[Reverend Blicher's difficulties with vaccinations in 1807].

Abstract

Prevention of smallpox was the great goal of the doctors since Jenner had published his discoveries in 1798. They had asked for help and ministers, school teachers, and landlords accepted. In fact, ministers performed one fourth of the vaccinations during the first years. One of them was Reverend Niels Blicher from Jutland, the father of a well known Danish writer. However, he soon ran into difficulties because he could not obtain any vaccine. In 1802 an institute had been founded in Copenhagen to organize vaccination of the children in the city, and to provide vaccine for the rest of the country but when Copenhagen was bombarded in 1807 it became nearly impossible to bring out the vaccine. That, however, did not prevent Rev. Blicher from proceeding: When he was told that a child at a manor 15 km away had been vaccinated, he went there together with two children to have them vaccinated with pus from the child at the manor. When the blisters of "his" children had developed, normally after nine days, he would continue with pus from them.