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STATE BUDGET EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

PRIMARY PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

PROFESSIONAL LYCEUM No. 13

MOSCOW REGION

Conference

“The image of a doctor in Russian literature”

in the academic discipline "Literature"

(For Medical Worker Day)

group 1345 by profession 080110.02 “Savings bank controller”

teacher Kapin Artem Vitalievich

date: 06/19/2015

Ramenskoye

Teacher's word:

"The profession of a doctor is a feat. It requires dedication,

purity of spirit and purity of thoughts."

A. P. Chekhov

A literary hero can be a count or a prince, a worker or a peasant, a botanist or a teacher - all this will not play an important role, but if he is a doctor, then this is a different matter. The profession of a doctor is not only meaningful, but also symbolic. The doctor's position is inextricably linked with our entire essence: birth, life, suffering, resurrection, and finally, death itself - the doctor is always nearby.

The image of a doctor in Russian literature is a little-touched topic, although very interesting. It is no coincidence that I chose it for today’s topic. But I want to consider not just the image of a doctor, but a doctor through the eyes of a doctor, because on June 21, 2015, our country celebrates Medical Worker Day. See the literary world from a special angle, which is inherent in every profession, and especially in observant and scrupulous doctors.

The most famous writer who turned to his profession is Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The first profession is widely reflected in such wonderful writers as Vikenty Vikentyevich Veresaev and Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov. In their works, they told us about the weak and strong sides of medicine, showed the medical environment, doctors who used their noble profession for profit, and those who lived among the people, took their needs to heart, gave them their knowledge and strength. Using the example of some of their works, where much attention is paid to the hero-doctor, we will try to consider the image of representatives of this profession.

I want to see if the fictional character is connected with the author, did the creators convey part of their biography, or any qualities to the characters? What features are characteristic of Chekhov's, Bulgakov's or Veresaev's doctors? Do they reflect the true views, attitudes to life and profession of the writers themselves? What ideal doctor did the physician writers create? I will try to get answers to all these questions. Our students will help me with this, who will present you such works by Chekhov as “Jumping” (Dymov), “Ionych” (Startsev), “Ward No. 6” (Ragin), works by Bulgakov: “Notes of a Young Doctor” and “Morphine” (Bomgard), “Heart of a Dog” (Preobrazhensky) - and, finally, “Without a Road” (Chekanov) and “Notes of a Doctor” by Veresaev. In addition to the works themselves, I will need biographies of writers, memoirs of their contemporaries, critical articles devoted to the work of the authors.

Block IAnton Pavlovich Chekhov

“Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.

When I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other.”

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov entered the medical faculty of Moscow University in 1879. Why did Chekhov choose medicine? The future writer himself does not remember, but in his short autobiography, transmitted by G.I. Rossolimo, he writes that he never repented of his choice.

During his student years, Chekhov diligently studied medicine, attended lectures and practical classes with pleasure, successfully passed exams and at the same time worked a lot in humorous magazines. Already in his student years, A.P. Chekhov arranged for himself an “industrial practice” and received patients at the Chikinsky hospital, located two kilometers from Voskresensk.

In November 1884, Chekhov received a certificate that, by determination of the university council, he had been confirmed in the rank of district doctor. Soon a plaque with the inscription “Dr. A.P. Chekhov” appeared on the door of his apartment.

Anton Pavlovich began his practical medical activity in the Chikinsky zemstvo hospital, which he knew, and for some time he was in charge of the Zvenigorod hospital . During his medical career in Voskresensk and Zvenigorod, and then in Babkino, Anton Pavlovich closely observed the life of the local population - peasants, district intelligentsia, landowners. Meeting new people and interesting stories from the lives of patients prepared the ground for literary activity. The writer drew plots for the stories "The Fugitive", "Surgery", "Dead Body", "Siren", "Daughter of Albion", "Burbot", "The Witch". Chekhov's close acquaintance with zemstvo doctors made it possible for Chekhov, the writer, to reflect their life in a number of remarkable works - in the stories "Enemies", "Trouble", "Princess", in the play "Uncle Vanya".

In 1890, Chekhov travels to Sakhalin Island. In this trip and in his work on the island, the best traits of Chekhov - a writer, a doctor, a citizen - were reflected. Since 1892, Chekhov has lived on his estate in Melikhovo, where he regularly receives patients.

Anton Pavlovich devoted almost his entire life to practical medicine. Even as a famous writer, Chekhov continued to be a practicing doctor.

Did medicine interfere with Chekhov the writer? She both interfered and helped. It interfered because it took away precious time and energy from writing. But medicine also helped Chekhov, enriching him with a scientific understanding of human psychology and the intimate aspects of his inner world.

Knowledge of medicine had a great influence on Chekhov's work. Many of his works touch on medical issues; he creates a whole gallery of images of doctors.

Chekhov the artist revealed with great depth the psychology of his characters, their feelings and experiences, and showed human psychopathology with such scientific probability that it bordered on the accuracy of a clinical description. However, the depiction of a sick and healthy psyche was never an end in itself for Chekhov: it gave him material for artistic creativity and large social generalizations, for the merciless exposure of the ugly phenomena of his contemporary reality ("Fit", "Chamber", "Duel", "The Black Monk" , play "Ivanov").

1.2 There's something about him

In the story “The Jumper,” written by Chekhov in 1891, the husband of the main character is the doctor Osip Stepanovich Dymov. And even though he is not the main character of the work, his image represents a bright link in the chain of Chekhov’s doctor characters, and as Olga Ivanovna, the character’s wife, noted, “there is something about him.”

Each guest who visited the doctor’s house “was remarkable for something and a little famous,” each “showed brilliant hopes,” his wife, an equally talented artist and singer, was simply sure of this. Only Dymov, a poor doctor, despite his bright appearance, “seemed alien, superfluous and small” in this extraordinary company. He could not carry on a conversation with these people and did not try to do so. Dymov did not understand landscapes and operas, because “he had been involved in natural sciences and medicine all his life,” and he had no time to be interested in the “arts.” Dedicated to his work, a real doctor treated patients for pennies, risking his life.

But with his character, traits characteristic of doctors, he pleased many of his colleagues and brought his wife “to the touch and delight.” He was simple and good-natured, had common sense, intelligence and nobility. He was a good and loving husband, but Olga Ivanovna did not appreciate this, could not appreciate it, because despite her “talents”, she was an empty jumper, looking for originality and fun. “For him to be a simple and ordinary person, the happiness that he has already received is enough,” thought Olga Ivanovna.

It seemed that the wife’s obvious dislike, her reckless behavior and actions, which many knew about, would have long ago angered any spouse, unsettled him, and strangled him with jealousy. But not Dymov. He sat in his office at night, worked, and healed. He still “joyfully looked straight into his wife’s eyes,” smiling guiltily, remaining devoted and caring. This is where the doctor’s patience and restraint showed up.

“A silent, resigned, incomprehensible creature, depersonalized by his meekness, characterless, weak from excessive kindness” - this is one side of Dymov, obvious to all his wife’s acquaintances, in whose company he was some kind of old thorn that had already taken root, but still remained foreign. For his colleagues, especially for his friend Korostelev, he was a loss for science, “a great, extraordinary man,” a talent, “a kind, pure, loving soul,” a young scientist who did not spare himself.

1.3 We get old, we get fatter, we get lower

“You need to describe an even, smooth life, as it really is,” Chekhov believed so, so his plots are a story from the life of an ordinary person, into whose fate the writer looked intently. The story “Ionych” immerses readers headlong into the everyday life of the city of S., the Turkin family and the main character of the work, Doctor Dmitry Startsev.

The first impression when meeting the doctor is very pleasant. And it is unmistakable. At the beginning of the story, Dmitry Ionych is an “extraordinary, amazing doctor,” a wonderful person who loves to live and work. His hard work is also attractive: Dmitry Ionych always “had a lot of work at the hospital, and he could not choose a free hour”; and his habit of walking, walking in the garden. Everything was interesting, new, pleasant for him, he “could talk about literature, about art, about anything.” And most importantly, in my opinion, the hero could reflect, evaluate what was happening, and dream. All this was...

