Richard Bright (1789 1858), pioneer in research on kidney disease, fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Physician-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, describes his observations while travelling in Eastern Europe in this book, first published in 1818. He had set off to witness the closing stages of the Congress of Vienna in 1814, and having spent the winter observing the various heads of state, courtiers and politicians, he decided to travel further east, to areas little visited or understood by the British. Although full of factual details and statistics, the book also pays attention to...