Drs. Eldering and Kendrick created the first vaccine against pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

In the 1930's, when Eldering and Kendrick were doing research on this, whooping cough was the cause of death for 6,000 lives each year, 95% of whom were children under the age of 5.  While the disease and the organism that caused it had been identified in 1906, decades later, there was no available, effective treatment.

Much of their research was done in the "off" hours of their laboratory at the Michigan Department of Health since understaffing and lack of funds prevented them from doing it.

In 1940, the State of Michigan began producing and distributing the vaccine, which virtually ended the incredible toll of whooping cough deaths.

Later, Eldering and Kendrick combined shots for diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus into the single DPT shot, which is routinely given for prevention today.

Both Eldering and Kendrick served terms as Presidents of the Michigan Branch of the American Society for Microbiology and were active in the American Public Health Association and the American Board of Bacteriologists.