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The astonishing true story of how Catherine the Great joined forces with a Quaker doctor from Essex to spearhead one of the first global public health campaigns.'Sparkling history ... with a fairytale atmosphere of sleigh rides, royal palaces and heroic risk-taking' The Times 'It is hard to imagine a more timely or important book ... a must-read' Jojo Moyes 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.