The Botkin family gained worldwide fame in the mid-19th century thanks to Sergey Petrovich Botkin, an outstanding Russian physician. He came from an old merchant family: his father, Pyotr Kononovich Botkin, was a wealthy first-guild merchant, a tea magnate, and a factory owner. Sergey Petrovich was the eleventh child in the family and did not attract much interest from his father, who considered him unpromising. However, fate had other plans. Although he did not continue his father's business, he glorified the family name in a different way.

Sergey Petrovich received an excellent education and, after graduating from medical school, went to the front of the Crimean War, where he served in Pirogov's unit. This experience hardened his character and provided him with valuable knowledge. After the war, he practiced abroad, and upon his return at the age of 29, he became a professor and began teaching.

Botkin was one of the first to systematically study the dangerous epidemics of his time. He was the first to accurately describe the symptoms and nature of hepatitis A, which was later named 'Botkin's disease.' His contribution to the development of Russian medicine is immense: he facilitated the establishment of women's medical education and the founding of Alexandrovskaya Hospital, now named after him. Botkin also successfully implemented treatments for various diseases at the resorts of Crimea.

The work of the talented professor did not go unnoticed by the Romanovs, who supported his activities and invited him to the position of court physician. Sergey Petrovich treated Empress Maria Alexandrovna and many famous people, including Dostoevsky, Mendeleev, and Repin, some of whom he befriended. In 1877, he was promoted to the rank of secret counselor. Sergey Petrovich was married twice and had seven children. His son, Evgeny, also became a well-known physician and was executed along with the Royal Family. Sergey Petrovich passed away on December 24, 1889, and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery.