RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – Rutland has added another marble statue to its downtown sculpture trail.
The 13th and newest stop on the trail is a statue of Dr. Charles Caverly.
The Rutland-based doctor was the first in the world to identify the polio epidemic in 1894, discovering well over 100 cases throughout the Otter Valley region.
Caverly also helped establish the Vermont sanatorium in Pittsford, which closed in the 1960s and is now the Vermont police academy.
Sculpture trail organizers say his impact was bigger than just in the local area.
“Dr. Caverly really brought this to the forefront of the medical community, and the American College of Immunologists really credits him with kind of being the canary in the coal mine, if you will, raising the alarm and bringing it to the attention of the world,” said organizer Steve Costello.
Organizers say the statue also pays tribute to local medical professionals who helped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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