One day he had a free minute, and “he decided to go to the Turkins, to see what kind of people they were.” The Turkins represent the "most educated and talented" family in the city. The head of the family, Ivan Petrovich, “speaked all the time in his extraordinary language, developed by long exercises in wit and, obviously, had long become a habit with him”; his wife Vera Iosifovna “wrote stories and novels and willingly read them aloud”, “read about things that never happen in life”; and their daughter “Ekaterina Ivanovna sat down and hit the keys with both hands.” And this was the most talented family! It is not surprising that the rest of the city residents considered it their duty to visit this intelligent family, where “art” is combined with the knocking of knives on the table and the smell of fried onions. You can imagine what the rest of society was like without talent!

It is surprising that Startsev, who was clearly different from the narrow-minded, boring guests, also liked the “talented” family. "Wonderful! Excellent!" - the guests exclaim when Kitty finishes rattling on the piano, roughly imitating music. “Wonderful!” Startsev will say, succumbing to the general passion. “Where did you study music?.. At the conservatory?” Alas, for Startsev, everything that happens in the Turkins’ house seems like “fun,” “heartfelt simplicity,” “culture.” “Not bad,” he remembered, falling asleep, and laughed.

Will Startsev really become the same? Artificial, resemblance to a spiritually developed person? The hero's falling in love seems to be a hope for the salvation of the soul, a lifeline in the sea of philistinism. If he can still feel something sublime, then all is not lost. But, unfortunately, Startsev’s love is only an imitation. Either he is visited by calculating thoughts: “And they must give a lot of dowry,” then someone direct, honest, but tough and sharp inside him does not allow him to “get off the ground”: “Stop before it’s too late! Is she for you? She's spoiled, capricious, sleeps until two o'clock..." - "Well, well. And so be it." - “... her relatives will force you to quit your zemstvo service...” - “... They will give you a dowry, we’ll set things up.”

There is neither real art nor sincere love in the story. Receiving a refusal from Kotik, the young doctor sighs and says: “How much trouble, however!”

From this moment on, the complete death of the soul occurs, Startsev drowns in the swamp of everyday life. Four years later, he still retains his individuality, the traits of a real person. “Startsev already had a large practice in the city. Every morning he hurriedly received patients in his place in Dyalizh, then he left to visit the city patients, leaving not in a pair, but in a troika with bells and returning home late at night” - these are the features of a real doctor. Everyone seems stupid to him, but he still continues to go to parties, without getting close to anyone or communicating. Startsev's only hobby - "in the evenings, taking out of his pockets pieces of paper obtained through practice" - repels readers and erases the idea of \u200b\u200bdisinterested service to medicine.

The meeting between the now middle-aged doctor and Ekaterina Ivanovna looks very interesting. There was some rethinking of the heroine’s life, she realized that she was not so talented, and the real activity of a zemstvo doctor seemed noble to her: “What a blessing it is to be a zemstvo doctor, to help the sufferers, to serve the people.” She is sharply contrasted almost by Ionych, in whose soul “a fire lit up” and then went out. “How are we doing here? No way. We are getting old, getting fatter, getting worse. Day and night - a day away, life passes dimly, without impressions, without thoughts.”

Several more years passed. “Startsev has gained even more weight, has become obese, is breathing heavily and is already walking with his head thrown back.” It is no coincidence that the residents of the city, through the mouth of Chekhov, call him Ionych, the “pagan god.” “He has a lot of trouble, but still he does not give up his job as a zemstvo; greed has overcome him, he wants to keep up both here and there.”

Previously interesting, inspired by life, cheerful young Dmitry Startsev turned into a sharp, irritable, impatient Ionych, whose life is “boring, nothing interests him.” And the kind, gentle and simple Turkins do not seem so terrible against his background.

1.4 Life is an annoying trap

“In the hospital courtyard there is a small outbuilding, surrounded by a whole forest of burdocks, nettles and wild hemp...” - this is how Chekhov opens up to us a new world of old Russia, gradually plunging us into the life of Ward No. 6.

The story “Ward No. 6” introduces us to mentally ill people and their “way of existence” in the zemstvo hospital. “The first from the door, a tall, thin tradesman,” followed by the Jew Moiseika, the only one who is allowed to leave the outbuilding, a paralytic, “an immobile, gluttonous and unclean animal,” and “Ivan Dmitrich Gromov, a man of about thirty-three, one of the nobles, a former bailiff and provincial secretary, suffers from persecution mania." Days and years dragged on here slowly and monotonously, surrounded by medical indifference and tyranny on the part of the “simple-minded, positive and stupid” watchman Nikita.

Somehow, a rumor was spread that a doctor allegedly began to visit ward No.<…>Andrei Efimych Ragin is a wonderful person in his own way." From the very beginning of the story, this hero seems alien in the medical environment. Firstly, this is his appearance: the rough appearance of an innkeeper and an old, worn frock coat. Secondly, Andrei Efimych is not a doctor vocation, and at the behest of his father, he himself dreamed of becoming a priest. Even the very fact that he could not determine his destiny according to his own desire speaks of his indecision, a certain indifference to himself. Thirdly, his disappointment in medicine. If in At first, Ragin worked diligently, operated, received crowds of patients, then everything “bored him with its monotony and obvious uselessness." Fourthly, which is rather decisive, indifference to the patients. He knew very well that “in a large building people are languishing in diseases and physical uncleanliness;<…>Nikita beats the sick and that Moiseika walks around the city every day and collects alms,” but remained not only indifferent to everything that was happening, but even justified himself. He simply lacks the character and faith to change everything, people die sooner or later anyway, all this The “impurity” will disappear on its own, time is to blame for everything, but if he was born at a different moment...

His whole miserable life would have dragged on grayly and monotonously, and he would have died one day over a glass of beer, only a meeting with Gromov interrupted Ragin’s sleep and forced him to plunge into reality for several days. One spring evening, Andrei Efimich, passing by ward No. 6, heard: “...Gentlemen, congratulations, the doctor is honoring us with his visit! Damn reptile!” This was said by Ivan Gromov, the only person in the ward who retained his mind, who wanted to get out to freedom. His further thoughts interested the doctor; discussions about life became a “spoon of honey” for Ragin.

Gromov sharply contrasts Ragin with his active life position, correct understanding of reality, and thirst for life. They talk about the future, and about modern society, and about human suffering. These “hospital” conversations increasingly incline the reader to the side of the “madman” rather than the doctor. What is the correct description of Ragin made by Gromov worth: “In your entire life no one has touched you with a finger<…>you are a lazy, loose person, and therefore you tried to organize your life in such a way that nothing would bother you or move you from your place<…>In a word, you haven’t seen life, you don’t know it at all, and you are familiar with reality only theoretically<…>A convenient philosophy: there’s nothing to do, your conscience is clear, and you feel like a sage.”

The result of philosophizing with the patient was Ragin’s imprisonment in ward No. 6. What happened? Has the doctor gone crazy too? No, he just opened his eyes for a moment to everything that was happening, and conversations with the patient, which would seem completely natural to real doctors, were a sign of ill health. The hero of the work dies at the hands of Nikita. But is it worth blaming anyone for Andrei Yefimich’s death other than himself? He himself “dug” this hole for himself through indifference, through his passivity and helpless reflections on a life he did not understand. “I was indifferent, I reasoned cheerfully and sensibly, but as soon as life roughly touched me, I lost heart<…>How could it happen that for more than twenty years he did not know and did not want to know this? He didn’t know, had no concept of pain, which means he wasn’t to blame, but his conscience, as intractable and rude as Nikita, made him feel cold from the back of his head to his toes.”

With great realistic skill, Chekhov painted pictures of the life of the town, the hospital, and ward No. 6. Knowledge of medicine, and primarily psychiatry, helped the writer to depict in detail the human mental world. The story attracts with its truthfulness, naturalness, and emotionality. Anton Pavlovich pointed out the evils of society and their unresolved nature. But the hope that “better times will come” and “truth will prevail” remains. "God help you, friends!" .

