Hedvig Lovén

Hedvig Santesson
Born
Hedvig Lovén

13 December 1867
DiedOctober 26, 1943(1943-10-26) (aged 75)

Hedvig Karolina Lovisa Santesson[1] (née Lovén) was a Swedish botanist who made significant contributions to the field of plant respiration in the late 19th century.

Early life[edit]

Born on December 13, 1867, in Stockholm, Sweden, she was the daughter of Otto Christian Lovén [sv], a Swedish physician and politician, and Elisabeth Johanna Emilia (née von Julin), who hailed from Finland.[2]

Scientific work[edit]

Lovén pursued her education at a type of Scandinavian college known as Hogskola, where she developed a keen interest in botany.[2]

Between 1888 and 1892, Hedvig Lovén published three academic papers on botany and conducted extensive research on plant respiration studies.[2][3] Her papers explored various aspects of plant respiration, shedding light on the mechanisms by which plants and algae exchange gases and obtain energy through metabolic processes.[3][4][5] Her work contributed to the understanding of plant physiology and the role of respiration in plant growth and development.[2][3][4][5]

Specifically, Lovén's paper on evergreen plants belonging to the genus Dracaena and Yucca played a pivotal role in resolving a controversial debate between two prominent botanists, Gustav (Heinrich) Krabbe and Leopold Kny, in the late 1800s.[6] Her work provided independent evidence regarding the nature of water-conducting elements in the secondary wood of Dracaena and other monocotyledons that share a similar mode of growth. Lovén's findings shed light on the mechanisms of cell fusion and growth in these plants, offering valuable insights into the field of plant biology.[5][6]

Personal life[edit]

In 1892, Hedvig Lovén married Carl Gustav Santesson, a professor of medicine and pharmacology at the Karolinska Institute. Together, they had four children: Carl Gustaf Christian Santesson, Maja Johanna Vilhelmina Santesson, Anna Lisa Augusta Santesson, and Lars Johan Henrik Santesson.[citation needed]

Hedvig Lovén died on October 26, 1943, at the age of 75.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hedvig Karolina Lovisa Santesson". Bionomia. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  2. ^ a b c d Creese, Mary R. S. (2004-05-17). Ladies in the Laboratory II: West European Women in Science, 1800–1900: A Survey of Their Contributions to Research. Scarecrow Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-4616-0581-2.
  3. ^ a b c Santesson, Hedvig (1891). Några rön om algernas andning (in Swedish). Stockholm.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b Lovén, Hedvig (1892). Nagot om luften i Fucaceernas blasor (in Swedish). Stokholm.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ a b c Lovén, Hedvig (1887). Om utvecklingen af de sekundära Kärlknippena hos Dracæna och Yucca (in Swedish). Stockholm: P. A. Norstedt & Söner.
  6. ^ a b Scott, D. H.; Brebner, George (1893). "On the Secondary Tissues in Certain Monocotyledons". Annals of Botany. 7 (25): 21–62. ISSN 0305-7364. JSTOR 43234139.