--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They sat on fold-up beach chairs and were…" description: "\"“They sat on fold-up beach chairs and were talking about polio. The older ones, like his grandmother, had lived through the city's 1916 epidemic and we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/philip-roth-681_epidemic_they-sat-on-fold-up-beach-chairs-and-wer_1057556.jpg" --- # They sat on fold-up beach chairs and were talking about… ![“They sat on fold-up beach chairs and were talking about polio. The older ones, like his grandmother, had lived through the city's 1916 epidemic and were lamenting the fact that in the intervening years science had been unable to find a cure for the disease or come up with an idea of how to prevent…” quote by Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/philip-roth-681_epidemic_they-sat-on-fold-up-beach-chairs-and-wer_1057556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/philip-roth-681_epidemic_they-sat-on-fold-up-beach-chairs-and-wer_1057556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/philip-roth-681_epidemic_they-sat-on-fold-up-beach-chairs-and-wer_1057556.jpg) > ““They sat on fold-up beach chairs and were talking about polio. The older ones, like his grandmother, had lived through the city's 1916 epidemic and were lamenting the fact that in the intervening years science had been unable to find a cure for the disease or come up with an idea of how to prevent it. Look at Weequahic, they said, as clean and sanitary as any section in the city, and it's the worst hit. There was talk, somebody said, of keeping the colored cleaning women from coming to the neighborhood for fear that they carried the polio germs up from the slums. Somebody else said that in his estimation the disease was spread by money, by paper money passing from hand to hand. The important thing, he said, was always to wash your hands after you handled paper money or coins. What about the mail, someone else said, you don't think it could be spread by the mail? What are you going to do, somebody retorted, suspend delivering the mail? The whole city would come to a halt.”” [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People discuss disease transmission myths, blaming money and mail, reflecting fear and misinformation during a polio outbreak. **In simple terms:** Folks blamed money and mail for spreading polio, showing panic and lack of knowledge. Key Takeaway Beware misinformation; follow proven health practices. Themes public health fear misinformation history social stigma Mood anxious reflective Type historical social commentary When to use this quote - community meetings - public health campaigns - school education - media reporting Key Concepts epidemiology social psychology urban studies Questions to Reflect On - How do rumors shape health behavior? - What evidence would change these beliefs? A Different Perspective Reliance on anecdotal beliefs can hinder effective disease control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carried Polio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carried-polio-2565316/) [Epidemic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemic/) [Germs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germs/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Paper money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-money/) [Polio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio/) [Polio Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio-older-2565318/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Talking Polio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-polio-2565315/) [Weequahic Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weequahic-said-2565317/) ## Related quotes > [“Though I'd never forgotten Alan, I hadn't uttered his name aloud in the many years since he'd died, back in that decade when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/though-i-d-never-forgotten-alan-i-hadn-t-uttered-his-name-aloud-in/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“We don't know what kills polio germs," Dr. Steinberg said. 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Where did that come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/right-now-nobody-legalized-paper-money-where-did-that-come-from/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“In accordance with such zeal, by reducing the external world to a matter of faith, he wanted merely to open a little door for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-accordance-with-such-zeal-by-reducing-the-external-world-to-a/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. 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The older ones, like his grandmother, had lived through the city's 1916 epidemic and were lamenting the fact that in the intervening years science had been unable to find a cure for the disease or come up with an idea of how to prevent it. Look at Weequahic, they said, as clean and sanitary as any section in the city, and it's the worst hit. There was talk, somebody said, of keeping the colored cleaning women from coming to the neighborhood for fear that they carried the polio germs up from the slums. Somebody else said that in his estimation the disease was spread by money, by paper money passing from hand to hand. The important thing, he said, was always to wash your hands after you handled paper money or coins. What about the mail, someone else said, you don't think it could be spread by the mail? What are you going to do, somebody retorted, suspend delivering the mail? 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