1.5 The doctor through the eyes of Chekhov

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov created a whole gallery of doctors; naturally, his own knowledge and love for the profession helped him in this. There are also many patients whose diseases are described by a prose writer in just a few strokes, without scientific terminology.

Chekhov's doctors are most often simple, kind, even gentle people. They are not distinguished by their talents in everyday life; they rather remain in the shadows than be the center of the company. Their life goes smoothly, without any adventures, funny stories, or troubles. They are not tightly bound by family ties: their love either passed by, turning its back; or the hero still managed to get married, but married life does not bring him happiness.

But if the personal life of the heroic doctors is unsuccessful, then in their professional activities they achieve some success, although this is only in their youth. While doctors begin their practice, they are full of enthusiasm, energy, they like their work, and they are confident that they are needed by society. But already in adulthood, the love for the profession fades, and there is no longer such a pace and diligence in work. And the attitude towards patients is already cold, developing into indifference, which is perhaps the most terrible thing for a doctor, a savior of lives. Only the “chosen ones,” such as Dr. Dymov, can continue to work, despite external pressure. And not just work, but work at night, selflessly, patiently, with interest. Perhaps, it was precisely such characters that were close to Chekhov, who did not spare himself, treated the poor, did charity work and was an active figure.

However, Chekhov's doctors do not follow the path of the writer; they do not have prototypes. Anton Pavlovich uses knowledge of human psychopathology, many years of analysis of people who have lost their mental balance. That is why the inner world of doctors and patients is depicted with exceptional realism, and his heroes die first internally, and only then from illness or physical violence.

The language of Chekhov's works is accessible, understandable, but at the same time beautiful and is the result of deep life experience. Here is Maxim Gorky’s opinion about Chekhov’s style: “... the only artist of our time who has mastered to the highest degree the art of writing in such a way that words are cramped and thoughts are spacious. He doesn’t say anything new, but what he says comes out amazingly convincingly and simply, terribly simple and clear, irrefutably true...” [ 4 ].

Natural scientific thinking and literary talent were organically combined in the writer, which allowed him to better understand human psychology and correctly depict the spiritual world of his heroes. Medicine for Chekhov is the center of truth, and the truth about the most essential, about life and death, the ability to create life.

Block II Vikenty Vikentievich Veresaev

“My dream was to become a writer;

and for this it seemed necessary

knowledge of the biological side of man."

2.1 You need to work in life - as an engineer, doctor, teacher, worker

Chekhov's contemporary, writer Vikenty Vikentievich Veresaev, in 1888, already a candidate of historical sciences, entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Dorpat. Here, in Dorpat, far from revolutionary centers, the future writer spent six years engaged in science and literary creativity. In his “Memoirs,” Veresaev explains the desire to study medicine with the desire to become a writer, and a writer, in his opinion, should know a person well, both in a healthy state and during illness.

Veresaev once said: “Writing is a difficult and confusing business. A writer should not observe life, but live in life, observing it not from the outside, but from the inside.”<…>An aspiring writer, if he respects and values his talent, should not “live” on literature<…>You need to work in life - as an engineer, a doctor, a teacher, a worker.

Okay, but when should I write then? - you ask.
- When? After work. On rest days. A month’s vacation, I’ll answer.
- Will you write much then?
- And it’s very good that it’s not much. Everything that is written then will be complete, it is necessary... [5] "

In his works, he spoke about the weak and strong sides of medicine, showed the medical environment, doctors who used their noble profession for profit, and those who lived among the people, took their needs to heart, and gave them their knowledge and strength. Like Chekhov, Veresaev talks about gloomy pictures of national disaster - famine, crop failures, epidemics. In this atmosphere saturated with grief and despair, it was especially difficult for doctors to work. Doctor Veresaev never forgot to remind the reader how dependent a person is on his biological fundamentals. It seemed to Veresaev that biological instinct sometimes overcomes everything in a person, even class instinct. By nature, man is still too imperfect, and therefore is not ready to build a society of people - brothers in the near future.

The writer gravitated towards autobiography, towards depicting the fact of what was experienced, seen or reported by someone. There are two paths to truth in art: summarizing numerous facts in a fictional image and choosing to depict some real fact, but containing a broad typical meaning. Both paths are quite clearly represented in the history of literature, both are logical and justified. Veresaev's talent was closer to the second [6,28].

2.2 Truth, truth, where are you?

“I entered “big” literature with the story “Without a Road” ...” These are words from the autobiography of Vikenty Veresaev, written in his declining years. “Without a Road” is a story about what has been experienced and what has changed one’s mind. This is a rebuke to a generation whose “horror and curse” is that “it has nothing.” The story is written in the form of a confession - a diary covering 44 days in the life of a young doctor Dmitry Chekanov, who failed to realize his dreams of serving the people.

Veresaev rejected the populist program of creating a society of people - brothers. But he couldn’t offer anything in return. The phrase from the diary: “Truth, truth, where are you?” became the main question in Veresaev’s life in the early 90s. He lived with this thought in Dorpat, this thought did not leave him in Tula, where he came to practice medicine in 1894; With this thought in mind, he went the same year to St. Petersburg, where he got a job as a supernumerary resident at the Botkin Hospital.

On June 20, 1892, Dmitry Chekanov arrived in the village of Kasatkino, where he had not been for 3 years. His relatives live here. The hero of the story "Without a Road" is experiencing a severe ideological crisis. Populist illusions were shattered, he was disgusted with artificial “lofty” words: “debt to the people”, “idea”, “deed” - “... these words cut the ear like the squeal of glass under a sharp awl.”

The young man does not see anything bright in life, he does not know where to “use” himself. Everything seems boring, so ordinary and unnecessary. Chekanov lost faith in himself, faith in the people, in the possibility of a radical change in life. Dmitry does not feel able to fight, although he cannot refuse to think about social issues, but he does not know the ways of a new struggle, and is not looking for them. “My God, how hard it is! Living and not seeing anything ahead; wandering in the dark, bitterly reproaching yourself for not having a strong mind that would lead you to the road - as if it were your fault. And yet time passes..."

His cousin Natasha turns to the young doctor for help; she wants to find herself, her path, the meaning of life, she walked, “passionately asking for bread.” But disappointment awaits her, a “stone”, because the hero himself does not know his path, does not see his future. “You want,” he says to Natasha, “for me to hand you a banner and say: “Here is a banner for you, fight and die for it.” I read more than you, saw more of life, but with me it’s the same as with you: I don’t know - that’s the whole torment... I told her that I’m not the only one, that the entire current generation is going through the same thing as me; they have nothing - that’s the whole horror and curse. Without a road, without guiding star, it perishes invisibly, irrevocably."

The only thing Chekanov managed to preserve was a feeling of shame for his privileged position in society. He may not know the path, but he has a strong desire to sacrifice himself and justify his existence, which paves the way to the truth. At the first news of the cholera epidemic, Chekanov leaves the cozy nest of his relatives to work in the provincial town of Slesarsk.

The second part of the diary begins, in which there is no longer room for political reflections and introspection. Real life is shown here - an ugly picture of peasant life, to which the upper strata are indifferent: “The people feed on clay and straw, hundreds die from scurvy and starvation typhus. A society that lives on the labor of this people... , got away with trifles just to lull his conscience: he danced for the benefit of the dying, ate for the benefit of the hungry, donated some half a percent of his salary.”

It is in this “outback” that Chekanov finds the meaning of life and shows himself as a real doctor. I had to work a lot: all night long in the barracks, appointments at home, childbirth, I slept for three hours. At first, the young doctor is a little lost among the common people, cannot find a common language with them, and new patients do not trust intelligent doctors and do not accept help from them. Every day the situation becomes more and more difficult: people are dying from merciless cholera, there is not enough working personnel, and the worst thing is that strength and energy are leaving. “It was hard and unpleasant in my soul: how unsettled and unorganized everything was!”; “You’re drowning and suffocating in a mass of little things that you can’t do anything about; it’s a pity that you don’t feel able to say: “Eh, is this my fault? I did what I could! "; "There are dozens of people dying all around, death is staring you in the face - and you are completely indifferent to all this: why are they afraid of dying?"

