Lovisa Årberg
Encyclopedia
Maria Lovisa Åhrberg or Årberg (17 May 1801 in Uppsala
, - 26 March 1881 in Stockholm
,), was a Swedish
surgeon
and doctor
. She was the first recognised female doctor in Sweden. She was a doctor and a surgeon already in the 1820s, long before it was formally permitted for women in 1870. The only identified earlier female medical practitioner in Sweden, who may have had such an official recognition, was Kisamor
, who did not, however, have any formal medical training.
. Her father worked as a caretaker. It seems her mother was a nurse; in the beginning of the 19th century, nurses were merely uneducated helpers to the doctors, but Lovisa was said to have often followed her mother to the hospitals and was, by observation, as well educated by her medical observations as she would have been as a student. Both her mother and her maternal grandmother were active in nursing.
As an adult, Lovisa left Uppsala to start to work as a maid
in Stockholm
. In her spare time, she often helped friends with their health problems. Word spread of her medical knowledge, and more and more people came to ask her for medical treatment. Soon, even rich people became her regular clients and paid her for her efforts, which finally made it possible for her to quit her work as a maid and open her own clinic and start to work solely as a doctor in the city of Stockholm.
. During the examination, however, they found that she was a very good doctor, and had all the knowledge that the male doctors had. She was therefore acquitted from quackery and given permission to practice medicine in Stockholm even though it was forbidden for women. She was also rewarded with a medal by King Oscar I of Sweden
(1852) for her work.
, who mentions her in her famous novel Hertha in 1856:
Åberg was called "The wound healer doctoress" and "Maid Åberg". She is portrayed in a book about famous Swedish women published in 1864–1866. Her clinic is here called a "poor man's clinic" because she so often treated poor people. This contemporary book reports, that Årberg's own health had become so damaged by hard work that she on several occasions had to take leave and rest in the resort of Carlsbad
. The article ends the report: In 1871, Lovisa Årberg became blind and retired. The year before, the medical profession was officially opened to women in Sweden.
She was not the only reputed woman practicing medicine in Sweden at the time; Hanna Svensdotter, (1798–1864), her contemporary, was widely reputed as "The Doctoress in Wram", and her reputation, especially regarding leg injuries, "reached far outside of Scania".
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, - 26 March 1881 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
,), was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. She was the first recognised female doctor in Sweden. She was a doctor and a surgeon already in the 1820s, long before it was formally permitted for women in 1870. The only identified earlier female medical practitioner in Sweden, who may have had such an official recognition, was Kisamor
Kisamor
Maria Jansson, known in history as Kisamor , , was a Swedish natural doctor, the most famous female physician, and perhaps the most famous Swedish physician altogether, in the 19th century. She is the most famous example of a Cunning woman in her country...
, who did not, however, have any formal medical training.
Biography
Lovisa was born in Uppsala in UpplandUppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
. Her father worked as a caretaker. It seems her mother was a nurse; in the beginning of the 19th century, nurses were merely uneducated helpers to the doctors, but Lovisa was said to have often followed her mother to the hospitals and was, by observation, as well educated by her medical observations as she would have been as a student. Both her mother and her maternal grandmother were active in nursing.
As an adult, Lovisa left Uppsala to start to work as a maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. In her spare time, she often helped friends with their health problems. Word spread of her medical knowledge, and more and more people came to ask her for medical treatment. Soon, even rich people became her regular clients and paid her for her efforts, which finally made it possible for her to quit her work as a maid and open her own clinic and start to work solely as a doctor in the city of Stockholm.
Quackery charge
In contrast to Kisamor, who had a long accepted tradition to build upon when she worked as a doctor out in the countryside, Lovisa was met with great opposition from male doctors when she started to became known as a selfsupporting female doctor in the city. In the 1820s, it was also forbidden for a woman to work as a doctor, and she was investigated by the medical authorities for quackeryQuackery
Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe the promotion of unproven or fraudulent medical practices. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or...
. During the examination, however, they found that she was a very good doctor, and had all the knowledge that the male doctors had. She was therefore acquitted from quackery and given permission to practice medicine in Stockholm even though it was forbidden for women. She was also rewarded with a medal by King Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. When, in August 1810, his father Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm . Oscar's father was the first ruler of the current House of Bernadotte...
(1852) for her work.
Charity work
Årberg was admired by Fredrika BremerFredrika Bremer
Fredrika Bremer was a Swedish writer and a feminist activist. She had a large influence on the social development in Sweden, especially in feminist issues.-Background:...
, who mentions her in her famous novel Hertha in 1856:
Åberg was called "The wound healer doctoress" and "Maid Åberg". She is portrayed in a book about famous Swedish women published in 1864–1866. Her clinic is here called a "poor man's clinic" because she so often treated poor people. This contemporary book reports, that Årberg's own health had become so damaged by hard work that she on several occasions had to take leave and rest in the resort of Carlsbad
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
. The article ends the report: In 1871, Lovisa Årberg became blind and retired. The year before, the medical profession was officially opened to women in Sweden.
She was not the only reputed woman practicing medicine in Sweden at the time; Hanna Svensdotter, (1798–1864), her contemporary, was widely reputed as "The Doctoress in Wram", and her reputation, especially regarding leg injuries, "reached far outside of Scania".
Litterature
- Wilhelmina Stålberg: Anteqningar om Svenska kvinnor (Notes on Swedish women) (Swedish)