SUPS_A_555369 79..79


Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. 2011; 116: 79

Anders Fredrik Regnell – an early and generous sponsor of our society

Borne in 1807 as the son of Anders Rignell, a horse
driver and Brita Persdotter, a servant girl, Anders
Fredrik became motherless at an early age. His father
then married a rather wealthy widow and innkeeper,
and with his new wife he was busy taking care of
business. There wasn�t much time for family life for
the young boy, but, he had the fortune of having a
good education. Curiously, Anders Fredrik got his
last name, Regnell, by a misspelling when enrolled in
school. Anders Fredrik Regnell became a student in
Uppsala 1824, passed the preparatory exams for
medical studies 1830, med lic 1836 and got his
medical doctorate as primus 1837. From 1836 to
1839 he worked in Stockholm and for some while
as an assistant to Anders Retzius. He was appointed
position as a Cholera physician twice.
1839-1840 he worked as a ship’s doctor travelling

with the Jarrama expedition to the Mediterranean
regions. Returning home from this he was under-
standably concerned by his own health, with a lung
disease causing blood coughing. Thus, he decided to
emigrate to a warmer and healthier climate. In Rio de
Janeiro he passed the tests of the medical faculty and
was approved as a doctor. He then established a
successful practice in the small town Caldas in Minas
Geiras. Although he was something of a lonesome
wolf he gave hospitality to many visitors from his old
country.

As other well-known medici he showed an interest in
botany. Later in life he collected plants in tropical
regions, sending them to different museums in the
old world to be characterized by experts. In South
America he also showed interest in animal life,
geology and meteorology.
Many great men have been remembered for their

knowledge, contributions to science by new discov-
eries or by their synthesis of evolutions in science.
Anders Fredrik Regnell deserves to be remembered
also because of his monetary contributions to research
and education. Due to his earnings as a skilled doctor
and to wise investments in different projects e g
mining he made a large fortune. Donations of impres-
sive magnitude were made to many different organi-
sations. First of all to his Alma Mater, Uppsala
University and in fact Regnell’s donations were
most significant as they, next to those of Gustav II
Adolf, were the largest ever given to Uppsala Univer-
sity. He gave money to the Swedish Society of Med-
icine and to the Swedish Museum of Natural History
in Stockholm as well.
He also contributed to our society in a very sub-

stantial way. Among other things we should be great-
ful to Anders Fredrik Regnell for giving us the
possibility to publish this journal at that time under
the name of Upsala läkareförenings förhandlingar. He
was a honorary member of our society, the Swedish
Society of Medicine and of the learned societies in
Uppsala and Gothenburg.
By one of his compatriots he was characterized as

resembling “a cactus; rich in nutrient fluids with
magnificent beautiful flowers, but, with a bizarre
growth and filled with thorns”.
Bo Lindberg, a former chief physician at our hos-

pital, this spring will publish a biography on the life of
Anders Fredrik Regnell. The title of the book is
“Anders Fredrik Regnell – läkare, botanist, donator”.
Our society has contributed economically to the pub-
lication of this book, hard copies of which will be
purchased by the University library. It will also be
available electronically since it will be published under
open access premises. I shall read this book with great
interest, as the life of Anders Fredrik Regnell deserves
to be remembered.

Torbjörn Karlsson
Chairman of Upsala Läkareförening

ISSN 0300-9734 print/ISSN 2000-1967 online � 2011 Informa Healthcare
DOI: 10.3109/03009734.2011.555369