But after a few days, when volunteers, ordinary workers, come to the barracks and begin to care for the sick for free, when Chekanov realizes that he is saving dozens of lives, his own attitude changes. And it was as if a spring, on which all the negativity was wound, suddenly shook and rang with all the notes of optimism. “Life is fun! The work is in full swing, everything is going smoothly, there are no clues anywhere. I finally managed to select a detachment of the desired composition, and I can rely on this dozen semi-literate craftsmen and men as on myself; it’s hard to ask for better assistants.<…>Not to mention Stepan Bondarev: looking at him, I often wonder where in this most ordinary-looking guy there is so much soft, purely feminine caring and tenderness for the sick."

In response to Chekanov’s desire to help people, his reliability, hard work, desire to stand on the same level with these people, many recognize him as a friend and savior: “By God, Dmitry Vasilyevich, I loved you so much! For you, it’s the same as noble, that it’s simple, you are equal to everyone,” admits Vasily Gorlov. But there are also those who do not want to recognize “outsiders”, who accuse doctors of all mortal sins only because they will never become on a par with the working people, and there are quite a few of them: “They say our doctors are wound up, so cholera has gone." The doctor himself understands this very well; in his diary he writes: “But can I say that they trust me? Even if my advice is followed, the person who carries it out is still deeply convinced of their complete uselessness.”

The work, which brought the doctor close to his patients, showed him how many good people and how much unspent spiritual strength lies hidden in the Russian people. Chekanov begins to understand the need for a persistent struggle for the liberation of the people, but he himself does not know how to achieve this. The tragic death of the hero shows the large gap that has formed between the downtrodden and uncultured people and the intellectual property owners. “Working among them for five weeks, proving with every step my readiness to help and serve them, I could not achieve simple trust on their part; I forced them to believe in myself, but a glass of vodka was enough for everything to disappear and the usual elemental feeling to awaken.” A drunken crowd of artisans beats up the “cholera doctor.” Despite this, the end of the story can be called optimistic, because Chekanov becomes “light and joyful in his soul. Often tears of boundless happiness come to his throat.” He is sure that “there is no need to despair, you need to work a lot and persistently, you need to look for a way, because there is an awful lot of work,” and he speaks about this to others who are also young, searching, “roadless.” For him, a doctor, the interests of the patient became paramount. He died at his post.

In the story “Without a Road,” Veresaev seemed to sum up his own ideological quest. The new stage of the Russian liberation movement convinced him of the correctness of Marxist teachings. “In the summer of 1896,” Veresaev wrote in his autobiography, “the famous June weavers’ strike broke out, striking everyone with its numbers, consistency and organization. Many who were not convinced by the theory were convinced by it, including me. A huge, strong new force was felt, confidently entering the arena of Russian history. I joined the literary circle of Marxists" [7,3].

2.3 Why this game of blind man’s buff, why the deception of society, which thinks that we have some kind of “medical science”?

A significant place in Veresaev’s work is occupied by the work that brought him fame - “Notes of a Doctor” (1901). Having worked on the book for eight years, collecting and studying a huge amount of material for this, Veresaev frankly and emotionally, directly and boldly revealed many secrets of the medical profession to readers. The author writes about his expectations and impressions, the first steps and trials on the path to mastering a complex profession.

The range of issues considered by the writer is really wide: starting with the relationship between doctor and patient, human dependence on medicine, reflecting on the topic of experiences and risks in medicine, and ending with the lives of people in the village and payment for treatment.

The hero of the work is “an ordinary, average doctor, with an average mind and average knowledge.” Veresaev does not allow us to read the notes of an experienced professor, this is of no use, because together with him we must “get confused in contradictions” and resolve issues that require solutions. That is why a recent student appears on the pages of “A Doctor’s Notes”, who has not yet become a “person of the profession” and for whom “the impressions to which over time you involuntarily get used to are still vivid and strong.” From the very first chapters of the book we see a young thinker, a deeply thinking person, drawing us into his own thoughts.

The first thing the hero makes us think about is health. How relative and fragile everything is, if yesterday you could still run healthy on the damp grass, then today you can lie bedridden. And no one is immune from this. And what is health anyway? Are there many of us healthy on Earth? “A normal person is a sick person; a healthy person is only a happy deformity, a sharp deviation from the norm,” the young doctor comes to the conclusion. Health is the most important thing, everything else revolves around it, “nothing is scary with it, no trials; losing it means losing everything; without it there is no freedom, no independence, a person becomes a slave of the people around him and the situation; it is the highest and most necessary good".

The hero also thinks about medicine, about its good purpose of healing and resurrecting; but there is another side of the coin - another medicine “weak, powerless, erroneous and deceitful, undertaking to treat diseases that it cannot determine, diligently identifying diseases that it obviously cannot cure.”

The path to the development of multifaceted medicine is tortuous, and only those who are not afraid to take risks and gain experience through their own mistakes and experiments, sometimes even on people, go through it. But can a doctor risk the lives of others? Who gave him the right to carry out dangerous experiments? The doctor must acquire the skill to easily cope with assigned tasks and provide assistance to the patient at any time. But theoretical knowledge at the institute is only the basis, which cannot be useful without practice. There will always be a first patient, there will always be fear of the unknown. “Our successes go through mountains of corpses,” Billroth sadly admits in one private letter. You need to learn without being afraid to make mistakes. Only in this way, taking risks and making mistakes, renouncing errors, “medicine has obtained most of what it is now rightfully proud of. If there were no risk, there would be no progress; this is evidenced by the entire history of medical science.” If everyone uses only what has been tested, then medicine will perish, and it will be pointless to try to treat.

It is interesting to observe how the hero sees his profession, with what feelings he goes to master it. Naive ideas that a doctor is someone who has passed medical school are destroyed over time. The young practitioner is even thinking about leaving the profession so as not to remain in the role of an impostor. He understands that learning “the art of medicine is as impossible as learning poetry or art.” The profession of a doctor is not an action according to a template or execution of instructions, but an art that requires “novelty and unfamiliarity” in relation to the patient, continuous and intense search and work on oneself. The hero of "A Doctor's Notes" still finds the strength to honestly bear this burden. And he carries it with deep faith in his work, despite frequent powerlessness, danger and ignorance of medicine. Can he not believe if it makes it possible to save people, because “the disease is cured not only with medicines and prescriptions, but also with the soul of the patient himself; his cheerful and believing soul is a tremendous force in the fight against the disease.”

Veresaev is not only not afraid to reveal to the reader all the difficulties of the profession, but deliberately with each chapter he opens the curtain more and more before us. “The sword of Damocles of an “accident” hanging over his head keeps the doctor in constant nervous tension. Unfair treatment of doctors by society, which has grown into mistrust. Shyness of patients interfering with treatment : “how many diseases do women develop because of this shame, how many obstacles does it pose to the doctor when making a diagnosis and during treatment”; but at the same time, this shame is the cause of women's suffering. The hero of the work comes to another pessimistic conclusion - “medicine is the science of treating only rich and free people.” The poor have neither the funds nor free time for treatment; they constantly work in order to somehow survive. They will gratefully take the medicine, listen carefully to the doctor and follow the recommendations, but they will not be able to change their habits and lifestyle; this is not in their power. An entire chapter is devoted to payment for medical work, which offends and causes complications in relations with the patient. “Freedom” should be the basis of the high activity of every doctor; “payment is only a sad necessity” that ties his hands.

