[Cholera in Drammen 1832--the first time in Norway]

Cholera came to Norway for the first time in autumn 1832. The outbreak was limited to the city of Drammen and some densely populated areas on the Drammen fjord. Mortality was low compared with later Norwegian epidemics. 80 persons died of cholera, 59 of them in Drammen. The morbidity is difficult to estimate, because cholera could not be distinguished from the frequent summer diarrhoeas. This article tries to present a picture of how the doctors interpreted the disease and what was done to prevent it from spreading. In the light of the available information the author discusses how cholera was imported to Drammen and how it spread in the city.