101233 | SWEDEN. Ernst Otto Theodor Westerlund silver Medal.

101233  |  SWEDEN. Ernst Otto Theodor Westerlund silver Medal. Issued 1899. Commemorating the 60th birthday of the physician (56mm, 76.75 g, 12h). By A. Lindberg.

 

ERNST WESTERLUND, bust right / ÅT / LÄKAREN / MÄNNISKOVÄNNEN / MEDBORGAREN / AF / STADEN ENKÖPING / DEN 22 OKT • 1899 in seven lines; oak and laurel branch curled to left, with serpent-entwined staff below. Edge: Plain.

 

Brettauer –; Storer 3768. Choice Mint State. Pleasingly toned on the obverse, with a somewhat lighter nature on the reverse, and attractively matte throughout.

 

Born in 1839 in Öregrund, Ernst Westerlund was thrust into the role of provider for his household at a very young age due to the early deaths of his father and siblings. He studied at Uppsala University, where he received his degree in medicine in 1867. Following the death of the city doctor in Enköping in that year, Westerlund took over the role, quickly developing a name as a skillful gynecologist as well as a neurologist. The name of "Enköpingsdoktorn" was bestowed upon him, and he continued to receive patients not only from around Sweden, but from Finland, Norway, Denmark, and even Russia. One such Russian patient was Count Lev Tolstoy, son of the famous War and Peace author by the same name. While under the care of Westerlund, he fell in love with the latter's daughter, Dorothea (Dora), marrying her in 1896 and ultimately settling there during the early years of World War II. Westerlund continued his practice in Enköping until his death in 1924 at the age of 84, having served the community for nearly 57 years.

 

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