Swedish-German contacts in the field of anatomy 1930-1950: Gösta Häggqvist and Hermann Stieve

Abstract

This study presents a first exploration of Swedish-German contacts in the field of anatomy between 1930 and 1950, a subject of research that has only recently come into focus. Based on the background of the general cultural and scientific exchange between Sweden and Germany and the biographies of the Swedish anatomist Gösta Häggqvist (1891-1972) and his German colleague Hermann Stieve (1886-1952), this study identifies specific areas of collaboration between anatomists of the two countries. These include mutual professional career advancement, publication of research results, the exchange of technological expertise and transfer of anatomical specimens. The investigation also examines the use of "material" from executed persons in Sweden and Germany as well as public postwar critiques of this practice. Open research questions on Swedish-German interactions in anatomy during this time period are formulated. The contacts between Häggqvist and Stieve give insight into the impact of scientific collaborations and controversial political liaisons in the relationship between Swedish and German science in recent history. The study is based on documents from German and Swedish archives, including Nobel Prize nominations and reports from the Nobel Archive for Physiology or Medicine in Stockholm.

Keywords: Gösta Häggqvist; Hermann Stieve; History of anatomy; National Socialism; Research contacts Sweden–Germany; Victims of National Socialism; Work with bodies of the executed.