Veresaev’s thoughts about human dependence on medicine are unusual, somewhat insightful, even a little terrifying. Medicine makes people weak and helpless. We are afraid to walk through the dew, and we won’t be able to sleep on the bare ground, and we won’t be able to walk much, everything is dangerous for us, everything portends new diseases. And only a connection with nature can save. “By accepting the benefits of culture, we must not break the closest connection with nature; while developing in our body new positive properties given to us by the conditions of cultural existence, it is necessary at the same time to preserve our old positive properties; they were obtained at too heavy a price, and it is too easy to lose them.” .

"A Doctor's Notes" shows us the evolution of a young doctor; with each new thought, doubts move to an understanding of science, to its acceptance, to a mature and responsible attitude towards patients. "My attitude towards medicine changed dramatically. When I started studying it, I expected everything from it; seeing that medicine could not do everything, I concluded that it could not do anything; now I saw how much it could do, and this “much” filled me with trust and respect for science, which I so recently despised to the core,” is an important recognition of a future doctor who will not be afraid of difficulties, experiments and responsibility. The hero will boldly go forward, studying not only the narrow sphere of his profession, but also the “colossal circle of sciences” related to medicine.

The hero of "A Doctor's Notes" comes to another important thought: to realize that he is "part of one huge, inseparable whole, that only in the fate and successes of this whole can we see our personal fate and success."

2.4 Veresaevsky type of doctor

A realist of the Turgenev school, Vikenty Veresaev, already upon entering the medical faculty, dreamed of becoming a writer. He believed that medicine was the only path to writing; only this science would allow one to study human biology, his strengths and weaknesses, and get close to people of different backgrounds and lifestyles. It was the profession of a doctor that helped him listen sensitively to the voice of life, without remaining indifferent to human problems, forced him to observe, reflect, and let everything that happened through him.

The author brought a lot of personal experiences into the depiction of his heroes, but only what was obligatory and typical. Almost every one of his heroes is an intellectual, a highly moral person, devoted to social ideals. However, he is a rationalist, as a result of which he is lonely and cut off from people.

Let's take a closer look at the Veresaev doctors. They are young people who have recently graduated from university. A long and winding path to medicine opens before them, but from the very beginning, like Veresaev himself once, they are seized by panic. How practically inexperienced and inept the medical school produces them into life! Because of this, they feel lost, are afraid to start work, and are thinking about leaving the profession. Every step they take is haunted by failures, incorrect diagnoses and treatment, and deaths. But only through such mistakes does Veresaeva’s doctor come to the conclusion that she needs to learn a lot and work long and hard on herself. Fate rewards young doctors for their faith in their own work and hard work, and now success awaits them in the medical profession.

Fighting is a characteristic feature of Veresaev’s doctors. The struggle with life and circumstances, the struggle with oneself, first of all. This struggle reaches the point of misunderstanding and rejection of science and life, but then develops into awareness and complete dissolution in society, in one’s own business, in oneself.

In his works about doctors, the writer touches on many important issues. His heroes are thinkers, which is why they are interested in the connection between medicine and man, the relationship between doctor and patient, and are passionate about the life of the village and peasants. They are populists, suffering from the destruction of the village, from the lack of freedom and poverty of a simple peasant who works until the last minute of his life. The Veresaevsky doctor strives to help these people, encourages everyone to do community service, but sometimes their enthusiasm leads to their own death. But the awareness of themselves as part of the whole, the inextricable connection with the mass and the powerlessness of the individual remain fundamental in their lives.

Veresaev is a thoughtful, observant and truthful writer who chose the life and psychology of the intelligentsia as the main theme of his works. What he describes is close and dear to him, which is why each of his creations is imbued with frankness, and the language of his works is lively and simple. His talent is hard work on himself, eternal struggle, rejection and dissolution.

Block III Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov

"You'll see, I'll be a writer."

3.1 Doctor with honors

In 1909, Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov entered the Faculty of Medicine at Kiev University. In 1915, at the height of the war, when Kyiv began to turn into a front-line city, the military department turned to the rector's office of Kyiv University with a request to prepare a list of students wishing to serve in the army. And Bulgakov was among the first who decided to voluntarily go to the front.

Having graduated from the university in 1916 with the title of “doctor with honors,” he immediately began working at the Red Cross hospital in Pechersk. “I had to work a lot: Mikhail was often on duty at night, in the morning he came in physically and mentally broken, literally fell on the bed, slept for a couple of hours, and during the day he was back in the hospital, operating room, and so on almost every day... But Mikhail loved his work and treated it With all responsibility and, despite fatigue, he was in the operating room as long as he considered necessary." In the last days of September 1916, Bulgakov and his wife arrived in the village of Nikolskoye, where events would unfold that would later be reflected in his works.

“He came to Kyiv in 1918 as a venereologist. And there he continued to work in this specialty - not for long.” It was not possible to arrange a normal peaceful life in those years. Since the beginning of 1919, power in Kyiv has been constantly changing, and each new government mobilizes Bulgakov as a military doctor into its army.

As a military doctor, he ends up in Vladikavkaz, where he falls ill with typhoid. When the city is occupied by the Reds, Mikhail Afanasyevich hides his involvement in medicine, begins to collaborate with local newspapers, and instead of the doctor Bulgakov, Bulgakov the writer appears. He will never return to professional medicine.

The profession of a doctor is imprinted on all of Bulgakov’s works. But of particular interest are those works that depict the medical activity of the writer himself and the experiences associated with it, and these are, first of all, “Notes of a Young Doctor” and “Morphine.” These works “lay deep human problems of contact between a doctor and a patient, the difficulty and importance of the first contacts of a practitioner, the complexity of his educational role in contact with the sick, suffering, frightened and helpless element of the population.”

3.2 You, doctor, look so youthful

"Notes of a Young Doctor" - a cycle consisting of stories, and.

IN"Notes of a Young Doctor" depicts many genuine cases of Bulgakov's medical activities during his work at the zemstvo hospital in the village of Nikolskoye, Smolensk province. Many of the operations performed were reflected in the work: amputation of the thigh (“Towel with a Rooster”), turning the fetus on its leg (“Baptism by turning”), tracheotomy (“Steel Throat”) and more.

The hero of the stories, Vladimir Mikhailovich Bomgard, is a twenty-three-year-old doctor, yesterday’s student, who was assigned to the remote village of Gorelovo. Here he begins to panic: “What am I going to do? Eh? What a frivolous person I am! I had to give up this site.” But there is no way out, he is the only surgeon, a person with a higher education in this outback.

The young doctor had not yet had time to get comfortable and buy glasses to look more presentable and experienced, when workdays began. And immediately - amputation. Anyone would have been confused and would have wished a quick death for the girl, so as not to torment either her or himself, as, incidentally, is what the young man did. Fortunately, someone else lived in it and sternly ordered: “Camphor.” Only “common sense, spurred by the unusual situation,” worked for him. And here no glasses can overshadow the talent, courage and confidence of the surgeon during the operation. “And in everyone – both Demyan Lukich and Pelageya Ivanovna – I noticed respect and surprise in the eyes.”

In a completely unusual environment for him, Bomgard began to do his difficult work as his inner feeling, his medical conscience, dictated to him. A doctor’s duty is what determines his attitude towards patients. He treats them with truly human feeling. He deeply pities the suffering person and passionately wants to help him, no matter what the cost to him personally. He feels sorry for the little choking Lidka ("Steel Throat"), and the girl who ended up in a mess ("Towel with a Rooster"), and the woman in labor who did not make it to the hospital and gives birth by the river in the bushes, and stupid women speaking about their illnesses in incomprehensible words ("The Missing Eye").

The young doctor is not afraid to say how difficult it is for him to admit his mistakes. Here there is introspection, sincere repentance, and remorse. And the thoughts in the final story of the series “The Missing Eye” only prove that Bomgard will make a real doctor: “No. Never, even when falling asleep, will I proudly mutter that you won’t surprise me. No. And a year has passed, another year will pass and will be as rich in surprises as the first one... This means you need to learn obediently.”

