Anders Fredrik Regnell (8 June 1807 – 12 September 1884) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

physician and

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. He studied in Uppsala and received his medical doctorate in 1837. As a student he served as assistant to

Anders Retzius Anders Adolph Retzius (13 October 1796 – 18 April 1860), was a Swedish professor of anatomy and a supervisor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Biography Retzius was born in Lund, Sweden, in 1796. He enrolled at Lund University in 18 ...

in Stockholm. He served in various capacities at the ''

Serafimerlasarettet Serafimerlasarettet (Seraphim Hospital), popularly known as ''Serafen'', was the first modern hospital in Sweden. It was located in Kungsholmen in Stockholm and active from 1752 to 1980. The current building still houses the local emergency depart ...

'' in Stockholm, and participated as ship surgeon aboard the corvette "Jarramas” on its expedition in the Mediterranean Sea during 1839–40. Regnell was born in Stockholm, Sweden, but because of poor health, he suffered from a serious lung disease. He left Sweden for Brazil in 1840 and settled in Caldas, in the province of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, where he spent the rest of his life. There Regnell acquired considerable reputation as a practicing

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and consequently a substantial fortune. Regnell made substantial collections of plants which he sent to Europe, in particular to Scandinavian museums. He also studied the Brazilian fauna and made extensive geological and meteorological observations. Having accumulated considerable wealth, he financially supported several European botanists and donated large sums to various scientific institutions at home. He bequeathed his estate to the University of Uppsala.

Honors

The plant genera of ''Regnellia'' Barb.Rodr. (a synonym of ''

Bletia ''Bletia'' is a genus of about 30 species of orchids (family Orchidaceae), almost all of which are terrestrial; some are occasionally lithophytic or epiphytic. It is named after Spanish botanist and pharmacist Don Luis Blet. The genus is wides ...

'' Ruiz & Pav.

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

,), ''

Regnellidium Regnellidium is a monotypic genus of ferns of family Marsileaceae. The single living species, ''Regnellidium diphyllum'', the two-leaf water fern, is native to southeastern Brazil and adjacent regions of Argentina. It resembles its relatives fr ...

'' Lindm. (

Marsileaceae Marsileaceae () is a small family of heterosporous aquatic and semi-aquatic ferns, though at first sight they do not physically resemble other ferns. The group is commonly known as the "pepperwort family" or as the "water-clover family" because ...

,) and '' Neoregnellia'' (family

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

,) as well as many species were named in his honor. Regnell was an honorary member of the Learned Societies of Uppsala and Gothenburg, and of the Swedish and Uppsala Medical Associations. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Uppsala in 1877. Regnell died in Caldas, Brazil, and is buried in Uppsala’s old cemetery. In 1903 a memorial monument in Caldas, Brazil was dedicated to him. In Uppsala, the building housing the Dag Hammarskjöld and Law Library of the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

is named Regnellianum.

Sources

* K.V. Ossian Dahlgren ''Anders Fredrik Regnell and his Swedish guests in Brazil''. Svensk. Botan. Tidskr. 56:3, 1962. {{DEFAULTSORT:Regnell, Anders Fredrik 1807 births 1884 deaths Swedish botanists 19th-century Swedish physicians Botanists active in South America Physicians from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Burials at Uppsala old cemetery 19th-century Brazilian physicians