Medical Expedition to Tenerife: The Arrival on December 9, 1803, Marked a Historic Milestone in the Medical World. Or Was It?
On December 9, 2024, it will be 221 years since the corvette María Pita arrived in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, carrying members of the Royal Philanthropic Vaccination Expedition. This mission, known as the Balmis Expedition, consisted of the ship’s crew, medical personnel, and the so-called “22 vaccination children.”
The First Leg
The Balmis Expedition was the first major medical expedition in the history of humanity. Its goal was to vaccinate against smallpox, a severe and highly contagious disease with a high mortality rate that had become a pandemic in the 18th and 19th centuries, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Vaccines as we know them today did not exist, nor did organized healthcare systems.
This scientific and medical expedition set sail from the port of La Coruña on November 30, 1803. After ten days of sailing, it made its first stop in Tenerife. Upon arrival, an intensive vaccination program against smallpox began immediately. Hundreds of children on Tenerife were vaccinated, along with many children from other islands of the archipelago who came to the port of Santa Cruz to be vaccinated. The accompanying medical team ensured the continuation of the vaccination chain upon their return to their respective islands. On January 6, 1804, after completing the first phase of their philanthropic mission, the expedition continued its journey to the Spanish overseas territories in the Americas and the Philippines, the ultimate goals of this humanitarian mission.
Balmis Expedition vs. Operation Balmis
Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the Balmis Expedition but have heard of Operation Balmis. The parallels are striking, as both interventions followed pandemics. The latter was a mission by the Spanish Armed Forces during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It began in March 2020, at the onset of the state of emergency, and continued until late June 2020, when the lockdown and state of emergency in Spain were lifted.
The Spanish military named this operation after Francisco Javier Balmis Berenguer, the 19th-century Spanish doctor who, along with his medical team and the 22 “vaccination children,” led the first major international medical expedition from 1803 to 1810 to combat smallpox. This pandemic disease caused millions of deaths across various continents.
No Pharmaceutical Support
The idea proposed by the expedition’s director, the Alicante-born doctor Francisco Xavier Balmis, to King Carlos IV of Spain was to transport the vaccine serum via a human chain of vaccinations, arm to arm. The children in the expedition were vaccinated in pairs every ten days to ensure the continuity of the vaccination chain. This innovative and unique system enabled the success of this daring medical expedition, marking the beginning of a significant medical milestone in Tenerife and, later, across continents.
Tribute
To commemorate the 221st anniversary of the arrival of the Balmis Expedition in Tenerife, a ceremony will be held on December 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Tenerife in La Laguna. During this event, two lectures will be delivered about the historical and medical significance of the Balmis Expedition: one by the author of this article and the other by Captain Juan Ozores Massó of the Instituto de Historia y Cultura Naval in Madrid, focusing on the logistical aspects of the expedition.
At the start of the ceremony, a commemorative plaque will be unveiled to honor this event and the role the armed forces have played throughout history during crises such as pandemics and natural disasters. Recent examples include their assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe floods caused by the DANA in Valencia a few weeks ago.
Painting
During the ceremony, the painting Arrival of the Balmis Expedition in Tenerife (1803) by renowned Genoese artist Davide Battaglia, who has lived in Tenerife for several years, will also be presented. The artwork vividly depicts the arrival of the expedition members in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, showcasing the joy and gratitude of the then Commander General of the Canary Islands, the Marquess of Casa Cagigal, as well as the civil, ecclesiastical, and military authorities, and the people of Tenerife. They gathered in the Plaza de la Pila (now Plaza de la Candelaria) to welcome Dr. Balmis, his team, and the 22 vaccination children with the highest honors.
The End of Smallpox
The fight against smallpox, which began in 1803 with the Royal Philanthropic Vaccination Expedition, was completed nearly two centuries later. On November 10, 1979, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the definitive eradication of smallpox following a global vaccination campaign. To this day, smallpox remains the first and only human infectious disease to have been completely eradicated, thanks to the efforts of thousands of individuals who brought vaccinations to every corner of the globe.
It is crucial to remember that the corvette María Pita made its first stop in the Canary Islands, carrying its precious “human cargo” of 22 children, the medical team, and the crew. They laid the foundation for mass vaccination against smallpox, marking the beginning of the end of this deadly disease.
This article is a free adaptation of a text by Luis Ortigosa, physician, vaccinology expert, and member of the Technical Vaccination Group of the Canary Islands.
Painting © Davide Battaglia & Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Tenerife
Guy Devos © AI Illustration
Diario de Avisos © Image: Routes of the Balmis Expedition
Medical Expedition to Tenerife ©
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