The Empress and the English Doctor

by Lucy Ward

£10.99

Science; Biography; History

Paperback

9780861545186

Published by Oneworld Publications

Published February 2023

Books > Biography > History > Science

A killer virus… an all-powerful Empress… an encounter cloaked in secrecy… the astonishing true story.

Within living memory, smallpox was a dreaded disease. Over human history it has killed untold millions. Back in the eighteenth century, as epidemics swept Europe, the first rumours emerged of an effective treatment: a mysterious method called inoculation.

But a key problem remained: convincing people to accept the preventative remedy, the forerunner of vaccination. Arguments raged over risks and benefits, and public resistance ran high. As smallpox ravaged her empire and threatened her court, Catherine the Great took the momentous decision to summon the Quaker physician Thomas Dimsdale to St Petersburg to carry out a secret mission that would transform both their lives. Lucy Ward expertly unveils the extraordinary story of Enlightenment ideals, female leadership and the fight to promote science over superstition.

Knife by Salman Rushdie | 9781529921168

Knife

Salman Rushdie

£10.99

A Suspicion of Spies by Tim Spicer | 9781999589158

A Suspicion of Spies

Tim Spicer

£10.99

The Cleopatras by Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones | 9781472295187

The Cleopatras

Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

£12.99

John and Paul by Ian Leslie | 9780571376117

John and Paul

Ian Leslie

£25.00

Our Oaken Bones by Merlin Hanbury-Tenison | 9781529144222

Our Oaken Bones

Merlin Hanbury-Tenison

£22.00

Rural Hours by Harriet Baker | 9780141998596

Rural Hours

Harriet Baker

£10.99