MARIA ALEXANDROVNA (Grand Duchess, 1824-1880, wife of Alexander II of Russia, daughter of Ludwig II of Hesse)

Autograph Letter in French signed with initials to Court Physician Sergey Botkin (1832-1889, famous Russian Clinician, Therapist, and Activist, one of the founders of modern Russian medical science and education), saying that she is "afraid of having contributed by the resentment that you have today by not having followed yesterday your prescriptions for Lepsan and ask you to forgive me. I understand that, as a doctor, you blame me, after having provided the most careful attention to the patient, which I am, you know, very grateful ...", ending with a line in Russian, with a postscript not to worry about answering too quickly as they will see each other soon, 3 sides sm. 8vo., on paper embossed with an Imperial mirror cypher with crowns, the cypher repeated on the back of the envelope, contained in a folded blue cardboard envelope with a label identifying the correspondent in Russian pre-Revolutionary style, no place, no date

Sergey Botkin became the Empress' personal physician in 1871. Physician Sergey Botkin was born into a wealthy Moscow merchant family. He finished his medical education shortly before the outbreak of the Crimean War, where his training under Nikolai Pirogov, a pioneer of field surgery, had a great influence on the younger man's career. Botkin was ultimately responsible for introducing triage, pathological anatomy, and post-mortem analysis to regular Russian medical practice. He opened his own research laboratory in 1860 and his innovations won him a position as an Advising Member of the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affair's Medical Board. He was a court Physician to both Emperor Alexander II and Alexander III and was named Head Surgeon to the Emperor in 1873. His father had a total of 25 children from his two marriages and many members of Botkin's family were equally prominent. His brothers included the writer Vasily Botkin (1812-1869) and the painter and art collector Mikhail Botkin (1839-1914); his sister Maria married the writer Afanasii Fet (1820-1892). Botkin himself was married twice, first to Anastasia Krylova (1835-1875) and second to Princess Ekaterina Obolenskaya (1850-1929). His son Eugene Botkin (1865-1918) was Court Physician to Nicholas II and perished with the Imperial family in 1918.

Transcription
Je crains d'avoir contribué par l'accès que vous avez aujourd'hui en n'ayant pas suivi hier vos prescriptions pour Lepsan et vous en demande pardon. Je comprends que, comme médecin, vous
devez m'en vouloir, après avoir donné tous vos soins les plus minutieux au malade, ce dont je vous suis, vous le savez, très reconnaissante.
« До скорого свидания надеюсь »

Ne vous tourmentez pas pour répondre, nous nous verrons j'espère bientôt.

С П Бо́ткина


Translation
I am afraid of having contributed by the resentment that you have today by not having followed yesterday your prescriptions for Lepsan and ask you to forgive me. I understand that, as a doctor, you blame me, after having provided the most careful attention to the patient, which I am, you know, very grateful.
« Hope to see you soon »

Please do not fret about answering, I hope we will see each other very soon.

S P Botkin


Item Date:  0

Stock No:  38683      £975

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