Childhood and school years

Carl Oscar Malm was born in the Iso-Vahe ’rustholli’ estate in the parish of Eura on 12 February 1826. His parents were Katarina Juliana née Tandefelt and Anders Gustaf Malm, who had three children. In 1827 the family moved to Askola, where Malm spent his early childhood, and in 1833 to Porvoo.

Malm’s father was a respected official who had been awarded the honorary title of ’sotakamreeri’. From 1832 onwards, he worked as a town court prosecutor in Porvoo and also held other posts and positions of trust. Malm’s mother died of pneumonia in 1838, and his father later remarried Christina Emerentia af Enehjelm.

Malm’s deafness was first noticed when he was expected to start speaking. The cause of his deafness is unknown. It was guessed that his wet-nurse’s scabies could have been the cause, as it was transmitted to Malm and caused his ears to exude a substance mixed with blood during the illness. Efforts to cure the deafness included electric current at a physicist’s practice in Stockholm, but nothing worked.

Malm’s father described him as ’savvy and understanding’ as well as cheery and enterprising. The boy was also stubborn and easily offended. He took great pleasure in travelling and beautiful clothes. Malm had been taught letters and numbers at home. From their relatives in Sweden, the family had learned about Manilla, a school for the deaf in Stockholm. They decided to send the boy there, as there were no schools for the deaf in Finland.

In August 1834, the 8-year-old Malm arrived at Manilla. The school’s most renowned teacher was Johan Gerhard Holtz, deaf himself. Malm was Holz’s private student until 1840, after which he became an actual student at Manilla.

As was the common practice at the school, Malm learned two languages as Holtz’s student: the sign language used at the school and written Swedish. In addition to the ordinary school subjects, he studied carpentry, as his father’s wishes. The boy did not consider the profession his calling, however. Even during his school years, Malm dreamt of founding a school for the deaf in Finland. He hunted out literature on the deaf and tried to find out the number of deaf people in Finland by interviewing fellow citizens as he met them. In 1843, he came across the opportunity to work as an assistant teacher and pupil instructor at Manilla, and this gave him valuable experience for his future work.

Malm completed his studies at Manilla in 1845 and he was said to have been the most gifted pupil at the school thus far. In the diploma, school headmaster Ossian Edmund Borg wrote that Malm had acquired rare skills in the Swedish language as well as received teaching in history, geography, natural sciences, arithmetic, geometry and religion. The pupil was commended for his good behaviour, diligence and aptitude for learning. Physical education was also promoted at Manilla and Malm, active as he was, was nominated as ’an accomplished swimming master’ in 1845. At the school diploma ceremony, he skilfully discussed the topics assigned: education and Gustav Vasa’s government. Malm was also given religious teaching and he received his first Holy Communion at the Royal Palace Chapel in Stockholm.

Malm was said to have been a contemplative young man during his school years. He reflected the status and education of the deaf and even wrote a school essay titled ’En döfstum utan uppfostran är olycklig både för sig och andra’ (’An uneducated deaf mute causes misery to himself and others’) during his last school year. As regards educators, Malm’s role model was Ossian Edmund Borg, the headmaster of the school.

When school ended in 1845, Malm returned to his home town Porvoo. His return attracted attention among the locals and the newspapers wrote about him.