Museum
Seals and solidarity: the museum's collection of TB stamps
To mark World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, the museum team wanted to share the history of tuberculosis (TB) stamps and present its collection.
TB stamps were first issued in Denmark in 1904 on the initiative of Einar Holbøll (1865-1927), a Danish postal worker who came up with the idea of a "charity seal" to fund sanatoriums.
Although they had no postal value, these stamps became a major tool for fundraising and public awareness.
They were introduced in France in 1925, shortly after the development of the tuberculosis vaccine by Albert Calmette (1863-1933) and Camille Guérin (1872-1961) in 1921. Thanks to the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the initiative expanded to national level in 1927.
The seals were designed to serve an educational purpose, often displaying the two-barred red cross (the TB symbol) and the faces of scientists such as René Laennec (1781-1826) and Albert Calmette to promote hygiene among the general public and schoolchildren.
Until 1970, these annual campaigns were used to fund treatment for tuberculosis patients and raise awareness. The focus was subsequently expanded to include all respiratory diseases.
The museum has several books of TB stamps in its collections.
If you are interested in the latest museum news, have any questions or are in possession of any technical or scientific objects that can provide clues to the past activities of the Institut Pasteur's laboratories, feel free to contact the museum team at musee@pasteur.fr and follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram).
Sources :
Fact sheet
Calmette et la prémunition contre la tuberculose par le vaccin BCG, available via the CeRIS digital library
BCG vaccine: the first tuberculosis vaccination took place a century ago
TB seals and stamps (1970-2018)
Photo: Tuberculosis laboratories at the Pasteur Institute, 1930s. BCG laboratory assistants, Miss Irène Ganaye (right).