Ernst Axel Henrik Key (25 October 1832 – 27 December 1901)[1] was a Swedish pathologist, member of parliament, writer and rector at Karolinska Institute.

[4][5][6][7] Possibly under the influence of Virchow, Key was liberal, and joined the Second Chamber in 1882, where he served on the education committee.

In this position, Key worked to improve hygiene in the schools, and was able to prove that some pupils were mentally and physically overworked; a pioneering view of human nature for its time.

In 1875–1876 they published Studien in der Anatomie des Nervensystems und des Bindegewebes ('Studies in the anatomy of the nervous system and connective tissue'), for which they received the Montyon Prize, an award from the French Academy of Sciences, and international acclaim.

[8] In 1882–1885, Key wrote an 800-page medical and social science study of the state of health of Swedish schoolchildren.

[11] For his contribution to the study, he was awarded the Swedish Medical Society's annual prize in 1893 and became internationally known in the field of school hygiene.

[7] He also made a name for himself there through his speeches at the professorial inaugurations, which dealt with the history of Swedish medicine.

[1] He died on 27 December 1901 in Kungsholm or Ulrika Eleonora parish, Stockholm County, Sweden.