7 3 7 HOSPITALS DEPICTED IN OLD MAPS AND PANORAMAS (I) THE second World War stimulated the advance of many branches of science and of many branches of medicine, including epidemiology and public health. These advances were not only substantive but also methodological. It is not surprising, therefore, that the mapping of dis- ease increased rapidly in scope and effectiveness. Medical cartography has now existed long enough and progressed far enough for a retrospect to be profitable. But as yet we possess only a few scattered facts and a few rudimentary opinions as to the way in which this highly sophisticated cultural product may have originated. The subject is beginning to attract the attention of historians; the essay by Stevenson' is evidence of this trend. At the present stage of inquiry it is necessary to distinguish between medical maps-those which present any subject of medical interest-and maps of disease, which constitute a much smaller category. It appears that the latter are the newer and perhaps represent a specialized form of the distributional, economic, and agricultural mapping that gained cur- rency during the last few decades of the i8th century. Aspects of these early developments were recently reviewed in a historical periodical.2 Attention was called to the work of a Russian scholar, 0. B. Shkurlatov, who referred to a map or picture of Kiev (i683), which was said to show hospitals or hospices, in addition to churches and monasteries. This implies that a systematic search of old city maps and old panoramic views might disclose details of medical interest. Those who visit the Norwegian city of Bergen, well known for its culture and for the courage of its inhabitants, are likely to see an old panoramic picture, sometimes titled simply Bergen, or Berga Noor- wegiae. This map is seen in the windows of shops and in public places such as hotel lobbies. A piece of the attractive design also serves to decorate the ticket that the traveler receives on paying his admission 1. Stevenson, L.: Putting disease on the map: The early use of spot maps in the study of yellow fever. J. Hist. Med. 20:226-61, 1965. 2. Jarcho, S.: Yellow fever, cholera, and the beginnings of medical cartography. J. Hist. Med., 25:131-42, 1970. Vol. 46, No. 9, September 1970 11 WNf for;.. Fig. 1. Panorama of the city of Bergen, Norway, by Hieronymus Scholeus and Frans 1594). The original measures 12¾4 X 18¾4 in. Reproduced by courtesy of the New YorlI I IF t7_-.-.M; ._> -- Hogenberg, from Georg Braun's Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Cologne 1572-1618, (vol. 4, Public Library. /74 HOSPITALS DEPICTED IN OLD MAPS Fig. 2. Enlarged detail of Scholeus-Hogenberg map of Bergen, 1594 (see Figure 1). L indicates the German Hospital. M indicates the City Hos- pital. Reproduced by courtesy of the New York Public Library. fee at the Rosenkrantz Tower, which overlooks Bergen harbor. Mr. S. Bonge of the Universitetsbiblioteket at Bergen kindly identi- fied the map as the work of Hieronymus Scholeus, draughtsman, and Franz Hogenberg, engraver.3 The original appears in Braun, G.: Civi- tates Orbis Terrarui. Cologne, 1572-I6I8, volume 4 (1594), plate 37. (Facsimile reprint, 6 vols. in 3, Amsterdam, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, i965.) It is reproduced (Figure I) by courtesy of the New York Public Library. In the upper left-hand corner of the map is a table of symbols, in which can be read: L Hospital von den Teutschen M Spittal der Stat 3. Mr. Bonge kindly sent the author an article by Prof. Hallvard S. Bakken, which discusses the history of the map. Bakken, H. S., Scholeus-stikket. Bergens Tidende, Sept. 3, 1960. Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med. HOSPITALS DEPICTED IN OLD MAPS 7 4 I These two establishments, the hospital for Germans and the city hos- pital, are depicted in the right central portion of the map (see enlarge- ment, Figure 2). Presumably these hospitals, especially the German hos- pital, reflected the activities of the Hanseatic League. Additional infor- mation may be obtained from an essay contributed by G. Armauer Hansen,4 the famous leprologist. The classic history of cartography by Bagrow and Skelton5 makes no mention of Hieronymus Scholeus. Information obtained from Swedish sources' is virtually limited to the fact that he contributed views of Bergen and Stockholm to Braun's collection. Bagrow and Skelton refer to Georg Braun (Joris Bruin) as having published several editions of Mfinster's well-known map of Germany and as having collaborated with the engraver Frans Hogenberg (1535- 1590) and other Flemish craftsmen in the production of Civitates Orbis Terrarum. Additional representations of hospitals are to be found in a book on medieval leprosy by Prof. V. M0ller-Christensen.7 This author points out that in Scandinavia lepers were treated in special hospitals under the patronage of St. J0rgen (Saint George).8 These establishments were often located outside the walls of cities and are so portrayed in old maps and panoramas, such as those of Copenhagen9 and Visby.10 These observations indicate that old city maps, city plans, and pan- oramas can be made to yield information of medical importance and perhaps contain the origins of modern medical cartography.* S. J. 4. Hansen, G. A. and Lie, H. P.: Die Geschichte der Lepra in Norwegen. Lepra 8 (suppl.): 314-40, 1909; see esp. p. 317. 5. Bagrow, L.: History of Cartography. Revised and enlarged by R. A. Skelton. Cambridge, Harvard Univ. Press, 1964, pp. 186 and 234. 6. Andersson, K.: Hieronymus Scholeus. In: Svenskt JConstndrs Lexikon. Malmd, Allhems, 1967, vol. 5, p. 79. 7. M0ller-Christensen, B.: Tell Lepers from Naestved in Denmark; A Study of Skeletons from a Medieval D)anish Leper Hospital. Copenhagen, Danish Science Press, 1953. 8. See also Danielssen, D. C. and Boeck, W.: Traitj de la Spedalskhed. Paris, Baillilre, 1848, pp. 133, 136. 9. M0ller-Christensen, op. cit., Figure 18a, p. 38. 10. M0ller-Christensen, op. cit., Figure 18b, p. 38. *The author thanks Mrs. Maude Cole of the New York Public Library and Mrs. Richard North for their assistance. Vol. 46, No. 9, September 1970.