Eugenics in Scandinavia
Waxwork of an “Aryan head” on loan from the Department of Anatomy of the University of Oslo.
The tool displayed below was designed for measuring head shapes and belonged to the State (1922-1956) at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. The intended purpose of measuring head shapes was to reveal hereditary differences between groups, especially between peoples with “long” versus ”short” skulls.
At its inception in 1922 the Institute for Racial Biology was the first state-sponsored research institute for eugenics in Europe, whereas Sweden held a leading position within the discipline of physical anthropology. The director of the institute, Herman Lundborg, was a racial biologist who nurtured contacts with Hans F. K. Günther and other German eugenicists.
In Norway, an institute for racial biology had been established in 1906 on the initiative of pharmacist Jon Alfred Mjøen. Mjøen conceived of his institute as a biological laboratory, attempting to prove the supremacy of the Nordic race. Mjøen had collaborated with racial biologists in Sweden, the USA, and Germany, including the pioneer of German racial hygiene (Rassenhygiene) Alfred Ploetz.