Dr. Jonas Salk, the New York-born physician and scientist who in 1954 developed the anti-polio vaccine which bears his name, has been given the Jawaharlal-Nehru Award by the Indian government. The Indian Embassy here reported that the award to Salk is in “recognition of his outstanding services to the study of biological and health sciences and to the alleviation of human suffering, which have significantly enhanced the welfare of the present and future generations.”
In response to a question from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Salk, who is director of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, Calif., said he expected to go to New Delhi early next year to accept the award. It carries $13,740 in cash and a citation. They will be presented at a special ceremony, Salk is the third American to receive the honor since it was established in 1965. The others were the late Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 and violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1968.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.