Matthew P. Romaniello, "Europe's Laboratory: Climate and Health in Eighteenth-Century Russia" (Cornell UP, 2025)

About this episode

Matthew P. Romaniello discusses his book on the intersection of climate, health, and cultural observations in eighteenth-century Russia.

Europe's Laboratory: Climate and Health in Eighteenth-Century Russia (Cornell UP, 2025) is a history of eighteenth-century naturalists and physicians who were involved in the creation of a classification system for the people of the Russian Empire. These Enlightened scholars traveled through Russia describing its people, landscape, and customs. In an era when climate was seen as a significant factor affecting health and bodies, these men wondered: How did the Russians, a "cold" people—phlegmatic or melancholic, according to humoral theory—manage an empire? The experiences and observations of doctors and scholars working within the Russian Empire contributed to advances in understanding and/or treating diseases like scurvy, smallpox, and more. Key insights were embedded in the travel writings and correspondences of colorful eighteenth-century figures who Romaniello brings to life with vibrant biographies. Medical knowledge was entangled with stories of culture and imperial politics as well. In Europe's Laboratory, Romaniello’s deft contextualization helps make sense of these intextricable branches of eighteenth-century taxonomies as he demonstrates that the Russian Empire was a…

People in this episode

Guest: Matthew P. Romaniello

Topics covered

• eighteenth-century Russia
• climate and health
• naturalists
• physicians
• cultural history
• imperial politics

Keywords

• eighteenth century
• naturalists
• physicians
• Russian Empire
• disease
• travel writings
• humoral theory
• cultural politics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cornell UP

Books & works: Europe's Laboratory: Climate and Health in Eighteenth-Century Russia

Places: Russia

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