Joseph L. Melnick

Joseph Louis Melnick (October 9, 1914 – January 7, 2001) was an American epidemiologist who performed breakthrough research on the spread of polio.

[1] Research by Melnick found that the most common way polio was spread was by fecal contamination, usually by soiled hands, and that the poliovirus could survive for extended periods in sewage.

Together with Dorothy Horstmann, Melnick published the results of a study that showed that polio could be transmitted by flies, though they were not the primary vector for the disease.

A study he performed found that polio vaccine could be stored for long periods by using magnesium chloride as a preservative, eliminating the need for refrigeration.

[5] An editor of multiple scientific journals, Melnick wrote and edited the section on virology in a standard text on microbiology.