[Nanna Svartz (1890-1986) : The first female professor of medicine in Sweden]

Nanna Svartz was a charismatic character who played a significant role in Swedish medicine in the mid-twentieth century. As one of five brothers and sisters, she escaped an early death from tuberculosis. She reached 96 years of age. Her diligence and sense of duty were legendary, along with her ambition to fully prove herself as "the first female professor". She inherited a certain insecurity from her father that led to her difficulty in taking criticism. Despite extensive academic obligations, she worked as a treating doctor for 55 years and always took her time with her patients, especially if they held important public positions. Nanna was honoured several times in her lifetime. Among others, she was a member of the Leopoldina, the National Academy of Germany, and received many honorary doctorates, for example, from Rockefeller College (USA) and the Åbo University (Turku, Finland). She was an honorary member of over 40 scientific societies. Underneath the new auditorium in the Karolinska Institute, a restaurant and a street in her home town of Västerås bear her name. An annual international Nanna Svartz Lecture is held by the Swedish Society for Rheumatology, and a Nanna Svartz Prize is awarded annually to a deserving young Swedish rheumatologist.