Prof Magnus Gustaf (or Gustav) Retzius FRSFor HFRSE MSA (17 October 1842 – 21 July 1919) was a Swedish physician and anatomist who dedicated a large part of his life to researching the histology of the sense organs and nervous system.

Retzius worked as an assistant under pathologist Axel Key; the two had a long partnership, publishing research together and the popular science Ur vår tids forskning.

Soon the sellers realized that Retzius was a customer who could pay and they came to the boat and offered their goods and items directly from the beach.

[6] Once back in Cairo, Retzius had the opportunity to meet the famous Henry Morton Stanley, who just performed his failed expedition to liberate Emin Pascha.

Just as during the trip to Egypt, an important goal was to buy collections for the future ethnographic museum, as well as to visit colleagues and their institutions.

Gustaf and Anna were dismayed at the methods used by the dealers to trick the indigenous people to relinquish older items that were not for sale.

[15] Retzius published more than 300 scientific works in anatomy, embryology, eugenics, craniometry, zoology and botany.

During his time at the Karolinska Institute, he made important contributions to anatomical descriptions of the muscles of the eardrum, the bones of the middle ear, and the Eustachian tube.

Together with his wife he founded the Hierta-Retzius foundation, which is now administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which Retzius was a member of from 1879.

The foundation has two funds, one for the promotion of biological research and the other for supporting projects of an important scientific or social nature.

However, his resignation from his chair in anatomy in 1890 meant that he could not participate directly in the choice of the Physiology or Medicine awardee; although he was an active nominator for that prize from 1901 to 1906, always including Santiago Ramón y Cajal.

[18] During the decision process of the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Retzius ardently stood up for a sole awarding to Santiago Ramón y Cajal, thus excluding Camillo Golgi.

Before the final decision, the written opinion of Bror Gadelius [sv], who shared Holmgren's views was also taken into account.