Preface: The Silver Lancet
Introduction: The Speckled Monster
1 The Doctor
2 The Deadly Lottery
3 The Empress
4 The Invitation
5 The Preparations
6 The Inoculations
7 The New Fashion
8 The Impact
9 The Celebrity
10 The Last Meeting
Epilogue: The Legacy
Acknowledgements
Further Reading
Notes
Index
The astonishing true story of how Catherine the Great joined forces with a Quaker doctor from Essex to spearhead a groundbreaking public health campaign
Lucy Ward is a writer and former journalist for the Guardian and Independent. As a Westminster Lobby correspondent, she campaigned for greater women’s representation. From 2010–12, she lived with her family in Moscow, renewing her interest in Russian history. After growing up in Manchester, she studied Early and Middle English at Balliol College, Oxford. She now lives in Essex.
‘[A] sparkling history book with a fairytale atmosphere of sleigh
rides, royal palaces and heroic risk-taking… This is exactly the
book we need to read at the moment.’
*The Times*
‘Informative, enthusiastically written and based on thorough
research.’
*BBC History Magazine*
‘This gripping account of her deep friendship with an English
doctor – and their battle to save the Russian people from the
scourge of smallpox – shows [Catherine the Great] in an entirely
different light.’
*Daily Mail*
‘Entertaining and well-researched.’
*Financial Times*
‘Mirroring so many of the vaccination issues of our modern age, as
well as those of bodily autonomy, feminism, and power…a
must-read.’
*Jojo Moyes*
‘Timely and engaging… A truly fascinating book that reads like a
thriller.’
*Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel laureate and former president of the
Royal Society*
‘Lucy Ward has zoomed in on one of the more dramatic episodes in
that dramatic century… vivid.’
*Economist*
‘A deft and captivating chronicle.’
*Wall Street Journal*
‘Lively and informative.’
*TLS*
‘An enthralling tale of two remarkable personalities who risked all
for the benefit of mankind, and of a struggle between medical
science and human instinct that could not be more relevant
today.’
*Adam Zamoyski*
‘A rich and wonderfully urgent work of history which engagingly
recounts one of the greatest moments in modern science and public
health: a story of Enlightenment conviction, Court intrigue,
Anglo-Russian relations, and timeless, personal bravery. An
expertly recounted eighteenth-century tale of political leadership
and medical progress with obvious insights for today.’
*Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum*
‘So meticulously researched, well-paced and finely written is this
tale of medical drama and royal daring that one quickly forgets
that it is Lucy Ward’s first book. Her story is a remarkable one,
full of contemporary resonance, but fascinating in its own right… a
real page-turner.’
*Matthew D’Ancona, Tortoise*
‘In this fluent and enlightening account of the fight to eradicate
the terrifying scourge of smallpox, Ward deftly describes how an
English Quaker doctor, Thomas Dimsdale, played a crucial role as a
pioneer of the new technique of inoculation… The Empress and
the English Doctor is a gripping read and all the more timely and
extraordinary for having been written in the midst of the Covid
pandemic.’
*Dr Helen Rappaport, bestselling author and historian*
‘This is a fascinating and meticulously researched book with the
excitement of a thriller. It’s a remarkable story of female
leadership and personal courage. Lucy Ward uses her brilliance as a
narrator combined with her insight as a former Lobby journalist to
bring to life one of history’s most powerful women who really did
“follow the science”.’
*Harriet Harman MP*
‘The scepticism and hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccines make
Ward’s eminently readable
history feel timely as she expertly examines the
intersection of medicine and politics.’
*Booklist, starred review*
‘Packed with political intrigue and scientific insight, this is a
fascinating narrative revealing how early inoculation pioneers
overcame superstition, prejudice and misinformation. Move
forward more than two centuries and the parallels with the current
Covid-19 pandemic are incredible!’
