Background
Johannes Palmberg was born as one of 20 siblings at the rectory in Råby, Sweden, where his father Olof Bononis Palmberg was vicar.
Johannes Palmberg was born as one of 20 siblings at the rectory in Råby, Sweden, where his father Olof Bononis Palmberg was vicar.
Studied medicine at The Royal Academy in Åbo between 1663 and 1668 under professor Daniel Achrelius while working as de facto town doctor in the municipality.
Palmberg was appointed lecturer in medicine and physicae at Strängnäs gymnasium 1674, after a nomination dispute finally settled by King Charles XI. In 1688 he was appointed Rector in Turinge Parish, Sweden, proposed by Count Erik Dahlbergh. He died in Turinge, in his fifties. Scientist and botanist
Palmberg published in 1671 a dissertation in Latin on scurvy – Exercitatiomedica brevissimam Scorbuti delineationem exhibeus.
However, it was his floral textbook – Serta Florea Svecana or Swenske Örtekrantz (1684) – that has contributed the most to life sciences.
lieutenant was used in Sweden as textbook in botany during sixty years before replaced by Carl von Linnés Flora Svecica in 1745 and was the source of Carl Linnaeus early botanical understanding. Örtekrantzen was published in three editions, the most recent as late as 1738.
Public educator
Palmberg was also an early public educator and published a number of popular scientific essays in the Swedish language which were included in the almanacs of 1670–1672 with medical advice based on Hippocratic medicine. The therapeutic use of herbs such as camille flowers, ginger, valeriana, wormwood and vervain is described as well as blood-letting, purging and cupping therapy.
In these essays Palmberg strongly advocated against quackery and the use of astrology for medical divination.