Abstract
<jats:p>The book by scientists from Kharkiv is the first comprehensive study in Poland devoted to the life and scientific activities of Leon Cienkowski (1822–1887), one of the most outstanding biologists of the 19th century. Leon Cienkowski – microbiologist, botanist, traveller, "father of Polish biology", "Ukrainian Pasteur", discoverer of the anthrax vaccine in Eastern Europe and talented educator – holds an honorable place among Polish scientists who worked in times of the partitions, bringing fame to their non-existent homeland. His life is a path per aspera ad astra – a path through hardships and suffering to the recognition that he gained due to, among others, a phenomenal discovery at the Kharkiv Veterinary Institute. The authors were able to create a multi-threaded biography of Leon Cienkowski by analysing the letters that the scientist wrote to his Warsaw friend, Jerzy Aleksandrowicz. The publication contains an analysis of all 50 letters, so it is the first attempt to make them fully available to the world of science, which makes it unique. Based on this correspondence, the authors created a portrait of Leon Cienkowski in separation from his research, showed the "humanity of the scientist", described his genius, and imagined the "worlds" that the scientist created around himself. They showed him as a father and husband, a friend, and a man who loved life despite many adversities.</jats:p>