Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for October 12, 2023
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
October 12, 2023: An early version of the iron lung, called the Drinker respirator, was used by Boston Children’s Hospital to save the life of an eight-year-old girl who was experiencing respiratory failure as a result of her polio. She is said to have recovered from respiratory failure within less than 60 seconds of having been placed in the iron lung chamber.[1]
These Drinker respirators weighed 750 pounds and cost roughly $2,000 as of 1930 (roughly $36,769 in U.S. dollars), and thus were not widely available across the nation.[1]
Twelve years earlier, the 1916 polio epidemic had wreaked havoc across the United States, totaling 27, 363 cases of infection, across the U.S. which resulted in 7,130 deaths across the nation. People who had contracted the disease were given orders to quarantine. Anyone who violated these orders was fined $100 in 1909 US dollars ($3,257 in 2022 USD).[2][1]
Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left nearly a decade ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- October 11, 2023-83% of voters believe there should be age limits for members of Congress
- October 10, 2023-65% of voters favor U.S. imposition of tariffs on all goods imported from China
- October 9, 2023-61% of voters believe that securing America’s southern border is more important than helping Ukraine
- October 6, 2023-24 states have automatic voter registration
- October 5, 2023-72% of voters believe that the United States is a force for good in the world
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