Commemorative plaque for Daniel C. Danielssen
Above the entrance to what was Pleiestiftelsen Hospital in Kalfarveien 31 hangs a large bronze plaque in memory of Daniel Cornelius Danielssen. Danielssen was the first person to begin systematically researching leprosy in Norway and won international recognition.
The commemorative plaque originally hung at Lungegård Hospital, where Danielssen was head physician from 1849 until his death in 1894. It was unveiled on 7 August 1895, about a year after Danielssen’s death.
The plaque was a gift from doctors all over the world and was unveiled by Professor Lassar from Berlin, the same man who unveiled the bust of Armauer Hansen in the Museum Garden in 1901.
The plaque was made by the German sculptor Max Klein. In symbolic terms, it depicts science carrying a torch and chasing away the vultures of disease, while holding a protective hand over the sick.
