Field Trips
On his second field trip Lönnrot´s intention was to go to Viena Karelia, to the area where he knew that the folk poetry flourished. The trip, for which he had received a grant from the Finnish Literature Society, had sadly however to be postponed because the National Board of Medicine called upon him, like all physicians out of duty, to come to Helsinki to fight against the cholera epidemic spreading toward Finland.
Just after leaving the manuscript to be printed Lönnrot began to collect folk poetry to "supplement" the work. At the same time he wished to explore poem singing regions in Viena on the limits of the southern and eastern boarders.
On his sixth trip, Lönnrot had already begun surveying the extent of poetry-singing. At that time, in 1835, he hoped to undertake, with support from the university, a far more extensive trip than any of his previous ones, but the plan fell through. In autumn of 1836, hereceived one year's leave of absence, which was extended to 14 months, in order to undertake an extensive field trip.
