Kristian Schreiner was a Norwegian professor of medicine.

He was born in Ekeberg as a son of wholesaler Christian Emil Schreiner (1829–1879) and Bethy Gerhardine Bødtker (1832–1910). He was a relative of educator Emil Schreiner

Emil Schreiner

Emil Theodor Schreiner was a Norwegian philologist and educator.-Biography:Schreiner was born in Christiania in 1831. He was the son of merchant Peter Heinrich Schreiner and Andrea Wiborg...

. In September 1900 he married Alette Falch

Alette Schreiner

Alette Schreiner, Falch was a Norwegian researcher.She was born in Christiania, daughter of district stipendiary magistrate Ingvald Falch and Alette Louise Aubert . She was a great-granddaughter of Benoni Aubert. She grew up in Eidsvoll. In September 1900 she married Kristian Schreiner...

. They had a son Johan Schreiner

Johan Schreiner

Johan Christian Schreiner was a Norwegian historian. He was a professor at the University of Oslo, and his speciality was the Middle Ages.-Personal life:...

, and through another son Fredrik Schreiner

Fredrik Schreiner

Fredrik Elster Schreiner was a Norwegian civil servant.He was born in Drøbak, and moved to Kristiania at the age of ten. He studied law, and graduated with the cand.jur. degree in 1928. In his youth he was a member of the revolutionary group Mot Dag.He was hired as a secretary in the National...

 they had the grandson Per Schreiner

Per Schreiner

Per Schreiner was a Norwegian economist and civil servant.He was born in Oslo as a son of Fredrik Schreiner and Signy Rønneberg...

.

He took his examen artium

Examen artium

Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...

 in 1892 and graduated with the cand.med.

Cand.med.

Candidate of Medicine , Candidata Medicinae , abbreviated Cand. Med.) is an academic degree awarded in Denmark, Iceland and Norway following a six-year medical school education....

 degree in 1899. He then studied histology

Histology

Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...

, embryology

Embryology

Embryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage...

 and cytology

Cytology

Cytology means "the study of cells".Cytology is that branch of life science, which deals with the study of cells in terms of structure, function and chemistry.Based on usage it can refer to:...

 for one year in Würzburg

Würzburg

Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....

, one year in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and half a year in Liège

Liège

Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....

. He took the dr.med. degree already in 1902 with the German-language thesis Über die Entwicklung der Amniotennier. He became a research fellow

Research fellow

The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...

 at the Royal Frederick University

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...

 in 1904, and was promoted to prosector

Prosector

A prosector is a person with the special task of preparing a dissection for demonstration, usually in medical schools or hospitals. Many important anatomists began their careers as prosectors working for lecturers and demonstrators in anatomy and pathology....

 in 1906 and professor in 1908. He conducted research together with his wife, and they released textbooks on the human organism for university students in three volumes between 1918 and 1921, and a textbook for school students in 1923.

Schreiner later became more involved in physical anthropology

Physical anthropology

Biological anthropology is that branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species. It plays an important part in paleoanthropology and in forensic anthropology...

. In 1929 he released the work Die Somatologie der Norweger nach Untersuchungen an Rekruten together with Halfdan Bryn

Halfdan Bryn

Halfdan Bryn was a Norwegian physician and physical anthropologist.-Early life:Bryn was born in Trondheim, the son of the physician Thomas Bryn and of Kristine Emilie Karoline Richter . He was a grandson of Thomas Bryn, Sr., and a brother of Knud Ørn Bryn and Alfred Jørgen Bryn...

. However Schreiner did not delve into racial hygiene

Racial hygiene

Racial hygiene was a set of early twentieth century state sanctioned policies by which certain groups of individuals were allowed to procreate and others not, with the expressed purpose of promoting certain characteristics deemed to be particularly desirable...

. He was fired by the Nazi occupants of Norway

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...

, and was also imprisoned in Grini concentration camp from 12 September 1941 to 3 July 1942, because of "resistance to a German decree". His son Johan was imprisoned too. After the end of the occupation, Schreiner rounded off his career as professor from spring to autumn 1945. His last book of importance came in 1946: the second volume of Crania Norvegica, the first volume of which came in 1939. He died in May 1957 in Oslo.