Les dynamiques d’une célébrité transnationale: Théodore Tronchin et l’inoculation de l’Infant Ferdinand de Parme en 1764

The dynamics of a transnational celebrity: Théodore Tronchin and the inoculation of the Infant Ferdinand of Parma in 1764 The aim of this article is to propose a reflection on the topics of reputation, fame and celebrity in Europe during 18th century, using as a starting point the case of the Swiss physician Théodore Tronchin (1709–1781). Born in Geneva, he was educated in London and in Leyden as pupil of the eminent Boerhaave; at this stage of his career, he gained valuable experience in the treatment of smallpox, especially following his inoculation of the offspring of Duke of Orleans in 1756, making him a celebrity across Europe. Beginning with the examination of the inoculation of the Infant Ferdinand of Parma (1764), the last step of his upward social mobility, we may better understand both his trajectory, up to his achievement of transnational celebrity, and the factors that facilitated it: his methods of care, inspired by Hippocratic medicine and empiricism; his sociability, in particular in the salons of the aristocracy, where Tronchin had a close relationship with the ladies directly involved in his curative methods, and his academic network, which was spread all over Europe.