[Botulism in Osterdalen in 1831].

The earliest report we have had of an outbreak of botulism in Norway is from 1934, of five cases caused by contaminated salted and dried ham. All patients survived. This paper describes an early outbreak of botulism in the county of Hedmark in 1831 on the basis of a previously unknown report to the county governor from district public health officer Peter Heiberg (1778-1849). Two cases were reported, one of them fatal. The contaminated food was salted and fermented trout or char.