Above Banner: Sister Elizabeth Kenny and Rosalind Russell, 1946
Rising Fame
Kenny's celebrity status was confirmed when a movie was made of her life, starring Rosalind Russell as the nurse. Additionally, a 1952 Gallup poll named her Most Admired Woman, edging out Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1950 Congress passed a bill signed by President Truman granting her free access to the U.S. and waiving passport and immigration regulations. Only two others have earned that honor; the Marquis de Lafayette and Sir Winston Churchill.
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Trailer for Sister Kenny (1946), directed by Jack Gage & Dudley Nichols
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Backlash
Despite her enormous popularity, Sister Kenny continued to be the target of controversy. The American Medical Association opposed Kenny's method, claiming there were many scientific inaccuracies behind it. Doctors questioned her credibility due to her unusual diagnosis of 'spasms', a term not found in the medical books. To discredit her work further, many argued that Kenny over-exaggerated the effectiveness of her method. Because of the lack of cooperation, Kenny threatened to leave the United States several times.
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"This individual in my opinion, has not contributed one lots of scientific information to the treatment of poliomyelitis, and that she has simply been exploited by a system of newspapers which in many instances appear to be antithetical to the ideals of the medical profession"
- C.O. Bailey, 1947 letter to British Ambassador arguing Kenny's presence in the United States
Final Days
After tireless medical work, Kenny returned to Australia in 1950. Soon after, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, ironically a disorder that left her paralyzed, and she died in Toowoomba in 1952. Less than two years after her death, her dream of a vaccine to prevent polio was developed by Dr. Jonas Edward Salk and distributed in 1954.