Philippe Fermin (1730-1813) was born in a Huguenot family in Berlin, where he attended the French gymnasium. He apprenticed as a surgeon in Suffolk, England and took the "sea exam" in Amsterdam. He became a ship surgeon and sailed to Paramaribo, Suriname, where he stayed for seven years. He obtained his MD from the University of Aberdeen (1758). He became interested in medical and natural history observations in Suriname, about which he wrote seven books after settling in Maastricht, the Netherlands. He eventually became a member of the bench of aldermen in that city and, in the French era, deputy judge. This book is based largely on correspondence with Fermin's teacher in Berlin, perpetual secretary of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences Samuel Formey (1711-1797), Fermin's seven books and archival material. The book aims to paint a picture of that period from Fermin's perspective.

Some of the aspects covered in the book include his surgical training in Berlin, Suffolk, and Amsterdam, life in Suriname, slavery, the decline of this Dutch colony, the collection of curiosities in so-called cabinets, the Republic of Letters, the scientific societies of the time, and the experiments he conducted in Suriname, which sometimes provoked fierce criticism.