The front pageStories from the archiveVaccination at Blaafarveværket

Vaccination at Blaafarveværket

by James Northcote, oil on canvas, 1803, 1823
Published 20 Jan 2021

Here we're going to look at something that's very relevant today - the vaccine. While you're waiting for your arm to be pricked, or maybe you've already had it, you can read below about how the modern vaccine came into being and how it helped to defeat a deadly virus. You'll also see how the Blaafarveværk's own doctor, of the same name as a popular drink, was an early adopter of the vaccine for the Blaafarveværk population.

Cows, English messengers and Dr Jenner - The development of the smallpox vaccine

Today, the viral infection smallpox is little known. This is for the simple reason that the virus was declared eradicated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1980.[1] We should be grateful for this, because smallpox was a very devastating virus. The mortality rate was between 20-30 %, there was no treatment and the course of the disease was horrific. Red rashes spread over the patient's body. After a short period of time, the rashes developed into large, material-filled blisters. Those who survived the disease carried the scars with them for the rest of their lives. Between 1700 and 1800, an estimated 45 million people died from smallpox.[2]

However, something very special was to happen towards the end of the 18th century that would give mankind an effective weapon against the dreaded disease. Dr Edward Jenner (1749-1823), a village doctor in Gloucerstershire, England, made a discovery when he heard that the herdsmen who tended the cows often fell ill with the cattle disease cowpox. Cowpox made the herders ill, but the course of the disease was mild. The fact that diseases could be transmitted from animals to humans was nothing new, but Dr Jenner was told that the herders were not infected by smallpox.[3] That's how Dr Jenner came up with the idea of exposing people to cowpox to make them immune to smallpox.

On 14 May 1796, Dr Jenner infected an 8-year-old poor boy with cockpox. The boy fell ill, but had a mild course of illness. 6 weeks later, Dr Jenner exposed the boy to smallpox (Dr Jenner's ethics must be said to be somewhat questionable, as he chose an 8-year-old test subject and exposed him to a deadly disease). Fortunately, the boy did not become ill. So Dr Jenner had done it. The vaccine was born.

The word vaccine actually comes from the Latin word Vaccinia, which means cock cups.[4] It was the Frenchman who started calling Dr Jenner's method a vaccine. Apparently they did this to mock the method.[5] Dr Jenner's peers dismissed his findings and many perceived it as blasphemy to infect high-ranking humans with an animal disease. Besides, wasn't it up to God who should get sick and die?[6]

Despite some opposition, the vaccine quickly spread around Europe. In 1801, it arrived in Norway, and a few years later it was introduced at the Blaafarve mill.

Live healthy and well - The vaccination programme in Norway

The first vaccination on Norwegian soil was carried out by the state surgeon, Magnus A. Thulstrup, in 1801.[7] In the years that followed, several vaccines were introduced around the country. On 3 August 1802, readers of the newspaper Trondhjems borgerlige Realskoles alene-privilegerede Adressecontoirs-Efterretninger could read the following:

At this dangerous time for so many people, it is doubly incumbent upon us to invite anyone who has not yet had children's scopes to reap the benefits of a discovery which many thousands of examples have proved to be a remedy that safely protects against the natural smallpox, and which is even more a remedy that can be used without danger under any circumstances. Those, therefore, who wish next week to be vaccinated, or inoculated with smallpox, would report them to the undersigned before Monday = Tuesday noon at the latest.[8]

This was a fairly typical advert. They appeared in print when smallpox outbreaks occurred. It was claimed that the vaccine was completely harmless, but this may not have been entirely true. The vaccine material was often transferred directly from "arm to arm", i.e. the contents of the rashes formed when the vaccinated person developed smallpox were transferred to the next person. A person could have other diseases that could be transferred to the next patient.[9] Fortunately, things have evolved since 1796. As early as 1891, a vaccine institute was established in Kristiania, where the vaccine material was "taken from grafted cows", not transferred from person to person.[10]

Most of the time, considering the risks, things went well during the Norwegian trial of the smallpox vaccine. One such example can be found in an annual report from the Blaafarveværk's own doctor, Johan Michael Martini. In 1804, he carried out some vaccinations and wrote the following about them: "The vaccination has been tried on 3 children who got smallpox and are alive and well".[11]

Vaccination against smallpox thus began at Blaafarveværket as early as 1804, just eight years after the first vaccine was administered to an eight-year-old in England. It wasn't until 6 years after "3 de Børn" had been vaccinated by Dr Martini, in 1810, that smallpox vaccination was made compulsory in Norway.[12] If a person wanted to be confirmed or married, they had to present a vaccination certificate.[13] So we can see that without the vaccine, people were completely excluded from participating in society.

Losing a vaccination certificate could be fatal. In 1838, this happened at Blaafarveværket, when the son of poor labourer Hans Kantom could not find his certificate. The boy was due to be confirmed the following Thursday, which made it impossible to obtain a new certificate in time. However, the mine manager at the Cobalt Mines, Karl F. Böbert, was lenient with the boy.

For me, it is obvious to anyone that the prisoner has scars from smallpox on his arm, and it is a true blessing for his poor parents when this lack of a proper waxination certificate does not cause him to be denied admission to Confirmation, as he does not manage to remedy this deficiency before Thursday.[14]

In this way, it seems that the mine manager was more concerned with being able to confirm that the boy had been vaccinated, which was easy to do as virtually all those who were vaccinated had scars on their arms after successful vaccination, than with the formality of presenting a certificate.

