Gösta Rooth (born 17 December 1918 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 ...

, died 21 February 2008) was a Swedish physician and a pioneer of

perinatal Prenatal development () involves the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal deve ...

medicine. He graduated as a physician 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 1945 and obtained his PhD, also at Lund, in 1949. He became reader at Lund University in 1958. In 1973, he became Professor of perinatal medicine at

Uppsala University Hospital Uppsala University Hospital ('', often referred to colloquially as "Akademiska" or "Ackis"'') in Uppsala, Sweden, is a teaching hospital for the Uppsala University Faculty of Medicine and the Nursing School. Uppsala University Hospital is owned and ...

, as the first person to hold a chair in that discipline in Europe.Renate Huch, Albert Huch, "The death of Prof. Gösta Rooth." ''J. Perinat. Med.'' 36 (2008): 367. He early took an interest in

respiratory physiology In physiology, respiration is the transport of oxygen from the outside environment to the cells within tissues, and the removal of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction to the environment by a respiratory system. The physiological definition ...

. He began to study the fetal respiration in 1950, and is noted particularly for his work on the interaction of maternal and fetal acid–base balance and fetal metabolism during labor. He was an honorary member of the Finnish and Italian Societies of Perinatal Medicine. He received the Maternity Prize of the European Society of Perinatal Medicine in 1980. He was a co-founder and chairman of the European Society for Perinatal Medicine. The journal ''Perinatology Neonatology'' featured a painting of him on a 1984 cover as "the face of perinatal medicine." In 2003, he received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

at the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

for his "pioneering research into fetal oxygenation and his commitment to the critical evaluation and propagation of methods for detecting and preventing hypoxia in the fetus and neonate." He was a son of the prominent economist and managing director of the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

, Ivar Rooth. He was married to the ethnologist Anna Birgitta Rooth, and they had three children.Rooth, Gösta
" in ''Vem är Vem?: Skåne, Halland, Blekinge 1966'', p. 703

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rooth, Gosta Swedish neonatologists Lund University alumni Academic staff of Lund University Academic staff of Uppsala University 1918 births 2008 deaths