The Vaccination for the Empress. How Catherine II and Thomas Dimsdale Saved Russia from Smallpox

Known for her insight and sharp mind, Catherine II was keenly interested in philosophy, medicine, and natural sciences. She maintained a long correspondence with Diderot and Voltaire and invited many outstanding scholars of her time to her court. Among them was the experienced English physician Thomas Dimsdale, who arrived from London in 1768 to secretly vaccinate Grand Duke Paul Petrovich and (as the first of the European monarchs) Catherine herself against smallpox.

In the 18th century, the "spotted monster," the deadly smallpox virus, ravaged Europe, and the empress understood well the threat that the epidemic posed to Russia.

The first mass campaign of vaccination in Russia, successfully carried out by Dimsdale, laid the foundation for modern vaccination practices.

This book compellingly and accurately tells the story of how the secret plan of the English physician and the Russian empress emerged and was implemented.