his experiences with the disease. President Roosevelt was a former governor of New York, and the 32^nd President of the United States who served from 1933-1945. Before taking office at the White House, he was diagnosed with Polio in 1921 at the age of 39 which resulted in paralysis of his legs from the waste down. He was wealthy and healthy, so it came to be quite a shock that a man of his situation could contract Polio and have it impair his ability to walk. He was on vacation at Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada where he started experiencing symptoms (Berish). It is unclear where he was actually infected, but scholars point to exposure at a Boy Scout Camp prior to his vacation (Berish). His wife Eleanor, after seeing her husband suffering from pain and inability to walk, contacted multiple doctors (Berish). Dr. Robert Lovett was whom diagnosed him with “infantile paralysis” much to the surprise of him and his family considering more children contract the disease (Berish).

Roosevelt was determined in his journey of searching for treatment and maybe even a cure. In 1924, he wrote a letter in reply to a Dr. William Egleston implementing details of his firsthand experience with the Polio and providing insight into his journey. Overall, the letter contains a positive tone that does not capture vulnerability or weakness, but rather the façade of vitality and toughness. At the beginning of the letter, Roosevelt writes, “I am very glad to tell you what I can in regard to my case and as I have talked it over with a great many doctors can, I think, give you a history of the case which be equal to theirs.” This quote highlights how Roosevelt has immersed himself in the knowledge of the disease and is confident enough to give an accurate report. He is confident enough that he is giving information to a doctor. The following paragraphs chronicle symptoms that he experienced in 1921 which were “chills,” muscle weakness in the legs from one side to the other, fevers, difficulty with bowel movements, and muscle aches in his entire body including his thumbs making it “impossible to write.” Eventually, the letter states that he had to be placed in a wheelchair. The image of him in a wheelchair below was one that the general public rarely got to see, if at all, especially during his years as a politician.

“Rare Clip” of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a Wheelchair, 1941, NPR

In regard to his treatment, Roosevelt acknowledges a treatment plan that did not work and could worsen symptoms: “The mistake was made for the first 10 days of giving my feet and lower legs rather heavy massage.” As his paralysis worsened and his legs started to shift in unhealthy ways, his leg movements were replaced by plaster casts, and in 1922, his legs were fitted into braces “from the hips to the shoes” allowing him to stand and “gradually” walk with crutches. From the text, readers gain an idea on what Polio treatment was like in the early 1900s. Scientific research was still being conducted as this is a disease difficult to understand, and a lot of research was based on personal experience and observation. Below is a primary source document from Roosevelt’s 1926 fitting of his braces. This document is a receipt showing where he bought his braces, what he is being charged for, and how much the braces cost. On the bottom of the receipt is a handwritten note signed by Roosevelt himself claiming that the braces did not fit.

FDR Library and Museum

Returning attention back to the letter, Roosevelt transitions into treatments he found useful. He would exercise gently in order to teach his body how to move. He explains how every other day, and then daily, he exercised each muscle ten times trying to avoid strain. He articulates that he developed slow progress in improving his paralysis. In 1922, Roosevelt began to swim, and this would be his go to treatment for paralysis. He writes, “I was able to move the legs in the water far better than I had expected… the muscles have increased in power to a remarkable extent and the improvement in the past six months has been even more rapid.” He notes that he still wore his braces outside of the water, but he eventually developed the ability to stand in the water supported by the pressure. He ends his letter with a list of dos and don’ts, which can be read in the letter placed below emphasizing no heavy massaging or exercising but instead swimming in warm water, laying under the sun, and light rubbing and exercising. His letter does offer hope of improvement, even though paralysis can be irreversible, which fits his narrative of being a politician who lightened the severity of the disease in order to demonstrate strength. However, his treatments could prevent symptoms from worsening and may have even provided a lot of relief to patients. Within his letter, he balanced the positivity and the practicality. In the final paragraph, he expresses how every patient is different and braces may be necessary in certain cases.