«Å ALLTID VILLE NOE – En beretning om immunologiprofessor Jacob Birger Natvigs liv og virke» by Per E.Hem, 283 pages, 2021. www.kolofon.no ISBN: 978‐82‐300‐2181‐1

Abstract

English title freely translated: ‘The energetic doer—A biography of the professor in immunology Jacob B. Natvig’ This Norwegian biography about Jacob B. Natvig is an interesting story of his life and adventure over 86 years. The book has been authored by Per E. Hem who has a track record of writing biographies of prominent Norwegian politicians and community builders. Natvig, one of the true pioneers in immunology in Scandinavia, died peacefully in his home on 2 April 2021, about the time when this book was published. Not only was Natvig a well-respected scientist but also a person with an inspiring and dedicated personality. The book gives the background of his career where Natvig already in the 1970s became a well-respected scientist in immunology. Further, it presents the story of one of the lasting legacies of Scandinavian immunology when Natvig together with Morten Harboe founded the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology in 1972, with Scandinavian collaborators Gunnar Bendixen, Olli Mäkelä and Hans Wigzell. The establishment of the journal was at the very right moment when immunology rapidly developed. In 1989, Natvig was elected president of the International Union of the Immunological Societies (IUIS) where he made a major effort for immunology in the developing countries. Natvig has been ambitious, but not really followed a strait career path. Rather, his dedication was that ‘the road was developed while walking’. In 1966, he did his postdoc with one of the world’s most famous immunologists—Henry G. Kunkel—at the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research in New York. This close collaboration had a major impact on Natvig’s future career in immunology at a high international level. When he arrived back to Norway in 1967, he became chief physician and the first head of the newly developed research institute of immunology and rheumatology (IGRI) at the National Hospital in Oslo, at that time only 32 years old. His subsequent career involved also an 8-year period as director of the National Hospital between 1978 and 1986, a period characterized as very demanding but exciting regarding development in several medical fields. After this, he went back to science and then as professor of immunology at the University of Oslo. This biography about Jakob Natvig is an outstanding story of an immensely energetic and engaged person, and dedicated representative for the entire field of immunology in a global perspective. In all, we can follow his career as one of the key pioneers of immunology and clinical immunology in Scandinavia. The value of his dedicated international engagement should not be underestimated, not the least within the IUIS. All in all, he was not only a dedicated leader and an inspirer but also a warm-hearted personality with a passion for his work and field. The book can be highly recommended for those who master one of the Scandinavian languages. It is easy to read and should also be of interest not only for immunologists.