Johnnie Notions facts for kids

John Williamson (around 1730–1803), better known as Johnnie Notions, was a self-taught doctor from Shetland, Scotland. He created his own way to protect people from smallpox, a very serious disease. He gave this treatment to thousands of people in Shetland in the late 1700s.

Even though Johnnie Notions had only a basic education and no formal medical training, his treatment worked incredibly well. It helped about 3,000 people become safe from smallpox and saved many lives. This had a big impact on the number of people living in Shetland at that time. It's said that he never lost a single patient.

Johnnie Notions was giving his treatment by the late 1780s or early 1790s, and maybe even earlier. However, his work was later overshadowed by Edward Jenner. Jenner developed a different smallpox vaccine in 1796 using cowpox. Despite this, people in Shetland thought very highly of Johnnie Notions and his method. They didn't feel the same way about the cowpox vaccine when it arrived in Shetland later on.

Early life of Johnnie Notions

John Williamson was the son of Andrew Williamson. We don't know his mother's name. It's thought that his family was quite modern for their time. This is because John used his father's last name, Williamson, instead of the usual Shetland custom of using a "patronymic" (a name based on the father's first name).

We aren't completely sure when John Williamson was born. His tombstone says 1740, but some people think he was born as early as 1730. His birthplace is also not certain, but it's believed to be Hamnavoe, in Eshaness. His family lived there from at least the late 1740s.

Fighting smallpox

What was smallpox like in Shetland?

Shetland is a group of islands, quite far away from other places. Because of this, when diseases like smallpox arrived in the 1700s, they spread very quickly. Many people didn't have any protection against the illness.

In 1700, smallpox came to Shetland when a local man's son visited mainland Britain. He caught the disease and brought it back. About one-third of Shetland's population died from this outbreak. People called the disease "mortal pox." The 1700 outbreak was so memorable that people born around that time used it to figure out their age.

Some smaller islands were hit especially hard. Fair Isle lost two-thirds of its people in the 1700 outbreak. On Fetlar, smallpox killed over 90 islanders, many of whom were married. Smallpox continued to strike Shetland every 20 years, with big outbreaks in 1700, 1720, 1740, and 1760.

The 1720 outbreak badly affected Foula. People said there were hardly enough survivors to bury the dead. In Fetlar, most of the 80 people who died were under 20, suggesting some older people had developed protection.

The 1740 outbreak was so severe that the cemetery in Lerwick had to be made bigger. In Fetlar, another 120 people died. A long, hard frost made things worse by preventing people from burying the dead. About one-third of Unst's population was killed by smallpox. It's likely that Johnnie Notions himself caught smallpox when he was about ten years old during this outbreak.

How did Johnnie Notions give his treatment?

Johnnie Notions had a special way of preparing his smallpox treatment. First, he would collect "matter," which was pus from smallpox sores. He would then dry it using peat smoke. People believed this smoke made the virus less strong. After drying, he would bury the matter in the ground with camphor. Camphor helps stop bacteria from growing, which kept the matter from rotting.

Stories say he spread the matter between glass sheets before burying it. He would keep it buried for up to 7 or 8 years. This long storage time was thought to make the virus even weaker before he used it on a patient.

When it was time to give the treatment, Johnnie Notions used a knife he made himself. He would make a small cut in the patient's arm, just under the skin, without drawing blood. He would then put a tiny amount of the prepared matter into the cut. Immediately, he would cover the cut with the patient's own skin. Finally, he would use a cabbage leaf as a plaster.

Unlike some other doctors of his time, Johnnie Notions didn't tell patients to rest in special ways. He didn't use "hot-treatment," where sick people were heated by a fire and covered with blankets without fresh air. He also didn't give them any other medicines while they were getting better.

Johnnie Notions' method was very similar to something called the "Suttonian method." This method also involved putting weakened smallpox matter into the patient's skin. It's not clear how Johnnie Notions learned about this technique. Maybe he read about it, or perhaps someone like another doctor or a church leader told him.

What were the results of his treatment?

We don't know exactly why Johnnie Notions' treatment worked so well. It might have been because his method made the smallpox matter less harmful. Or, it could have been because he put the matter only shallowly into the skin. Whatever the reason, his technique was very successful, and he was highly respected in Shetland.

People at the time praised Johnnie Notions for his work. Reverend Andrew Dishington, a local minister, said that Johnnie Notions was "unrivalled" in his work. He added that "several thousands" had been treated by him, and he hadn't lost a single patient. The Reverend also noted that the treatment always seemed to work and show its effects at the right time.

Arthur Edmondston, another writer, also commented on Johnnie Notions' amazing success. He said that if he hadn't seen it himself, he would have doubted it. Edmondston believed that if every doctor had been as successful as Johnnie Notions, smallpox could have been removed from the world.

Local stories say that after a smallpox outbreak on Foula, Johnnie Notions saved 16 of the 24 people who were left. He was "greatly honoured" for saving their lives.

It's not clear how many of Johnnie Notions' patients might have gotten other infections after the treatment. Also, it's possible that his treatment caused some patients, like Lowrie Tulloch or James Park, to become blind. However, it is believed that Johnnie Notions saved many more lives than he caused harm to.

Other talents of Johnnie Notions

Johnnie Notions was known for being skilled in many different jobs and crafts. People described him as having "an uncommon variety of talents." During his life, he was a tailor, a joiner (someone who builds things with wood), a clock and watch repairer, a blacksmith, and a doctor. He also worked as a farmer, a fisherman, and a weaver at different times.

Archivist Brian Smith from the Shetland Museum and Archives tells a story about how Johnnie got his nickname "Notions." The story says that Johnnie was at a landlord's house, perhaps for work. The landlord asked him to get rid of "checks," which were small, noisy wood-boring beetles. Johnnie looked behind a clock and found many creepy crawlies. He said, "You hear no more checks now." The landlord replied, "What a notions!" meaning "What a clever idea!"

Johnnie Notions is also said to have built a very detailed, working miniature watermill. He only saw the original mill once, but he was able to recreate it. His small mill could do the same job of bleaching things, powered by a hand-turned crank.

The only known item made by Johnnie Notions that still exists today is a wig stretching block. He made it for James Cheyne, the 7th Laird of Tangwick. This block is said to have been made to look like a man from Hillswick who had smallpox and was treated by Notions. The block is made from wood that had wormholes. Johnnie Notions filled these holes with smaller pieces of wood to show the smallpox scars on the man's face. This wig block is now kept in the Shetland Museum.

Johnnie Notions' Böd

Johnnie Notions' Böd
Johnnie Notions' Böd
Etymology	Fisherman's lodgings or store
General information
Type	Camping barn
Architectural style	Scottish Vernacular
Location	Hamnavoe, Northmavine, Shetland
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	60°30′29.8″N 1°34′11.7″W / 60.508278°N 1.569917°W / 60.508278; -1.569917
Named for	Johnnie Notions
Owner	Shetland Amenity Trust
Height
Roof	Felt
Technical details
Material	Harl-pointed stone
Floor count	1
Designations	Category C listed building
Other information
Number of rooms	1

Near where Johnnie Notions' house once stood in Hamnavoe, Eshaness, there is an old outbuilding. As of 2019, this building is rented out as a "camping böd." A "böd" is a Shetland word for a fisherman's place to stay or a store. The Shetland Amenity Trust rents it out as simple accommodation, like a camping barn, with limited facilities. For example, Johnnie Notions' Böd does not have electricity. The böd is open from April 1st to October 31st.

Johnnie Notions' original house and its other buildings were listed as a Category C historic building in 1978.