In life, Mikhail Bulgakov was keenly observant, impetuous, resourceful and courageous, he had an outstanding memory. These qualities define him as a good doctor; they helped him in his medical work. He made diagnoses quickly and was able to immediately grasp the characteristic features of the disease; I was rarely wrong. Courage helped him decide on difficult operations. So in the stories there is no idealization of reality, and the harsh rural reality is presented here without any embellishment.

“Notes of a Young Doctor” was based on “Notes of a Doctor” (1901) by Vikenty Vikentyevich Veresaev, with whom Bulgakov later became friends and even co-authored the play “Alexander Pushkin.” Bulgakov's young doctor is different from Veresaev's. He, unlike the hero of "A Doctor's Notes", practically knows no failures.
For the author of “A Doctor's Notes,” “the only way out is in the consciousness that we are only a small part of one huge, inseparable whole, that only in the fate and successes of this whole can we see our personal destiny and success.” For the author and protagonist of “Notes of a Young Doctor,” his own professional success is important, and he thinks of the struggle in unity with his fellow doctors.

3.3 Happiness is like health: when it is there, you don’t notice it

From September 20, 1917 to February 1918, Mikhail Bulgakov continued to serve in the zemstvo city hospital of Vyazma in the same Smolensk province, it was this period that was reflected in the story “Morphine”, where the main part - the diary of Dr. Polyakov - is also connected with the experience of working in Nikolskoye.

This story can be considered as a continuation of “Notes of a Young Doctor,” but at the same time it has its own special core and moral meaning. The main character, the same Dr. Bomgard, receives a letter from a university friend, Dr. Polyakov, asking for help. The already twenty-seven-year-old pediatrician decided to go, but at night they brought him terrible news: “the doctor shot himself” and Polyakov was almost dead.

What follows is the medical history of the suicide, written down by him in a “common notebook in black oilcloth” and handed over to Bomgard. It is interesting to note that Bulgakov wrote the vast majority of his works in such common oilcloth notebooks, albeit of different colors. Dozens of notebooks included the novels “The Master and Margarita”, “The Life of Monsieur de Moliere”, “Notes of a Dead Man”, the plays “Adam and Eve”, “The Cabal of the Saints” and more. Most often, notebooks contain not only the text of the work, but also materials for it (extracts, sketches, bibliography, drawings, diagrams, tables).

The effect of morphine on the doctor Polyakov is described in detail: “the first minute: a sensation of touching the neck. This touch becomes warm and expands. In the second minute, a cold wave suddenly passes in the pit of the stomach<…>This is the highest point of manifestation of a person’s spiritual power,” etc. False feelings of calm and delight, “double dreams,” hallucinations, attacks of anger - all this is the effect of the drug. Polyakov comes to admit that he is a morphine addict only two months after the first injection, but this does not save the doctor, the disease consumes the hero headlong. And now a year later: “It would be shameful to prolong your life even for a minute. This one - no, you can’t. The medicine is at my fingertips<…>I do not owe anything to anyone. I only ruined myself. And Anna."

“Morphine” is an autobiographical story, practically the story of the writer’s own illness. It tells how Bulgakov himself won a victory over an insidious and monstrous disease. This alone can place him among the outstanding personalities capable of overcoming the seemingly insurmountable. The writer understood this much more clearly than his closest relatives, who tried by any means to hide what did not need to be hidden. Having decided to publish Morphine, Bulgakov took a very responsible step. Mikhail Bulgakov was not thinking about himself (he had already won a victory over himself), but about those unfortunate people who may be destined to taste poison and who are unlikely to be able to overcome a terrible illness. With his story, he sought to warn those who could take this disastrous path.

It is important to note that Bulgakov became a morphine addict not out of his own whim or curiosity, but due to a coincidence of tragic circumstances when he, a young doctor, saved the life of a dying child. This is how T. Lappa, the writer’s first wife, recalls this: “Once, when we lived in Nikolskoye, they brought in a boy sick with diphtheria. Mikhail examined him and decided to suck out the films with a tube. It seemed to him that something got in there and him. Then he decided to inject himself with anti-diphtheria serum. He began to have a terrible itching, which did not stop for a long time, and Mikhail asked to give him morphine. After taking the morphine, he felt better, and he, fearing a recurrence of the itching, asked to repeat the injection. So gradually he became get used to morphine..."

Thanks to the piercing truth, the story “Morphine” carries such a charge of edifying power that has never been seen in Russian fiction.

3.4 Science does not yet know a way to turn animals into people

Literally in one breath, in three months (January-March 1925), Bulgakov wrote the story “The Heart of a Dog.” The result was something unheard of, bold and daring. This story is distinguished by its versatility and clear author's idea: the revolution that took place in Russia is not the result of the natural socio-economic and spiritual development of society, but an irresponsible and premature experiment; which requires a return to the previous state.

This idea is realized allegorically - the transformation of a simple, good-natured dog into an insignificant and aggressive humanoid creature. It is clear that the author of “The Heart of a Dog,” a physician and surgeon by profession, was a careful reader of scientific journals of the time, which talked a lot about “rejuvenation” and amazing organ transplants in the name of “improving the human race.”

The prototype of the main character - an old school professor - was Mikhail Bulgakov's uncle, gynecologist Nikolai Mikhailovich Pokrovsky, known throughout Moscow. The writer’s first wife, Tatyana Nikolaevna Lappa, recalled: “When I started reading, I immediately guessed that it was him. He was just as angry, he was always humming something, his nostrils flared, his mustache was just as lush. In general, he was handsome. He was at the Mikhail was very offended by this. He had a dog at one time, a Doberman pinscher." But Bulgakov’s angry professor has gone very far from his real prototype.

The first impression that Professor Preobrazhensky makes is positive. He is a good doctor, known far beyond Moscow: “You are the first not only in Moscow, but also in London and Oxford!” – Bormenthal admits. It is no coincidence that so many respected people come to the doctor and say with admiration: “You are a magician and sorcerer, professor!” His noble act, as it seems at the beginning of the story, also evokes sympathy: Preobrazhensky picks up a beaten mongrel from the street. And the contrast between him, a representative of the virtuous Russian intelligentsia, and the proletariat and the actions of the new authorities plays an important role. His statements are a striking force with the help of which the new social system that has unnaturally emerged in Russia is crushed: “Tenderly, sir! The only way that is possible in dealing with a living being. Nothing can be done with terror with an animal, no matter what stage of development it is at.” . Both the human and professional qualities of Preobrazhensky (as well as his assistant Bormental) cannot but arouse sympathy.

But those who innocently or sincerely classify Professor Preobrazhensky as one of the purely positive heroes of the work, suffering from the scoundrel Sharikov, general rudeness and the disorder of the new life, should hear the words from Bulgakov’s later play “Adam and Eve” about clean old professors: “In essence, , the old people are indifferent to any idea, except for one - for the housekeeper to serve coffee on time... I'm afraid of ideas! Each of them is good in itself, but only until the moment when the old professor equips it technically.. ".

The first vice is revealed very quickly - this is greed. Preobrazhensky is not like selfless doctors who work to help their neighbors, to alleviate people’s suffering. Preobrazhensky works for money, or for scientific fame and prestige. “He could earn money right at the rallies, he’s a first-class businessman. However, he apparently doesn’t have a lot to eat,” notes the observant Sharik.

On all the pages of the book one can observe another negative feature of the professor - rude and harsh treatment of the servants, Bormenthal, and those around him. This, of course, is repulsive; it shows the despotic side of the “master”, his careless attitude towards people who do not belong to the intelligentsia. True, Preobrazhensky is quick-witted, which makes you close your eyes to this trait of his.

A more significant vice is his snobbery. This is manifested in the desire to stand out from the other residents of the house (“I live and work alone in seven rooms and would like to have an eighth<…>My apartment is free, and that’s the end of the conversation”), demonstrating his irreplaceability when he starts calling influential people and threatening that he won’t work anymore. And across the overly chic table, where there is salmon, and eels, and caviar, and his phrase: “... only landowners who were not killed by the Bolsheviks eat cold appetizers and soup”?

