Samuel Collins

Samuel Collins (1619–1670) was a British doctor and author. He is most notable for being personal physician to Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, during which time he wrote the book "The Present State of Russia".

Biography

Born to a clerical family in Essex he entered Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1635 but for some reason took no degree at the university. As was the fashion among those pursuing medical careers, he removed to Padua where he studied the healing arts and was graduated M.D. In or around 1660 Collins was approached by John Hedben, one of several men in Russian employ assigned the task of recruiting skilled Europeans for service at the court of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich. Collins apparently found Hedben's proposal attractive, for he shortly moved to Moscow and took up residence. He remained in the capital for nine years as personal physician to Tsar Aleksei.

During this Collins gathered the material for "The Present State of Russia". He was not, however, able to finish the book himself, for he died in Paris in 1670. The manuscript, in the form of a series of partially edited letters to Robert Boyle, was transmitted to the stationer by an unnamed attendant. Collins had corresponded with Boyle for years about scientific matters and he is frequently mentioned in Boyle's published writings. After some very sloppy editing (for which the stationer apologizes), "The Present State of Russia" appeared anonymously in 1671. A French translation was issued, also anonymously, in 1679.

External links

* [http://artsci.shu.edu/reesp/documents/collins.html Extract from "The Present State Of Russia"]