Anders Adolph Retzius (13 October 1796 – 18 April 1860), was a Swedish professor of

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

and a supervisor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

Biography

Retzius was born in Lund to Anders Jahan Retzius and Ulrika Beata Prytz in 1796. His brother was the doctor . He enrolled at

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

in 1812 where he studied medicine, and alternated with studies in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, until he in 1818 became a licensed

doctor of medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

. Through his friendship with Jöns Jakob Berzelius, as early as 1824 he was appointed temporary professor of anatomy at the Karolinska Institute, an institute to which he dedicated much of his strength for many years. In 1830 he was also appointed temporary supervisor there, and in 1840 he was appointed both permanent professor and supervisor. Pathologist Axel Key was one of his students. During the next decades he made many anatomical discoveries, for instance about the finer parts of the teeth, of the skull, of the muscles and of the nervous system. He was also an

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

, whose studies of the human cranium led to the classifications dolichocephalic and brachycephalic. He was considered to be very knowledgeable and was elected into many of the scientific academies at the time. He is credited with defining the

cephalic index The cephalic index or cranial index is a number obtained by taking the maximum width (biparietal diameter or BPD, side to side) of the head of an organism, multiplying it by 100 and then dividing it by their maximum length (occipitofrontal diame ...

, which is the ratio of width to length of one's head. Retzius was a polygenist. Retzius studied many different skull types from different races; because the skulls were so different from each race, he believed that the races had a separate origin. The retropubic space of Retzius is named after him. The peritoneum lies deep to the posterior layer of transversalis fascia and is very adherent to it. Distally, this close contact remains in the area lateral to the epigastrics. Medially, however, the peritoneum reflects on the roof of the bladder and runs sharply dorsally, away from the deep layer of transversalis fascia. The separation of transversalis fascia and peritoneum contains loose fatty tissue allowing for the filling of the bladder. This space is called the retropubic space of Retzius (from the Clinic of Digestive Surgery, University Hospital St-Pierre, Brussels). Retzius was active in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, engaging himself in the battle against the Swedish drinking habits – which at this time had a significant impact on Swedish society – with works on the harmful effects liquor has on the body. Along with , , Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Samuel Owen, George Scott, and others, he was one of the founders of Svenska Nykterhetssällskapet, the Swedish Temperance Society, in 1837. In 1826, he was elected a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...

. The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography previously awarded the Anders Retzius Medal in Gold to world-leading scholars in human geography and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

. In 2015, the Society decided that it was inappropriate to award a medal in Retzius's name considering his contributions to phrenology. He was the father of Gustaf Retzius. Retzius died in Stockholm in 1860.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Retzius, Anders 1796 births 1860 deaths People from Lund Swedish anatomists Swedish anthropologists Swedish biologists 19th-century Swedish scientists People connected to Lund University Academic staff of the Karolinska Institute Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala Lund University alumni

Biography

See also

References