Carl Gustaf "Gösta" Abrahamsson Forssell (2 March 1876 – 13 November 1950) was a Swedish medical researcher and professor in

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

and

radiotherapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy (RT, RTx, or XRT) is a treatment using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer therapy to either kill or control the growth of malignant cells. It is normally delivered by a linear particle ...

. He headed the

radium Radium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in alkaline earth metal, group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, ...

clinic at Serafimerlasarettet in Stockholm and then its successor Radiumhemmet. His publications defined what became known as the "Stockholm method" of cancer therapy.

Early life and education

Forssell was born on the estate of Vassbo in Aspeboda

socken Socken ( or ) is the name used for a part of a counties of Sweden, county in Sweden. In Denmark, similar areas are known as , in Norway or and in Finland or . A is a rural area formed around a church, typically in the Middle Ages. A socken ...

, Kopparbergs län. His father Abraham Forssell was an agronomist and businessman; Carl Gustav was the eldest of seven brothers,Juan A. Del Regato, ''Radiological Oncologists: The Unfolding of a Medical Specialty'', Chapter 5, Reston, Virginia: Radiology Centennial, 1993, , pp. 37–44
pdf
; also ''International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics'' 2.7–8 (July–August 1977
783
��90, . most of whom also became scientists, engineers and historians, and he also had two sisters. He graduated in 1895 from the Norra Latinlärovärket in Stockholm and began university studies at the

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

in theology but soon changed to read medicine; he earned his M.B. in 1902, his Licentiate of Medical Science (''Medicine licentiatexamen'') degree in 1906 and in 1913 became M.D. at Karolinska Institutet."Forssell, 2. Karl (Carl) Gustaf (Gösta) Abrahamsson", ''

Nordisk familjebok (, 'Nordic Family Book') is a Swedish language, Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. The public domain edit ...

'' 2nd ed. supplement, 1923, cols. 971–72
online
at

Project Runeberg Project Runeberg () is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded by Lars Aronsson and ...

."Gösta Forssell, M.D."
'' The British Medical Journal'' 1.4698, 20 January 1951, p. 143. His doctoral thesis, on the relationship between X-rays of the human stomach and its anatomical structure, won the 1917 Jubilee Prize of the

Swedish Medical Society The Swedish Medical Society (also known as the Swedish Society of Medicine, ) is an independent and scientific professional organization formed by Swedish physicians, including doctors from all medical specialties. Its aims are the promotion of r ...

.Erik Lindgren
"C Gösta Forssell"
'' Svenskt biografiskt lexikon '', retrieved 22 June 2016 . In 1899, while still a student, he spent a year as assistant to , who that year performed the first successful radiotherapy of

skin cancer Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the Human skin, skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells (biology), cells that have the ability to invade or metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. It occurs when skin cells grow ...

using radium. In 1903 and 1908 he visited France and observed pioneering work with radiation and electricity, including by Antoine Béclère and Jean Bergonié.

Career

Forssell was appointed assistant in radiology at the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () 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. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

in 1902. From 1906 to 1908, he directed the X-ray institute in the surgical clinic at the Serafimerlasarett; he then became director of the radiological institute there. From 1910 to 1926 he was chief physician at its successor, Radiumhemmet. He also held a professorship in medical radiology at Karolinska Institutet from 1916 to 1926, when he was promoted to professor ordinarius. From 1936, when a separate chair in therapeutic radiology was endowed, until his retirement in 1941 he was professor of diagnostic radiology; he was then appointed professor emeritus. After retirement he worked as a consultant to an insurance company. Forssell played a major role in the founding of several professional associations: the (1918), the Nordisk förening för medicinsk radiologi (Nordic Society of Medical Radiology, 1919) and the Svenska sällskapet för medicinsk forskning (Swedish Society for Medical Research), and was founder editor of '' Acta Radiologica'' (1921), where he continued as editor until his death. He presided at the second International Congress of Radiology in Stockholm in 1928. Radiumhemmet 1911

Research and publications

Forssell published more than 200 papers. His reports on the radium treatment of cancer, particularly uterine cancer, in what became known as the "Stockholm model", in particular "Erfarenheter om radiumbehandling av underlivskräfta vid Radiumhemmet i Stockholm 1910–1913" (''Hygiea'', 1915), were widely read and influential, as was his "Studies of the mechanism of movements of the mucous membrane of the digestive canal" (''The American Journal of Roentgenology'', 1923). He coined the term '

brachytherapy Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation, radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment. The word "brachytherapy" comes from the Ancient Greek, Greek word , meaning "short-distance" or "s ...

'. Among his early work were experiments in dark vision to determine why reading fluoroscopes was so challenging and tiring. When he turned 65, the "Gösta Forssell Research Fund", amounting to 100,000 kronor, was created to support his and others' research and the continuation of ''Acta Radiologica''.

Honours

Forssell was a member and honorary member of many learned societies outside Sweden; he was a Fellow of the British

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

and was awarded the gold medal of the Radiological Society of North America and a number of honorary doctorates.

Personal life and death

He married Esther Gottlieb, a secretary and translator, in 1906; they had four children. He died in Danderyd at the Karolinska University Hospital, aged 74, and is buried in the cemetery of Solna Church.

Early life and education

Career

Research and publications

Honours

Personal life and death

References

Further reading