Nils Rosén von Rosenstein (11 February 1706 – 16 July 1773) was a Swedish physician. He is considered the founder of modern pediatrics, while his work ''The diseases of children, and their remedies'' is considered to be "the first modern textbook on the subject".

Career

Nils Rosén was born in Sexdrega,

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

in 1706. Son of the

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

Erich Rosenius and of Anna Wekander, he studied at the Gymnasium of Gothenburg and when he was 16 years old at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Kilian Stobaeus, and in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...

. In 1727, he was appointed as a lecturer at the

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, replacing Petrus Martin who had recently died. Rosén had already worked as an assistant to professor Olof Rudbeck at the time. But he couldn't take up this position until 1731, spending those four years traveling and studying abroad in Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands, where he studied for a while under

Friedrich Hoffmann Friedrich Hoffmann or Hofmann (19 February 1660 – 12 November 1742) was a German physician and chemist. He is also sometimes known in English as Frederick Hoffmann. Life His family had been connected with medicine for 200 years before him. Bo ...

Herman Boerhaave Herman Boerhaave (, 31 December 1668 – 23 September 1738Underwood, E. Ashworth. "Boerhaave After Three Hundred Years." ''The British Medical Journal'' 4, no. 5634 (1968): 820–25. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20395297.) was a Dutch botanist, ...

and

Pieter van Musschenbroek Pieter van Musschenbroek (14 March 1692 – 19 September 1761) was a Dutch scientist. He was a professor in Duisburg, Utrecht, and Leiden, where he held positions in mathematics, philosophy, medicine, and astronomy. He is credited with the inven ...

. He stayed for a year in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

in Switzerland with Albrecht von Haller. In 1730, Rosén stayed in Harderwijk where he received his medical degree with his work ''De historiis morborum rite consignandis''. He returned to Uppsala on 1 March 1731. In those years, he was a rival for

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

, who was one year younger. Both working at the Uppsala University, they aimed for the same position there. They had a strained relation, with on the one hand Rosén teaching Linnaeus medicine, but on the other hand Rosén trying to take over the botanical demonstrations Linnaeus gave at the botanical gardens. At one time, Rosén had Linnaeus expelled from the University for lecturing without the necessary qualifications, after which an enraged Linnaeus tried to stab him with a sword. Eventually, they would both hold one of the chairs of medicine and cooperate more friendly. In 1740, Rosen was the successor of Olof Rudbeck as professor of medicine at Uppsala University. He was responsible for the fields of physiology, anatomy, and practical medicine, and Rosen and Linnaeus were together responsible for pathology and chemistry. Originally, they held reverse positions (Rosén had botany, and Linnaeus anatomy and pathology), but considering their specialties and main interests, they switched those in 1742. From colleagues, they became friends later on, with Rosén treating Linnaeus when he suffered from the so-called Uppsala Fever or

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity ( pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

in 1764, and Linnaeus returning the favor two years later. He was First Physician to the King of Sweden by 1743, retaining this title under Frederick of Sweden,

Adolf Frederick of Sweden Adolf Frederick, or Adolph Frederick ( sv, Adolf Fredrik, german: Adolf Friedrich; 14 May 171012 February 1771) was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, and Albertina ...

, and Gustav III of Sweden. He was made a Knight of the Polar Star and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and ennobled in 1762, changing his name from Nils Rosén to Nils Rosén von Rosenstein.

Family

Nils Rosén's younger brother Eberhard Rosén (1714–1796) was professor of medicine at the University of Lund, and changed his name to Rosenblad after being ennobled as well. Another brother, Sven Rosén (1708–1750), was a leading figure in

Radical Pietism Radical Pietism are those Christian churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Radical Pietists contrast with Church Pietists, who chose to remain within their Lut ...

. On 18 May 1734 Nils married the twelve years younger Anna Christina von Hermansson, daughter of

Johan Hermansson Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...

, professor of political science and rector of the Uppsala University, and a niece of archbishop Johannes Steuchius. They had two children, Anna Margareta Rosén von Rosenstein (born 16 February 1736) and

Nils von Rosenstein Nils von Rosenstein (1 December 1752 — 7 August 1824) was a Swedish civil servant and propagator for enlightenment thinking. He served as tutor to the future King Gustav IV Adolf for eleven years (1784–1795) and as the first permanent secreta ...

(born 12 December 1752). Anna Margareta married

Samuel Aurivillius Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bib ...

and was the mother of Carl von Rosenstein, archbishop of Uppsala and rear admiral Måns von Rosenstein. The younger Nils was later appointed tutor of the future king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, and afterwards became Secretary of State, the first secretary of the Swedish Academy from 1786 until his death in 1824, and Commander in the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

. He was a philosopher, and author of ''Forsok till en afhandling om upplysningen'' (''Essay concerning the Enlightenment'').

Works

*''Archiater og Ridder Hr. Rosen von Rosensteins paa Hendes Kongl. Svenske Majestets naadigste befaling forfattede Huus- og Reese-Apotheque : trykt i Stockholm hos Carl Gotlieb Ulf 1765''. .l.; Kjøbenhavn : Svare, 1768
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf

Bibliography

*''Compendium Anatonicum'', the first textbook on anatomy in Swedish. *''Underrättelser om barn-sjukdomar och deras botemedel'', Stockholm, 1764. Third edition 1771. Translated in English in 1776 as ''The Diseases of Children and their Remedies'' by

Anders Erikson Sparrman Anders Sparrman (27 February 1748, Tensta, Uppland – 9 August 1820) was a Swedish naturalist, abolitionist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Biography left, Miniature of Sparrman at the time of his travels with James Cook. By unknown art ...

. Also translated in Dutch (1768, second edition 1769), Danish (1769) French (1778), Italian (1780), German (1785, 6th edition by 1798) and Japanese. *''Hus- och reseapotheque''. Translated in Dutch (1789).

Nils Rosén von Rosenstein Medal

The Swedish Pediatric Society and the Swedish Society of Medicine jointly award the Nils Rosén von Rosenstein Medal to three physicians every five years. It is considered one of the most prestigious awards in pediatrics in the world. Among those awarded the medal are C. Henry Kempe, Fehmida Jalil, Abraham Rudolph, Yngve Hofvander, Derrick Jelliffe, Demissie Habte, Lars Hanson, Seymour Donald Mayneord Court,

Alexandre Minkowski Alexandre Minkowski (5 December 1915 – 7 May 2004) was a French paediatrician, and arguably the French physician who most influenced neonatology in the 20th century. He was born and died in Paris. He was the son of the eminent medical philosophe ...

, Edwin A. Mitchell,

Arvo Ylppö Arvo Henrik Ylppö (27 October 1887 – 28 January 1992) was a Finnish physician and professor of pediatrics who significantly decreased Finnish infant mortality during the 20th century. He is credited as the father of Finland's public m ...

, Ronnie Mac Keith and Kanwaljeet S. Anand. Link to the award: https://www.kbh.uu.se/rosen-von-rosenstein-award In 2007, the Rosénparken (Rosén Park), named in his honour, was opened in Uppsala.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosen von Rosenstein, Nils 1706 births 1773 deaths People from Svenljunga Municipality 18th-century Swedish physicians 18th-century Swedish scientists Swedish pediatricians Swedish naturalists Uppsala University faculty Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Order of the Polar Star Age of Liberty people