Catherine was born on April 21, 1729 in Strettin (now Szczecin), Poland. At the age of fifteen, Catherine went to Russia to become the wife of Peter Feodorovich. When Peter died Catherine became absolute ruler and empress of the largest European empire. Unlike Peter, she did not forcibly conscript society into the service of the state, but rather encouraged individual ingenuity in pursuit of self interest, “I have preferred humanity and indulgence toward human nature…” (Anthony 326) To learn the needs of the country, in 1767 Catherine gathered an assembly. It was entitled the Law Code Commission, made up of elected nobility, townsfolk and state peasants. Drafts were written by those electives, and thou

Catherine funded the Town Hospital at St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg House for Lunatics, and the Foundling Hospital; as well, she popularized vaccinations. The Empress donated money to fund the Town Hospital at St. Petersburg, where poor were admitted without payment (Kochan 26). Upon admittance, they were shaved, bathed, and put in tidy dress. The hospital consisted of 300 well spread beds with curtains and a professor of electricity who was permanently employed to relieve diseases. Likewise, the St. Petersburg House for Lunatics was constructed and became renowned for its gentle treatment. Unlike other mental hospitals, it did not use chains to subdue raving patients, but instead used thongs, and, it only used gentle remedies, such as a strict diet, for mental disorders (Kochan 26). Finally, Catherine built the Foundling Hospital on the banks of the Muskva. This hospital broke new ground, for it was one of the first establishments of its kind. It was through Catherine that vaccinations became widespread. Smallpox took the lives of many Russians, and permanently disfigured its survivors. Catherine was one of the first people in Russia to submit to an inoculation against the disease (Kochan 27). In 1768, she summoned the Quaker, Dr. Thomas Dimsdale to perform the procedure; later that year, she had a Smallpox Hospital built, which, twice a year, inoculated children without charge. “For the first time in the history of Russia a ruler gave thought to the “people” and considered “the little man” as more than just a mere object for exploitation” (Kaus 246). Catherine was a ruler who cared for her subjects and wanted only the best for them. As

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