New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies

Lucy Ward, "The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus" (ONEWorld, 2022)


Listen Later

Within living memory, smallpox was a dreaded disease. Over human history, it has killed untold millions. In the eighteenth century, as epidemics swept Europe, the first rumours emerged of 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 from Hertford to St Petersburg to carry out a secret mission that would transform both their lives. In The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus (ONEworld, 2022), Lucy Ward expertly unveils the extraordinary story of Enlightenment ideals, female leadership and the fight to promote science over superstition.

Galina Limorenko is a doctoral candidate in Neuroscience with a focus on biochemistry and molecular biology of neurodegenerative diseases at EPFL in Switzerland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Books in Russian and Eurasian StudiesBy New Books Network

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

37 ratings


More shows like New Books in Russian and Eurasian Studies

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,412 Listeners

New Books in History by Marshall Poe

New Books in History

204 Listeners

New Books in Psychoanalysis by Marshall Poe

New Books in Psychoanalysis

194 Listeners

New Books in Military History by Marshall Poe

New Books in Military History

161 Listeners

New Books in African American Studies by New Books Network

New Books in African American Studies

161 Listeners

New Books in Anthropology by New Books Network

New Books in Anthropology

49 Listeners

New Books in Environmental Studies by Marshall Poe

New Books in Environmental Studies

24 Listeners

New Books in Political Science by New Books Network

New Books in Political Science

62 Listeners

New Books in Philosophy by New Books Network

New Books in Philosophy

109 Listeners

The Eurasian Knot by The Eurasian Knot

The Eurasian Knot

180 Listeners

New Books in American Studies by New Books Network

New Books in American Studies

29 Listeners

New Books in Intellectual History by New Books Network

New Books in Intellectual History

61 Listeners

War on the Rocks by Ryan Evans

War on the Rocks

1,084 Listeners

Intelligence Squared by Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared

782 Listeners

The Eastern Border by Kristaps Andrejsons

The Eastern Border

816 Listeners

Russian Roulette by Center for Strategic and International Studies

Russian Roulette

149 Listeners

The Red Line by The Red Line

The Red Line

355 Listeners

The Rachman Review by Financial Times

The Rachman Review

137 Listeners

In Moscow's Shadows by Mark Galeotti

In Moscow's Shadows

353 Listeners

Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies

Pekingology

127 Listeners

Ones and Tooze by Foreign  Policy

Ones and Tooze

328 Listeners

School of War by Nebulous Media

School of War

410 Listeners

The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

The Foreign Affairs Interview

422 Listeners

Silicon Curtain by Jonathan Fink

Silicon Curtain

73 Listeners

Past Present Future by David Runciman

Past Present Future

300 Listeners