Patricia Reis

Siri Sylvia Patricia von Reis, born in 1931 and passing in 2021, was an American figure of Finnish and Swedish heritage. She established herself as an authority in the field of traditional medicine and also pursued a career as a poet and author. Her professional life included a role as an investigator at the New York Botanical Garden.

Von Reis earned a bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Michigan in 1953. Her personal life involved a marriage to Arthur Goodhart Altschul, a partner at Goldman Sachs and member of the Lehman banking family. They had three children together before divorcing in 1972. Her father was Bror Gustav von Reis, president of a manufacturing company, and her mother was Donna Tavastila von Reis.

Patricia von Reis dedicated significant effort to the study of botany, culminating in her role as an investigator at the New York Botanical Garden. Her expertise extended to traditional medicine, where she became a recognized authority. This focus likely involved exploring and documenting the medicinal uses of plants as practiced by various cultures. Her academic background in botany provided a strong foundation for this work, enabling her to approach the subject with scientific rigor while respecting traditional knowledge systems.

Beyond her scientific pursuits, Patricia von Reis was also a published poet and author. Her literary contributions included works such as 'The Love-Suicides at Sonezaki and other Poems.' In addition to her poetry, she co-authored academic texts related to ethnobotany and plant sources for drugs and foods. These scholarly endeavors, including works like 'Ethnobotany: The Evolution of a Discipline' and 'Drugs & Foods From Little-Known Plants,' highlight her engagement with the intersection of botanical science and human culture.