‘A small price to pay for peace’: The Elizabeth Kenny controversy re‐examined

Abstract

Between 1933 and 1939, Sister Elizabeth Kenny attracted media and medical attention by claiming to have developed an effective form of after‐care for poliomyelitis. The furore that erupted involved ancillary health care workers who felt threatened by Kenny's apparent government support. A key issue exposed by the controversy was a profound social fear of physical deformity, shared by Kenny and the newly successful field of orthopaedics, both of whom marketed a eugenic hope of straightness and correctness.