During the first half of the 20th century, families across the United States collectively feared a newly discovered illness: polio. But one city in particular, Houston, was one of the hardest hit in the nation, according to the book “The Polio Years in Texas: Battling a Terrifying Unknown.” Luckily, the city had a number of hospitals that made medical history by providing life-saving treatments during a time before the polio vaccine, including the Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center, the nation’s first hospital dedicated to treating polio patients. Led by pediatrician Dr. William Spencer, the center also crossed color lines during an era of segregation, as doctors treated black and white patients side by side rather than in separate facilities.

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