Gunnar Lidén (1918-2003)

Professor Lidén was born in 1918. His medical studies took place in Stockholm during the 1940s. From 1945-1950 he worked at the Karolinska hospital in the department of Otorhinolaryngology. After the Second World War, during the 1950s, audiology was established as a speciality. Professor Lidén realised very early the need for audiological rehabilitation and undertook special training in audiology, being awarded a PhD in 1954 with a thesis on implementing Swedish speech audiometry.

In 1954 he moved to the Sahlgrenska hospital, Gothenburg were he started the Department of audiology. Gunnar Lidén was employed as Head of the department until his retirement in 1983. He became Professor of audiology in 1977.

Gunnar Lidén was one of the most important researchers in Swedish audiology. He had a major impact on the development of audiological rehabilitation, not only in Gothenburg but throughout Sweden. His thesis on speech audiometry was particularly important, and 50 years later remains a very important tool in audiological diagnostics. His researches also covered impedance audiometry.

During his professional career, in addition to his research, Gunnar Lidén also performed extensive middle ear surgery. In 1979 he started a two-year academic education for audiologists which today is a three-year bachelor programme.

Over his professional career Gunnar Lidén wrote several books on audiology as well as numerous scientific reports. His enormous working capacity and positivism resulted in a large and multidisciplinary department of audiology at Sahlgrenska University hospital.

We, present and former co-workers at the Department of audiology Sahlgrenska University hospital, express our gratitude to Gunnar for all his achievements in audiology.

(Prof. Claes Möller & Prof. Ulf Rosenhall)