But the worst thing, in my opinion, is that the professor is cruel and insensitive, not cold-blooded, as a surgeon should be, but inhumane. He decides to perform an operation not just on a dog from the street, but on his pet, to whom he is accustomed. Moreover, he realizes, he is even almost sure, that the dog will most likely die. “If I start bleeding there, we’ll lose time and we’ll lose the dog. However, there’s no chance for him anyway. And you know, I feel sorry for him. Imagine, I’m used to him<…>Damn it. I didn't die. Well, he’ll die anyway.”

How does the story end? The “Creator,” who sought to change nature itself and outwit life, creates an informer, an alcoholic and a demagogue, who sat on his neck and turned the life of an already unhappy professor into an ordinary Soviet hell. And then he personally kills the person he created only because he interferes with his peace of mind and lays claim to his living space. “The former imperious and energetic Philip Philipovich has gained a lot of weight in the last week” (after the reverse operation).

In the scene of the operation on Sharik, Mikhail Bulgakov showed Russia, on which an experiment was carried out - an operation with an unknown result. He was one of the first to see that the ignorant, intoxicated part of the people could easily be used as an instrument of violence in the interests of one or another political group.

The writer's satire fights destructive power, disunity and evil, highlights and burns out the ugliness of socialist life and the “new” human psychology, affirms the “old” positive values: true culture, honesty, perseverance, dignity. The story of Sharik, despite all the censorship prohibitions and half a century of silence, lived in our literature for eighty years and had a hidden impact on its development. Well, the well-known fact that Bulgakov’s brilliant story is not outdated, is read by everyone today, has become the property of cinema, theater and television, speaks of its unfading artistry and deep creative understanding of man and our difficult existence.

3.5 How does Bulgakov’s doctor see him?

Mikhail Bulgakov is one of the greatest prose writers of the twentieth century, who made a contribution to world literature, and at the same time a wonderful doctor who saved the lives of many of his patients. Thanks to his knowledge of medicine and immersion in the medical profession, Bulgakov portrayed doctors in his works in his own special manner.

Its doctors are different from each other, but, perhaps, have many common features. The hero-doctor is a young specialist who has recently graduated from college, or a famous professor who has been practicing for a long time. The first one goes on assignment to a remote village and immediately begins to panic because he is unsure of his knowledge, during training he only observed operations from afar. But meanwhile, the young doctor’s knowledge is excellent, and his hands themselves do all the necessary work. The second type of doctor has been working for a long time, operating, conducting experiments, he is talented and self-confident. Bulgakov’s doctors deserve the respect of others thanks to their work, hard work, they are trusted because they have saved more than one life.

Bulgakov's doctors will never reveal the secret of their patient, they have a well-developed medical conscience and sense of duty, and they are also quite humane, although sometimes they can deviate from principles if the case requires it. Yes, they are very faithful to their medical practice and medicine when they understand its importance and necessity. Medicine reciprocates their feelings: the doctors created by the writer practically do not make mistakes, and they are almost unfamiliar with an accident.

When Bulgakov's doctor does not know something, he does not despair, the thirst for new knowledge grows among young doctors every day, and experienced professors do not stop there - they follow the path of experimentation.

In my opinion, the author in his works sympathizes with young doctors rather than with seasoned specialists. This is also evidenced by the connection with his own biography, although many of his characters find their prototypes in real life, but he gives a part of himself to recent students. Why? Because they have just entered the world of medicine, they are pure and selfless, they work in the outback, in terrible conditions, but with a high goal: to help the sick. Growing up and aging, Bulgakov's doctors acquire many bad qualities, they live in complete prosperity and work more for themselves, in their own name. That is why their images are often satirical in nature, and their fantastic experiments become dangerous and unsuccessful. By this, the writer emphasizes that doing science and immoral actions are incompatible things; a doctor must be pure in both his deeds and thoughts.

Like a true artist, Bulgakov describes operations in minute detail, listing vivid details meticulously, like a real doctor. The reader literally sees everything that is happening, hears the smells and breath of the patient, feels the tension and concentration of the surgeon.

The writer did not accept literature that depicted the suffering of abstract, unreal heroes, while at the same time passing by life itself. Humanism was the only center around which the rest of the problems of literature gathered. And the true humanism of the master's works turns out to be especially close to us today.

A satirist, science fiction writer, psychologist, master of an unusually beautiful language, humanist philosopher, Bulgakov is very popular among thoughtful readers. He teaches us to suffer and worry, to love and feel disgust, to believe and wait, that is, to truly feel and live.

Closing of the conference

"Even as an ordinary average person, a doctor

still, by virtue of his profession itself, he does more

kind and shows more selflessness than other people."

V. V. Veresaev

Literature and medicine met in the works of medical writers, just as poetry and prose came together in Lermontov, just as ice and fire came together in Pushkin. It would seem that these are incompatible things, but they are harmoniously woven into the dense fabric of Russian literature.

Truly talented masters of thought and language, who were able to tell about doctors in literary works, were A.P. Chekhov, V.A. Veresaev and M.A. Bulgakov. These writers were professional doctors and had higher medical education. It was medicine that helped them study the psychology and mental state of a person, feel the life of their future characters, and convey a part of themselves. Only writers who are doctors can look at the hero-doctor at the right angle.

Each of these writers depicted the “world” of doctors in their own way, each understanding this profession in their own way.

Chekhov did not create a self-portrait, he simply put himself in the place of the created character. He paid great attention to the hero's inner state, his ability to fight the outside world and withstand time. Chekhov's doctor is a kind, simple person, hardworking and sympathetic, but at the same time soft and pliable, so he is often defeated by the circumstances around him, by time. Chekhov's style is realistic, brevity, but at the same time a clinical description of the mental state and illnesses, capacious content, understandable, but not dry language.

The gallery of zemstvo doctors was brought out in his works by Veresaev, who was close to thoughts about the people and the peasant masses. The works about doctors are based on situations that the writer himself once experienced; the thoughts and feelings of the author are very clearly traced. The doctor created by Veresaev is a deep thinker, a hard worker, selflessly and unselfishly serving the people, living with the thought of Platon Karataev about the unity of the whole world. His doctors stumble, but continue to go and believe in their work, to bring good to society, because they have a strongly developed sense of citizenship. As a true observer and lover of truth, Veresaev gravitated not to the developing plot, but to the deep thoughts of the characters, which merge with the writer’s own thoughts.

The central place among all Bulgakov's characters is occupied by the image of a doctor. His young doctors repeat the fate of the writer himself, and experienced specialists are a satirical parody of what is happening in the country. Bulgakov's doctor is undoubtedly talented and lucky; he constantly struggles with himself, with his fear of the unknown, of difficulties. His doctor is not afraid to try, to discover something new, to conduct experiments. For their courage and humanism (for what is the core of Bulgakov’s positive doctors), fate rewards them. Bulgakov skillfully combined reality and fantasy, colorful and lively language and medical terms, positive and negative characters.

If you try to combine all the best qualities of doctors that writers tell us about, you will get the ideal image of a doctor, a doctor to whom we will not be afraid to entrust our lives. This is a humane and sympathetic person, a deep thinker who is not afraid of obstacles and the unknown.

Thanks to the work we did today, we all learned many interesting facts from the lives of writers, became acquainted with previously unknown works, and discovered previously read ones in a new way. The work turned out to be fascinating, it made me think deeply about the fate of the writers and their characters, and found the special style of each writer-doctor. It’s so good that medicine gave us such good thinkers, and literature made real creators out of them.

Used materials

Gitovich N.I. Chronicle of the life and work of A.P. Chekhov. M., 1955.

Gromov M.P. A book about Chekhov. M., 1989.

Anikin A. The image of a doctor in Russian classics
http://apchekhov.ru/books
http://az.lib.ru/w/weresaew_w_w
Sov. Encyclopedia, 1989 - a series of biographical dictionaries.

Fokht - Babushkin Yu. About the work of V.V. Veresaev // Introductory article.

