101968 | SWEDEN. Lars Gabriel Branting bronze Medal.

101968  |  SWEDEN. Lars Gabriel Branting bronze Medal. Issued 1879. Commemorating the 80th birthday of the physiotherapy pioneer (43mm, 39.70 g, 12h). By A. Lindberg.

 

LAVRENTIVS GABRIEL BRANTING / ÆTATIS LXXX, bare head left / MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO (a healthy mind in a healthy body), representation of the Borghese Gladiator; in four lines in exergue, VIRO DE RE GYMNASTICA / OPTIME MERITO / CIVES ET AMICI / MDCCCLXXIX. Edge: Plain.

 

Gem Mint State. Red-brown glossy surfaces. Please note, the first image shows the glossiness of the surfaces, but causes a bit of color distortion. The second image (redder-brown in nature) portrays a more accurate view of the color in hand.

 

Lars Gabriel Branting served as the second head of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, and was undoubtedly a pioneer in Swedish physiotherapy. This medal was commissioned by his peers in honor of his 80th birthday and, as a testament to how he was revered, even today he is viewed as "...the person who probably did the most to make physiotherapy recognized as his own science."