Why is leprosy also called Hansen’s disease?
The answer leads to research carried out in Bergen in 1873, and a human story far larger than one scientific discovery.
Physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen studied leprosy in Bergen. In 1873, he identified the bacillus associated with the disease, a decisive step in medical research. His surname became part of another name for the condition: Hansen’s disease.
You can explore this history at Bergen’s Leprosy Museum, in the former St. Jørgen hospital. There is an important detail, however: the research that identified the bacillus took place at Pleiestiftelsen No. 1, another city institution. Confusing these two buildings obscures an interesting part of local history.
The subject also deserves attention beyond the scientist. The old hospitals hold memories of people who lived with the disease and experienced isolation and stigma. A good account can show both medical progress and the lives at the heart of this history.