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Doctor writers

Many Russian classics had a second profession, often unrelated to literature. We collected the stories of writer-doctors: why they received medical education, how they found time for writing and medical practice, and what they ultimately chose - read the publication of the Kultura.RF portal.

Vladimir Dal

Vasily Perov. Portrait of Vladimir Dahl (fragment). 1872. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

In 1826 - after serving in the Black Sea Fleet - midshipman Vladimir Dal entered the medical faculty of the University of Dorpat (today the University of Tartu). As surgeon Nikolai Pirogov said, “Dal re-saddled from sailors to doctors”. He was one of the best students, and even during his studies he excelled in surgery.

“I felt the need for thorough learning, for education, in order to be a useful person in the world.”
Vladimir Dal

At the beginning of the Russian-Turkish War, Dal graduated from the medical school ahead of schedule with the highest rank of doctor of the 1st department. He was sent to the army, where the future writer served as a resident of a mobile hospital.

After the war, Vladimir Dal worked at the St. Petersburg military land hospital. He became a famous surgeon: he performed more than 40 cataract operations. In 1837, Dahl, along with several other doctors, tried to treat the dying Alexander Pushkin, and he also declared his death. The doctor described the last days of the poet’s life and the results of the autopsy in the article “The Death of A.S. Pushkin."

“I ate my teeth and turned gray over the art of medicine”, - Vladimir Dal wrote about himself. His knowledge of medicine was highly valued by the St. Petersburg medical elite - even after Dahl left surgery. In the 1850s, he headed a circle of city doctors, wrote articles about a healthy lifestyle, traditional medicine, and spoke in favor of homeopathy. Until the end of his life, Vladimir Dal did not stop practicing medicine. In the four-volume Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Russian Language, he explained the meaning of some medical concepts.

Anton Chekhov

Osip Braz. Portrait of Anton Chekhov (fragment). 1898. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Anton Chekhov began studying at the medical faculty of Moscow University named after I.M. Sechenov in 1879. During these years, Chekhov did not give up literature - he managed to both practice medicine and write books.

The young doctor completed his internship at the hospital in Voskresensk near Moscow (today the city of Istra). He later described this time in the works “Dead Body”, “Rural Aesculapians”, “Surgery”. Chekhov said that medical and natural science knowledge helped him reveal the feelings and experiences of literary heroes.

“Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress. When I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other. Although this is disorderly, it is not so boring, and besides, both of them lose absolutely nothing from my treachery ... "
Anton Chekhov

In Zvenigorod, Anton Chekhov was in charge of the hospital. He saw 40 patients a day, performed autopsies, and acted as an expert in courts. But the peak of his medical career came during the years of his life in Melikhovo, near Moscow. The domain of the local doctor included 25 villages, 4 factories and a monastery.

“Medicine is progressing little by little. I fly and fly. I have a lot of friends, and therefore a lot of sick people. Half have to be treated for nothing, while the other half pays me five and three rubles.”
From a letter to brother Mikhail

The work of a doctor took a lot of time, and sometimes Anton Chekhov could not concentrate on his books. He wrote about this more than once to his publisher Alexei Suvorin: “I am lonely, because everything cholera is alien to my soul, and work that requires constant travel, conversations and petty worries is tiring for me. No time to write. Literature has long been abandoned, and I am poor and miserable..." Only in 1898 did Chekhov leave medical practice, but continued to follow medical advances.

Vikenty Veresaev

Sergey Malyutin. Portrait of Vikenty Veresaev. 1919. State Literary Museum, Moscow

Vikenty Veresaev defended his PhD at the Faculty of History and Philology at St. Petersburg University (today the Institute of History of St. Petersburg State University), and then entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Dorpat.

“My dream was to become a writer, and for this it seemed necessary to know the biological side of man, his physiology and pathology; In addition, the specialty of a doctor made it possible to get close to people of the most diverse backgrounds and lifestyles.”
From the autobiography of Vikenty Veresaev

The doctor began practicing in 1894 in his native Tula. However, two years later he returned to St. Petersburg: he worked as a resident, headed the library at the Botkin hospital and wrote scientific articles that were highly valued by the capital's medical community.

In 1901, Vikenty Veresaev published the famous “Notes of a Doctor.” In the work, he described cases from his medical practice, observations, experiences and thoughts of the young doctor. However, colleagues greeted the book with rejection: such revelations could turn readers hostile against medicine.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Veresaev was mobilized to the front. He treated the wounded on the front line, and at the same time made sketches of future works. Later, the doctor-writer published the books “At War” and “Stories about the Japanese War.”

“People do not have even the most remote idea about the life of their body, or about the powers and means of medical science. This is the source of most misunderstandings, this is the reason for both blind faith in the omnipotence of medicine and blind disbelief in it. And both equally make themselves known with very serious consequences.”
Vikenty Veresaev

Michael Bulgakov

In 1909, after graduating from high school, Mikhail Bulgakov entered the medical faculty of Kyiv University. There were already doctors in the family: one uncle of Bulgakov treated Patriarch Tikhon, and the second was a famous doctor in Moscow.

During the First World War, Mikhail Bulgakov went to the front: he served for several months in front-line hospitals in Kamenets-Podolsk, Chernivtsi, and Kyiv. His first wife, Tatyana Lappa, went with him and became a sister of mercy. Directly from the front, Bulgakov was sent to the Smolensk province to manage a hospital, where his wife helped him. Bulgakov received 50 patients a day; in a year more than 15 thousand patients came out. He later wrote an autobiographical series “Notes of a Young Doctor” about this period of his life.

“A doctor’s duty is what primarily determines his attitude towards patients. He treats them with truly human feeling. He deeply pities the suffering person and ardently wants to help him, no matter what the cost. In life, Bulgakov was keenly observant, impetuous, resourceful and courageous, he had an outstanding memory. These qualities define him as a doctor; they helped him in his medical work. He made diagnoses quickly, was able to immediately grasp the characteristic features of the disease, and rarely made mistakes in diagnoses. Courage helped him decide on difficult operations.”
Nadezhda Zemskaya, sister of Mikhail Bulgakov

Certificate of Approval “to the degree of doctor with honors with all the rights and benefits assigned by the laws of the Russian Empire to this degree” the young doctor received it only in 1916.

In 1918, Mikhail Bulgakov returned to Kyiv, and a year later he left medicine to become a writer. He wrote plays, stories, articles for metropolitan newspapers and magazines.

Vasily Aksenov

The writer Vasily Aksenov worked as a doctor for only a short time. He graduated from the Leningrad Medical Institute (today the First St. Petersburg State Medical University named after Academician I.P. Pavlov) in 1956.

“The medical path was accidental. Until the 8th grade, I studied in Kazan, then, in the 9th and 10th grades, I completed my studies in Magadan. Mom left the camp in 1947 and remained an exile in this city. It was in Magadan that I started writing poems. I imagined myself as a poet. But he entered the medical faculty. My mother and stepfather persuaded me: “It’s easier for doctors in the camps.”
From an interview with Continent magazine, 1981

Aksenov dreamed of getting a job as a medic on long-distance ships and seeing the world. There was such a prospect in the Baltic Shipping Company, but due to the political convictions of his parents - Vasily Aksenov’s mother Evgenia Ginzburg was repressed - he was not given a visa.

For a year Aksenov worked as a therapist at the quarantine station of the Leningrad seaport, then he was transferred to the position of chief physician at the hospital of the water department. There Vasily Aksenov began writing his first story - “Colleagues”.

“As for the material for literary works, they lie precisely in the thick of life, and not in the traveler’s window. It was at the doctor's station that you could get the most valuable material for a novel, story, story. “Notes of a Russian Traveler” is an obsolete genre. “You’re unlikely to write the frigate Pallada.”
From a letter from mother Evgenia Ginzburg to her son, 1956

When he returned to Moscow in 1958, two of his stories were published in the magazine Yunost. In 1961, the stories “Colleagues” and “Star Ticket” were first published. After this, Vasily Aksenov left medicine forever.

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