Includes bibliographical references (pages 171-172).

Introduction -- The enemy in the air -- In Dublin's unfair city -- The lady in green -- A tale of two doctors -- The return of the lady -- Spreading the word -- Sláinte -- Schoolyard politics -- A sanatorium for all -- Peace and war -- The final battlegrounds -- Sources.

By the start of the 20th century many Irish people were living in squalor: the country's infant mortality rate was the highest in Europe and tuberculosis was rampant. The daunting and tireless Lady Ishbel Aberdeen, wife of the British Viceroy to Ireland, devoted herself to social changes that could save lives. But she often faced ridicule because of the contrast between her own high status and her concern for the common people. Arthur Griffith, future president of Ireland, publicly nicknamed her The Viceregal Microbe.