Larsell, Olof, 1886-1964

Olof Larsell (1886-1964) was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1891.

From the guide to the Olof Larsell research notes, circa 1940, (Oregon Historical Society Research Library)

Olaf Larsell was born in Rattvik, Sweden on March 13, 1886. Larsell moved with his family to the United States in 1891 and settled in Oregon in 1907. He earned his undergraduate degree at McMinnville College, now known as Linfield College, in 1910, an MA at Northwestern in Evansville Illinois in 1914 and a PhD. in philosophy at the University of Chicago in 1918. In 1937, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Linfield College. Larsell was considered a prominent educator and author in the field of anatomy and won international fame for his research on the cerebellum. He was a noted researcher in the structures of the brain, nervous system, sinuses and lungs. He served as an instructor of biology at Linfield (1910), taught zoology at Northwestern (1915 - 1918) and was associate professor of anatomy at the University of Wisconsin (1918 - 1920). He served as associate professor at Northwestern in 1920 and accepted an appointment at the University of Oregon Medical School in 1921 as professor of anatomy. He held this position until 1952. In 1952 he moved to Minnesota to become professor of neuroanatomy at the University of Minnesota until 1954. He then spent a year at the University of Oslo in Norway on a Fulbright Fellowship before returning to Portland to continue his research on the cerebellum at Good Samaritan Hospital. In addition to publishing numerous journal articles, he published several books, two of the most notable being, The Doctor In Oregon: A Medical History [Portland: Binsford and Mort for the Oregon Historical Society, 1947] and a work of three volumes: The Comparative Anatomy and Histology of the Cerebellum From Myxinoids Through Birds [Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1967], The Comparative Anatomy and Histology of the Cerebellum From Monotremes Through Apes [Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1970], and The Comparative Anatomy and Histology of the Cerebellum, Cerebellar Connections and Cerebellar Cortex, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1972]. The last of the three volumes was not complete at the time of Larsell’s death so Dr. Jan Jensen of Norway, editor of the first two volumes, and a world renowned expert on the anatomy of the brain, completed the book. [Larsell authored a chapter entitled “Anatomy of the Nervous System”, for Sir Henry Morris’ Human Anatomy, with illustrations by Clarice Ashworth, noted medical illustrator at the University of Oregon Medical School. In addition he was Dean of the Graduate Division of the Oregon State System of Higher Education from 1938 to 1946, a member of the editorial board for The Journal of Comparative Neurology, consulting editor for The Journal of History of Medicine and Allied Sciences and trustee and president of the board of trustees at Linfield College. Known for his enduring energy, at 78 years of age, he was working on the final chapter of his monumental monograph on the cerebellum, and continuing unfinished neurological research when he died on April 8, 1964.

From the guide to the Olaf Larsell Papers, 1784-1952, (Oregon Health & Science University Historical Collections & Archives)

Olof Larsell (1886-1964) was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1891.

He was educated at McMinnville College and Northwestern University and was head of the Anatomy Department at University of Oregon Medical School.

From the description of Olof Larsell research notes [manuscript], circa 1940. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 697512499