Abraham Bäck (9 December 1713 – 21 May 1795) was a Swedish physician who is considered an important reformer of Swedish medical training and the organisation of Swedish medical practice.

Biography

Bäck commenced his studies at

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 1730 with the intention to study for the priesthood. However, an anatomical demonstration inspired him to study medicine instead and he became doctor of medicine in 1740 with a thesis on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. In his old age, Bäck commented that medical teaching in Uppsala was in a sorry state during the latter part of the tenure of

Olof Rudbeck the Younger Olof Rudbeck the Younger or Olaus Rudbeckius d.y. (15 March 1660 – 23 March 1740) was a Swedish explorer, scientist, botanist, ornithologist and rector of Uppsala University. Biography Olof Rudbeck was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the son of O ...

and Lars Roberg. He also opined that the presence of

Nils Rosén von Rosenstein Nils Rosén von Rosenstein (11 February 1706 – 16 July 1773) was a Swedish physician. He is considered the founder of modern pediatrics, while his work ''The diseases of children, and their remedies'' is considered to be "the first modern textb ...

, who taught from 1731 and became professor in 1740, led to a great improvement. Under Rosén von Rosenstein, Bäck's medical studies had a contemporary content and an empirical focus. Bäck conducted studies abroad from 1741 to 1745. He started his own medical practice 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 ...

in 1745 after he had failed to get an academic position in Uppsala or Lund. In 1747 he was tasked by the ''Collegium medicum'', the college of physicians, to conduct public lectures in

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 in 1749 he became professor of anatomy. He became a junior court physician in 1748 and the queen's physician in 1773. Following his foreign visits, he and Olof Acrel advocated the establishment of a modern hospital in 1746. From Bäck's point of view, such a hospital would lead to improved medical education, and remove the necessity for young Swedish physician to travel abroad to gather sufficient experience. After some delay Serafimerlasarettet, Sweden's first modern hospital, opened in 1752, and Bäck worked as a physician there. However, he also became

archiater An archiater () was a chief physician of a monarch, who typically retained several. At the Roman imperial court, their chief held the high rank and specific title of ''Comes archiatrorum''. The term has also been used of chief physicians in commun ...

and president of the ''Collegium medicum'' in late 1752, which meant that he had to leave the hospital in 1753. He was a close friend of

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

and became 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 ...

in 1742. Bäck was an early member of

Pro Fide et Christianismo Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof might also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African reti ...

, a Christian education society.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bäck, Abraham 1713 births 1795 deaths 18th-century Swedish physicians Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Uppsala University alumni