In Modum, the medical officer was constantly involved in smallpox vaccination. In 1835, it was the clockmaker, Peder Moen, who was responsible for vaccinating Modum's population,[15] but in 1873, it was the works doctor and district doctor Gabriel Sundt Dedichen who had the main responsibility for vaccinating Modum's population. Dr Dedichen was assisted by 3 assistant vaccinators.[16] Through 1873, they managed to vaccinate 131 people.

Next, we'll take a look at how a vaccination took place around the beginning of the 19th century.

Inpodning af Vaccine - An introduction to the practical part of smallpox vaccination in 1819

Before we finish today, let's take a look at how the smallpox vaccine was administered. In 1819, a handbook for vaccinators was published. This was published by the Norwegian government and gave a detailed description of how people reacted to the vaccine and how the vaccine should be administered.

The vaccinator should use a vaccine needle or lancet (double-edged, thin-bladed knife)[17] to make incisions in the skin. However, it is said that you could use "an ordinary Stoppenaal" if the vaccinator had nothing else.[18]

In addition, the vaccinator had to seek out a recently vaccinated person who had developed cockroaches, i.e. blisters with pus, and poke a hole in a suitable blister. It was important not to puncture close to the edge of the blister. The patient would then bleed. The aim was to get out "the clear liquid".[19] This fluid was the vaccine material to be transferred to the person to be vaccinated. To preserve enough infected material, the vaccinator would hold the needle inside the blister for a few seconds "and puts your thumb on the tip of the needle as you pull it back".[20]

The vaccinator would then visit the person to be vaccinated. The infected vaccination needle should be inserted 2-3 times into the outside of each arm, halfway between the shoulder and elbow. The arms of the newly vaccinated person should thus be exposed for a while after the vaccination had taken place. It was not desirable for the vaccinated person to start bleeding.[21]

People who had a rash should not be vaccinated. If a vaccinated person had developed other rashes, in addition to cockpox, the vaccinator should not transmit infection from them. This was to avoid transmission of other diseases.[22]

A vaccinator could also store scabs etc. in glass jars to use the liquid from these for vaccination at a later date.

Through targeted vaccination, the world managed to eradicate the smallpox virus. In 1976, the smallpox vaccine was discontinued in Norway and, as mentioned, in 1980 the smallpox virus was declared eradicated by the WHO, 184 years after the first vaccine was administered. This was a huge victory for humanity. A victory that started with a discovery in a barn in Gloucerstershire. Although Dr Jenner faced a lot of opposition at first, he was later celebrated. Dr Jenner was admired by American presidents and Russian rulers. Even Napoleon, who was not particularly fond of the English, was said to be a fan of Dr Jenner. When the doctor asked Napoleon to release some English prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars, the emperor is said to have agreed solely because he saw Dr Jenner's signature.[23]

Here at home, the works doctors at Blaafarveværket, and their assistants, helped to eradicate the dreaded disease from Modum. Neither Dr Martini nor Dr Dedichen lived to see the disease eradicated, but their contributions are forever preserved in their own reports.

Sources:

https://www.helsetilsynet.no/globalassets/opplastinger/Publikasjoner/rapporter2004/medisinalmeldingene_1804_rapport_062004.pdf/
  • RA/S-1044 - Ministry of Justice, Medical Office M/Buskerud county L0063: Medical report by Ludvig Holberg Arentz

[1] Store Medisinske Leksikon, s.v. "Kopper," 19 January 2021 https://snl.no/kopper

[2] Ibid.

[3] Aastorp, "The first vaccine"

[4] Store Medisinske Leksikon, s.v. "Vaccine," by Kjell Bøyre, Einar Kristoffersen and Bjørn Myrvang,

19.01.2021

[5] Aastorp, op.cit.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Larsen, "Smallpox vaccination"

[8] Schwindt, "Domestic News: Bergen"

[9] Nøkelby and Bergsaker, "Adverse events after vaccination"

[10] Larsen, op.cit.

[11] Martini, "Modum"

[12] Aastorp, op.cit.

[13] Larsen, op.cit.

[14] National Archives Private Archive no. 157: Modums Blaafarveværk. Letter to Modums Blaafarveværk 1838, Microfilmed, transcribed and processed at Blaafarveværket's documentation centre

[15] RA/S-1044 - Ministry of Justice, Medical Office M/Buskerud county L0063: Medical report by Ludvig Holberg Arentz

[16] RA/S-1044 - Ministry of Justice, Medical Office M/Buskerud County L0068: Medical report by Gabriel Sundt dedichen

[17] Store Medisinske Leksikon, s.v. "Lansett". By Ellen Schlichting. 20.01.2021

[18] Unknown. Instructions for tipping and inoculating cowpox, issued by the Faculty of Medicine at the Norwegian University. Published by the Department of Church and Education of the Royal Norwegian Government. Printed by Chr. Grøndahl. Christiania, 1819. 9

[19] Ibid. 10

[20] Ibid. 10

[21] Unknown, op.cit. 11

[22] Ibid. 10-11

[23] Aastorp, op.cit.