Anders Adolph Retzius (13 October 1796 – 18 April 1860), was aSwedish professor ofanatomy and a supervisor at theKarolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Retzius was born inLund toAnders Jahan Retzius and Ulrika Beata Prytz in 1796. His brother was the doctorMagnus Kristian Retzius [sv]. He enrolled atLund University in 1812 where he studied medicine, and alternated with studies inCopenhagen, until he in 1818 became a licenseddoctor of medicine. Through his friendship withJöns Jakob Berzelius, as early as 1824 he was appointed temporary professor of anatomy at theKarolinska Institute, an institute to which he dedicated much of his strength for many years. In 1830 he was also appointed temporary supervisor there, and in 1840 he was appointed both permanent professor and supervisor.[1] PathologistAxel Key was one of his students.[2]
During the next decades he made many anatomical discoveries, for instance about the finer parts of the teeth, of the skull, of the muscles and of the nervous system. He was also ananthropologist, whosestudies of the human cranium led to the classificationsdolichocephalic andbrachycephalic. He was considered to be very knowledgeable and was elected into many of the scientific academies at the time. He is credited with defining thecephalic index, which is the ratio of width to length of one's head.[3]
Retzius was apolygenist. Retzius studied many different skull types from different races; because the skulls were so different from each race, he believed that the races had a separate origin.[4]
Theretropubic space of Retzius is named after him.[5] Theperitoneum lies deep to the posterior layer oftransversalis fascia and is very adherent to it. Distally, this close contact remains in the area lateral to the epigastrics. Medially, however, the peritoneum reflects on the roof of thebladder and runs sharply dorsally, away from the deep layer of transversalis fascia. The separation of transversalis fascia and peritoneum contains loose fatty tissue allowing for the filling of the bladder. This space is called the retropubic space of Retzius (from the Clinic of Digestive Surgery, University Hospital St-Pierre, Brussels).
Retzius was active in thetemperance movement, engaging himself in the battle against the Swedish drinking habits – which at this time had a significant impact on Swedish society – with works on the harmful effects liquor has on the body. Along withBengt Franc-Sparre [sv],August von Hartmansdorff [sv],Jöns Jacob Berzelius,Samuel Owen,George Scott, and others, he was one of the founders ofSvenska Nykterhetssällskapet, the Swedish Temperance Society, in 1837.[6]
In 1826, he was elected a member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
TheSwedish Society for Anthropology and Geography previously awarded the Anders Retzius Medal in Gold to world-leading scholars inhuman geography andanthropology. In 2015, the Society decided that it was inappropriate to award a medal in Retzius's name considering his contributions tophrenology.[7]
He was the father ofGustaf Retzius.[2]
Retzius died in Stockholm in 1860.
This article contains content from theOwl Edition ofNordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in thepublic domain.
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