*Jonathan Ball, professor of virology, University of
Nottingham*
‘A fascinating and beautifully told story about courageous
vaccination pioneers.’
*Kate Bingham, Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce*
‘This is a wonderful book. It tells the story of the greatest
medical discovery before Pasteur, inoculation against smallpox,
through the life of a Quaker doctor, Thomas Dimsdale, and his
journey to Russia to treat Catherine the Great… It’s a long time
since I’ve read a history book as beautifully constructed as this –
it’s a remarkable achievement.’
*David Wootton, anniversary professor of history, University of
York, and author of The Invention of Science*
‘This is a remarkable and fascinating story of scientific
discovery, breakthrough medicine and inspirational female
leadership by Catherine the Great. The revelations in this book
resonate with today’s battle against Covid-19. Lucy Ward has
undertaken brilliant detective work… This is a must-read book.’
*Sir Norman Lamb, former UK Health Minister*
‘Timely… The author demonstrates beautifully how London has
historically led on the science with first “inoculation” and then
“vaccination” – indeed, longer than most people realise.’
*Professor Dame Sally Davies, former Chief Medical Officer for
England*
‘A tale of multiple and intertwining themes – private and public
health, public administration, and the politics of
Empires… Although the book is about things that happened over
250 years ago, the hopes and fears of the people facing those
difficult choices resonate with our own times.’
*Laurie Bristow, former UK ambassador to the Russian
Federation*
‘Women’s role in driving forward key scientific discoveries has too
often gone unrecognised. The Empress and the English Doctor honours
Catherine the Great’s pioneering scientific journey, demonstrating
her personal bravery, her exacting insight and her resolve to
protect others against smallpox. This thrilling and important story
offers an insight into the determination, tenacity and grit needed
to work in science, even today!’
*Professor Teresa Lambe, Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology,
University of Oxford and co-designer of the Oxford AstraZeneca
vaccine*
‘Timely and engaging…the unlikely and remarkable story of how an
English doctor, Thomas Dimsdale, and Catherine the Great, the
Empress of Russia, showed great personal courage and took serious
personal risks to promote inoculation against smallpox using a
method that had originated in Asia. The success of these early
efforts led directly to the first vaccine by Jenner, and over the
next two centuries saved millions of lives that would have been
lost to many different diseases, culminating in the recent vaccines
against Covid-19. A truly fascinating book that reads like a
thriller.’
*Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel laureate and former president of the
Royal Society*
‘A fascinating, deep dive into a neglected topic in the history of
vaccines, with many lessons for the prevention of viruses today.
Lucy Ward blends history and personality to shed light on a story
that has been overlooked in favour of Jenner and his milkmaid.’
*Dr John Tregoning, Reader in Respiratory Infections, Imperial
College London*
‘An entertaining account… Brimming with vivid historical details,
this is a memorable account of a medical and social
breakthrough.’
*Publishers Weekly*
‘An extraordinary and fascinating story’
*Choice*
‘A poignant tale, expertly researched and beautifully written.’
*Aspects of History*
‘It’s hard to imagine a better-timed book than this one'
*Globe and Mail*
‘A combination of arcane detail and the high colour of a period
drama.’
*Spectator*
'Ward ably contextualises the event within the intellectual
currents of the era... Astute.'
*Lancet*
'[a] gripping story of Enlightenment ideals, female
leadership, and the fight to promote science over
superstition.'
*New York Public Library, Books of the Year*
‘Offers unforced parallels with our present … At the heart of this
learned, erudite book, full of rich and legible scientific detail,
is the extraordinary, and extraordinarily moving, dynamic between
the Empress and Dimsdale … [a] rather thrilling account.’
*The Critic, Books of the Year*
‘By 1980, the global smallpox vaccination campaign had resulted in
the complete eradication of the deadly disease. Ward’s captivating
and informative book relates events that took place two centuries
earlier and laid the foundation of this unique achievement.’
*Foreign Affairs*
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