Cousins Laney and Gay Salisbury have written the first complete account of the diphtheria serum run in their new book "The Cruelest Miles."

Grants | Legacy Digitization | Topics | Arts & Culture | Health & Wellness |
June 10, 2003
Lorna Benson - Reporter
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Alaska's diphtheria epidemic of 1925 is well-documented in the 1995 animated movie Balto. The film's namesake, a fluffy black husky, and his sleddog team brave an Arctic blizzard to bring life-saving serum to hundreds of dying kids. While the story is true, the popular children's tale reveals just a fraction of what really happened. Cousins Laney and Gay Salisbury (SAHLS-bury) have written the first complete account of the diphtheria serum run in their new book "The Cruelest Miles." Gay Salisbury says the outbreak first appeared in Nome which, at the time, was the north-westernmost town in Alaska.

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