Lars Gabriel Branting, born July 16 1799 in Grdinge, died March 27 1881 in
Stockholm, was a Swedish gymnast and professor.
Branting was the son of Jacob Branting and his wife Anna Brita Lndahl. He was
ordained in 1813 "gymnastics treatment" at the of Per Henrik Ling founded Gymnastic
Central Institute in Stockholm. The treatment was not only successful but also meant
that Branting brought Ling's attention by its liveliness and its "moving inside." As a
result, he was adopted at age 17 as Ling's counsel. After a few years, he was also used
as an assistant teacher in gymnastics and fencing at Karlberg. To acquire the expertise
in various gymnastics linked to theoretical subjects (anatomy, physiology, etc.) he got at
Lings preface states that for a few years to study at the Karolinska Institute and
Seraphim.
In modern times, Branting acknowledged as "the person who probably did most to do
physiotherapy recognized as a separate science" If Brantings act gymnastic theorists
and practitioners writes Nordic Family include: The technical he was considered to
exaggerate the accuracy. However investigated he clearly than Modeling the long and
eagerly contested because the doctrine of entire gym class, that many active and
passive movements have a prominent "specific" effect, that the controlling principle for
the election and for movements subdivision not rest on outer, arbitrary schematization,
not on tools, nor the joints ability of more or less "combinations", not even on
"muskellifvet" alone, etc. but chiefly on ways out to work "by vessels and nerves",
mediately or immediately, to live or live, actively or passively.
Branting was appointed in 1839 on the dying Ling's preface to his successor as director
of the Gymnastic Central Institute, and he came to hold this position until 1862 in 1837,
he was professor title. He became the director of the Royal Central Institute of
Gymnastics, upon the death Ling. Branting spent the major part of his time in the area
of medical gymnastics. His teachings were based on the premise that activity causes
changes not only in muscular system of the body but also in the nervous and circulatory
systems as well. Brantings successor was Gustaf Nyblaeus (1816-1902), who
specialized in military gymnastics. An innovation during his tenure was the inclusion of
woman in the school. The incorporation of physical education programs in the schools
of Sweden did not materialize as rapidly as many leaders in the field had hoped. As the
result of the teachings of Lings and other leaders, a law was passed in 1820 requiring a
course of physical education on the secondary level. In addition to his professional
career was Branting also musically active and composed songs in strict polyphonic
style, including musical settings of texts by Erik Johan Stagnelius and Master Teacher
Ling. He was also the French horn. Branting was elected as member number 378
(second class) of the Royal Academy of Music February 15, 1861. Lars Gabriel Branting
was then in 1839 married to Emerentia Maria Charlotta af Georgii. They became the
parents of Hjalmar Branting.