Nana Svartz

Nanna Svartz (1890-1986)

Professor of Internal Medicine at the Karolinska Institute from 1937-1957.  Nanna Svartz was the first woman ever to be appointed professor at a Swedish university by the Swedish King in Council.

She published her first article in medicine in 1913, when she was a third year medical student at Karolinska, and the last in 1980, at age 90. Svartz's research focused on three main topics. First, she studied anaerobic bacteria in the intestine. At the end of the 1930's she began the studies leading to the synthesis of sulfasalazine (Salazopyrin, Azulfidine) and with support of the King Gustaf V Research Institute she focused her investigative work on Rheumatoid Facor (RF). In addition to her important research work, Dr. Svartz kept an active and much respected private practise. Her patients included among many others German resistance man Adam von Trott zu Solz and Raoul Wallenberg's mother, Maj von Dardel.

In early 1961, while attending a medical congress in Moscow, Svartz met Professor Dr. Myasnikov, an internationally recognized heart specialist. In the private office at his institute Svartz asked Myasnikov whether he had any information about Raoul Wallenberg. To her surprise, Myasnikov confirmed that he was familiar with the case and that he knew Wallenberg to be alive, although ill and possibly held prisoner in a psychiatric hospital. When Svartz informed Swedish officials of Myasnikov's statements, he denied possessing any knowledge about Wallenberg's fate or whereabouts and instead claimed that Svartz had misunderstood him.  The two met again a few months later, but no clarification was achieved. Swedish Prime Minister Erlander wrote to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, referring to Dr. Svartz's claims, but Khrushchev insisted that the Soviet government had no other information than the details it had provided to Sweden in 1957, namely that Wallenberg had died of a heart attack in Lubyanka prison in July 1947. An attempt to break the stalemate in 1965 with a personal meeting between Svartz and Myasnikov in 1965 in Moscow in the presence of Swedish and Soviet officials brought no result. Svartz never retracted her version of events.

Svartz was granted honorary doctoral degrees from Rockford College, U.S.A. and Turku University, Finland. She received several special honors, including the Illis quorum meruere labores 12e (1960), the Commander of the Order of the Swedish Royal Polar Star (1952), His Majesty's Medal (1948) and the St. Erik's Medal of the City of Stockholm. In 1970 she was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London, Great Britain; and a Chevalier Francais de la Sante Publique, France.

Nanna Svartz was married and had one daughter.