science

Thorvald Madsen

Thorvald Madsen is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thorvald Madsen rather than just read about it. In short: Thorvald John Marius Madsen (February 18, 1870 in Frederiksberg – April 14, 1957 in Gjorslev) was a Danish physician and bacteriologist. Madsen was the director of Statens Serum Institut from 1910 to 1940.

Key takeaways

Thorvald Madsen belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thorvald Madsen to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thorvald Madsen from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thorvald John Marius Madsen (February 18, 1870 in Frederiksberg – April 14, 1957 in Gjorslev) was a Danish physician and bacteriologist. Madsen was the director of Statens Serum Institut from 1910 to 1940. He was the son of General V. H. O. Madsen. During World War I, Thorvald Madsen in his capacity as director of Statens Serum Institut was heavily involved in humanitarian work for prisoners of war. From 1916 onwards Madsen did several inspection visits to detention centers in Russia, where conditions were highly questionable. During these travels brought Thorvald Madsen, among other things excess serum against various diseases. In addition, Madsen helped more Danish-Schleswigers, who had been in German military service and ended up a prisoner of war. Thorvald Madsen was also involved in the work of selecting sick prisoners of war who were sent to Denmark as part of the conditions of prisoner exchanges between, on the one hand, Austria-Hungary and Germany on the other hand, Russia. In the years 1921-1937 was Thorvald Madsen, president of the League of Nations Health Committee. The current WHO relies heavily on the Health Commission's work. Madsen was Knight of the Dannebrog in 1902, Dannebrogsmand 1918, the Commander of the 2nd degree in 1920, of 1 degree in 1927 and received the Grand Cross 1937. He is buried in Garrison Cemetery.

References

Sources Iris Borowy & Anne Hardy, Of medicine and men: biographies and ideas in European social medicine between the World Wars, P. Lang, 2008. Article "Thorvald Madsen" pp. 179–185 in Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, 2nd ed., vol. 15, 1938

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thorvald Madsen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thorvald Madsen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thorvald Madsen before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thorvald Madsen ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thorvald Madsen

In research: Thorvald Madsen appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thorvald Madsen in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thorvald Madsen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1870 births, 1957 deaths, Danish philanthropists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thorvald Madsen outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Thorvald Madsen in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thorvald Madsen means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thorvald Madsen out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thorvald Madsen in simple terms?

Why does Thorvald Madsen matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thorvald Madsen?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thorvald Madsen.