Dr. Jonas Salk (1914-1995), was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 for developing the first safe and effective vaccine against paralytic poliomyelitis. Periodic outbreaks of this worldwide viral disease -- also called infantile paralysis or simply "polio" -- paralyzed or killed thousands of people annually in the United States alone before the Salk vaccine became available in 1955.

At the time of the photograph used as the basis for the stamp design, Dr. Salk was checking the results of a polio test funded by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis through its March of Dimes campaign. In 1979, the "March of Dimes" also became the official name of the foundation.