Thomas Dimsdale

Baron Thomas Dimsdale (29 May 1712 – 30 December 1800) was an English medical doctor, banker and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1780 to 1790. He was created Baron Dimsdale of the Russian Empire by Catherine the Great after inoculating her against smallpox. His cousin, housekeeper and third wife Elizabeth Dimsdale was a diarist and recipe collector.

Early life

He was born in Theydon Garnon, Essex, the son of John Dimsdale, a surgeon, and his wife Susan. The family were Quakers. He was trained in medicine by his father before training further at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, after which he began to practise medicine in Hertford in 1734.

Careers

Dimsdale developed a particular interest in the prevention of smallpox by inoculation (variolation), a deliberate infection of the patient via the skin with a mild form of the disease to give protection against more virulent strains. He published The present method of inoculating for the small-pox in 1767 which went into five editions by 1769. That year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

In 1762, perhaps due to his reputation within London society, he was invited to Russia to variolate the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia and her son, Grand Duke Paul. In 1768, Dimsdale, accompanied by his second son Nathaniel Dimsdale travelled to St Petersburg and inoculated the Empress, her son, and over 140 members of the Court. The results were a success and Catherine rewarded Dimsdale with £10,000, a pension of £500 per annum, £2000 expenses and a Barony of the Russian Empire. Nathaniel was also rewarded and he too received a Barony. In case the results had produced adverse effects, the Empress had arranged for a relay of fast horses to be available to speed the Dimsdales out of the country. During the long preparatory period before the variolations he wrote Tracts on inoculation written and published at St Petersburg in the year 1768.