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Ward Six by
Chekhov
I
II
III IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
VIII Two years before, the Zemstvo in a liberal mood had decided to
allow three hundred roubles a year to pay for additional medical
service in the town till the Zemstvo hospital should be opened,
and the district doctor, Yevgeny Fyodoritch Hobotov, was invited
to the town to assist Andrey Yefimitch. He was a very young man
-- not yet thirty -- tall and dark, with broad cheek-bones and
little eyes; his forefathers had probably come from one of the
many alien races of Russia. He arrived in the town without a
farthing, with a small portmanteau, and a plain young woman whom
he called his cook. This woman had a baby at the breast. Yevgeny
Fyodoritch used to go about in a cap with a peak, and in high
boots, and in the winter wore a sheepskin. He made great friends
with Sergey Sergeyitch, the medical assistant, and with the
treasurer, but held aloof from the other officials, and for some
reason called them aristocrats. He had only one book in his
lodgings, "The Latest Prescriptions of the Vienna Clinic for
1881." When he went to a patient he always took this book with
him. He played billiards in the evening at the club: he did not
like cards. He was very fond of using in conversation such
expressions as "endless bobbery," "canting soft soap," "shut up
with your finicking. . ."
He visited the hospital twice a week, made the round of the
wards, and saw out-patients. The complete absence of antiseptic
treatment and the cupping roused his indignation, but he did not
introduce any new system, being afraid of offending Andrey
Yefimitch. He regarded his colleague as a sly old rascal,
suspected him of being a man of large means, and secretly envied
him. He would have been very glad to have his post.
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