Otto Gunnar Elias Erdtman (18 November 1897 – 18 February 1973) was a Swedish

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and pioneer in

palynology Palynology is the study of microorganisms and microscopic fragments of mega-organisms that are composed of acid-resistant organic material and occur in sediments, sedimentary rocks, and even some metasedimentary rocks. Palynomorphs are the mic ...

. He introduced methods of pollen analysis through his handbook of playnology and developed the graphical indicator known as the palynogram. He also founded the palynology journal ''Grana Palynologica'' (which became ''Grana'' in 1970) in 1954.

Life and work

Erdtman was born in Hjorted, Sweden, the eldest child of artist Elias and Otillia (née Fagerlin) Erdtman. An introduction to art came early in life from the father's professional art work and began to sketch from an early age. His father also had an interest in botany. In 1903 the family moved to Stockholm where Gunnar and his brother Holger went to the Norra Latin gymnasium and they both took an interest in plants. At the age of 11 Gunnar made a list of plants at Solvik. Gunnar went to the university and received a doctorate in 1921 with a thesis on pollen studies in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, which made

pollen analysis Palynology is the study of microorganisms and microscopic fragments of mega-organisms that are composed of acid-resistant organic material and occur in sediments, sedimentary rocks, and even some metasedimentary rocks. Palynomorphs are the mic ...

known outside

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. He studied and worked under Lennart von Post for the study of peat bogs, continuing his work from 1923. His brother Holger became a professor of phytochemistry and together they published a paper in 1933 on the method of acetolysis that removes the protoplasm of pollen and makes their slides durable. In 1938, Gunnar became the first director of the Palynological laboratory and in 1950 he supported the first palynological conference section during the 7th International Botanical Congress at Stockholm. His handbook ''An introduction to pollen analysis'' was instrumental in the development of the discipline. In 1948, he created the palynological laboratory at the

Swedish Museum of Natural History The Swedish Museum of Natural History (), in Stockholm, is one of two major museums of natural history in Sweden, the other one being located in Gothenburg. The museum was founded in 1819 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, but goes bac ...

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 ...

. He headed the laboratory until 1971, from 1954 with the title of

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

. Erdtman was also interested in music and languages. He would jokingly introduce himself and his wife as "I. M. Pollen" and "U. R. Pollina".

References

External links

* Handbook of Palynology (1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Erdtman, Gunnar 20th-century Swedish botanists Palynologists 1897 births 1973 deaths People from Västervik Municipality