Anna Magdalena Stecksén (May 27, 1870 – October 15, 1904) was a Swedish scientist, physician and pathologist. She was the first female

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 ...

in Sweden. Born in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Anna Stecksén was the daughter of general major Johan Olof Billdau Stecksén, who encouraged her to pursue advanced education. She was awarded a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

in 1890, and became a student at

Karolinska institutet The Karolinska Institute (KI; ; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden and one of the foremost medical research institutes globally. ...

the same year. She pursued her studies at Tübingen and Paris 1898–99. At a time when most women who studied medicine specialized in gynecology, she specialized in pathology She became the first Swedish woman to defend a thesis in medicine. She was awarded the

in 1900. Her thesis, ''Studie öfver Curtis blastomyocel - från svulst - etiologisk synpunk'' investigated whether there was any truth in the then-popular theory that cancer was caused by ''

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungal microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have be ...

''. Her findings were not conclusive, but interesting enough for her to raise the funds to continue her research. She was only the second women to publish in the Swedish medical journal ''Hygiea''. She contracted an infection caused by her work in her laboratory in 1902 which eventually led to her death in 1904, in

Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. It is also a part of Stockholm urban area, Greater Stockholm Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, it has 73,872 inhabitants. Södert� ...

. She was buried at Norra cemetery in

Solna Solna ( or , ), also known as Solna Municipality, is a municipality in central Stockholm County, Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stecksen, Anna 1870 births 1904 deaths Swedish pathologists Women pathologists Uppsala University alumni 19th-century Swedish physicians 20th-century Swedish physicians 19th-century Swedish women scientists 20th-century Swedish women scientists Swedish women academics 19th-century Swedish scientists 20th-century Swedish women physicians 19th-century Swedish women physicians 20th-century Swedish women Karolinska Institute alumni