Eva Ekeblad (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

De la Gardie; 10 July 1724 – 15 May 1786) was a Swedish

countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

, salon hostess,

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

, and scientist. She was widely known for discovering a method in 1746 to make alcohol and flour from

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es, allowing greater use of scarce grains for food production, significantly reducing Sweden's incidence of famine. Ekeblad was the first female member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) 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 ...

(1748).Riksarkivet
Band 12 (1949), p.637
Wilhelmina Stålberg, P. G. Berg. 1864, pp. 130–131

Life

Personal life

Eva Ekeblad was born in 1724, originally named Eva de la Gardie before her marriage to Count Claes Claesson Ekeblad at the young age of 16 (Barrett, 2022). Being born into the Swedish aristocracy, she had no obligation to a life of science, but due to her husbands travels she found herself taking care of their property (Barrett, 2022). Over time she became quite the agronomist, or a scientist of agriculture. Her father was a state marshal of Sweden. She had 13 siblings, Eva being the 10th oldest of them all, but the second oldest to survive childhood (Lenneman & Grosjean). Her family was very involved in Swedish politics, often times holding events for the nobles of the state (Lenneman & Grosjean). Due to her bloodline and her marriage she was an extremely powerful influence throughout the country, but one would not know that through her actions (Lenneman & Grosjean). Her and her husband had a grand total of 8 children, the last 7 of which were all daughters (Lenneman & Grosjean).

Scientific Discoveries

Eva Ekeblad was a master of agronomy, and in her young life she discovered many uses for the potato. In a time where food was not a stable commodity, she found a way to create alcohol and flour from the mighty potato (Barrett, 2022). Although she was not the first to do so, her method was far more efficient and advanced than the other out there. Sweden was at a point where famine was a serious threat, and any way for expand either the use or production of grains was increasingly sought after. Will all her work in agronomy, she decided to test her luck and figure out what the potato was capable of. She discovered that potato flour could be made after cooking, cutting and then drying. This flour was put to use in creating alcohol and bread, which helped Sweden avoid future famine by allowing other grains to be used for other purposes while supplies were low. There was a reported increase in alcohol consumption after her discover of potato alcohol. Eva kept experimenting with the potato, finding a way to make soap that could clean cotton-wool, and created a make-up powder that did not use arsenic. She would wear potato flours in her hair as a tribute to the starch, and as a fun conversation starter (Herald, 2019). Eva's work led to her being the first ever woman to be a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Her membership was later revoked because she was a woman in the 18th century (Herald, 2019). Potato alcohol is still used today, although that as commonly as it was after her innovation (Distillery Trail, 2017).

Late Life

As her life went on, her status in the state of Sweden was amplified. She was close with the Queen and took on a political life of her own as she served on many courts as well as holding many different political positions such as Mistress of the Robes (Barrett, 2022). She would die at the age of 61. References Barrett, P. (2022, February 25). Eva Ekeblad (1724-1786). The Mills Archive. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://new.millsarchive.org/2020/07/22/eva-ekeblad-1724-1786/ Distillery Trail. (2017, July 10). Born This Day in 1724: Scientist Eva Ekeblad put an end to famine and gave the world potato vodka. Distillery Trail. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/born-day-1724-scientist-eva-ekeblad-put-end-famine-gave-world-potato-vodka/ Herald, M. (2019, September 24). Who was Eva Ekeblad? WorldAtlas. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.worldatlas.com/feature/who-was-eva-ekeblad.html Lenneman, E. (n.d.). Eva Ekeblad. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://skbl.se/en/article/EvaEkeblad

Scientific work

In 1746, Ekeblad wrote to the

on her discoveries of how to make flour and alcohol out of

potatoes The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern United ...

. Potatoes had been introduced into Sweden in 1658, but had been cultivated only in the greenhouses of the aristocracy. Ekeblad's work turned potatoes into a staple food in Sweden, and increased the supply of

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, rye and

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

available for making bread, since potatoes could be used instead to make alcohol. This greatly improved the country's eating habits and reduced the frequency of famines. She also discovered a method of bleaching cotton textile and yarn with soap in 1751, and of replacing the dangerous ingredients in cosmetics of the time by using

potato flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cult ...

(1752); she is said to have advertised the plant by using its flowers as hair ornaments. In 1748, Eva Ekeblad became the first woman elected to

. There are no records of her ever having participated in the meetings of the Academy. In 1751, the Academy came to refer to her as an honorary rather than a full member, as the statutes confined membership to men.

Popular culture

Ekeblad was featured in a Google Doodle on 10 July 2017.

References

External links

Swedish inventions and discoveries

Swedish Aristocrat and Agronomist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekeblad, Eva 1724 births 1786 deaths 18th-century Swedish botanists 18th-century Swedish women scientists Swedish agronomists 18th-century Swedish physicists Swedish salon-holders Swedish countesses Swedish women botanists Swedish women physicists Women agronomists Age of Liberty people Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Scientists from Stockholm Swedish people of French descent De la Gardie family 18th-century agronomists