Gladys Reid, OBE, alias “the zinc lady”, of Te Aroha, died August 11, aged 91, one month from her 92nd birthday.

Hospitalised for surgery, she was eager for her discharge, having “things to do” - a final paper in a series on cot death.

Reid, born at Tauranga, trained as a dental nurse and married a Te Aroha dairy farmer. She pioneered the use of zinc treatment for facial eczema on their farm. Her OBE was awarded in the 1990s for services to farming.

Farming journalist Clive Dalton says she was so well-known worldwide among scientists that a letter addressed to The Zinc Lady, New Zealand, reached her through the mail.

“She had a voracious appetite for science and could quote extensively off the top of her head. Especially she was a great hypothesist, inflicting ideas on people.”