A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics) by Mikhail Bulgakov (EPUB)

Description

TRANSLATED BY MICHAEL GLENNYWith the ink still wet on his diploma, the twenty-five-year-old Dr Mikhail Bulgakov was flung into the depths of rural Russia which, in 1916-17, was still largely unaffected by such novelties as the motor car, the telephone or electric light. How his alter-ego copes (or fails to cope) with the new and often appalling responsibilities of a lone doctor in a vast country practice – on the eve of Revolution – is described in Bulgakov’s delightful blend of candid realism and imaginative exuberance.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I don’t have much to add to the positive reviews here; the Russians have once again proven themselves to be great writers. The book is so short it left me wishing (longing) that it was a lot longer and included more cases. The writing and the tone reminded me a little of the books by James Herriot. There are some striking similarities. Both men were newly qualified and were worried about making a good impression on the population they were about to work with. Both have a keen observation of the human condition and both worked in the days before antibiotics. I had to smile every time Bulgakov frets that he’ll have to treat a strangulated hernia. You feel for him, But Herriot had Sigfried Farnon, a boss who knew his stuff and with whom he could consult when he need to. Bulgakov had nobody to mentor him and so there are disturbing examples of malpractice. The story about morphine may be of interest to those who’ve had addiction but I wondered why it was included at all. It doesn’t have the same feel as the rest of the stories and seems tacked on. Bulgakov may have included it to underscore the fact that the job out there in the hinterlands was impossible for some people to cope with.

⭐A fantastic collection of colourful stories on a russian interlands surgery, during the transition from tsarism to communism. Bulgakov’s style is always the source of pleasure and of strongly vivid images when reading, and his education as a medicine doctor allied to his experiences in a compulsory medical residence in a small russian village, create the ideal setup for very amusing and revealing stories depicting the early medical practices and the behaviour and reactions of the russian peasants towards science and medicine. A must read for all interested in russian society’s history and in the delightful prose of Bulgakov!

⭐Years ago I read the Master and Margarita, loved it and promptly abandoned Bulgakov for the delights of that other literary medical man, Anton Chekhov. I may have never returned if not for the darkly comic British series which was based on this nine story compilation about a recent medical graduate. The young doctor is sent from Moscow to a clinic in rural Russia where he finds himself confronted with multiple challenges, not least of which is mind numbing isolation. Throughout, the doctor’s humanity and humor shines, despite his terror and the inadequacy he feels as a beginner.1. The Embroidered Towel- The doctor copes with a horrific amputation on a beautiful young peasant girl.2. The Steel Windpipe- The Doctor establishes his reputation among the villagers by performing a tracheotomy on a young girl suffering from diphtheria.3. Black as Egypt’s Night- a case of malaria with humorously unintended consequences.4.Baptism by Rotation- a difficult transverse delivery during which the doctor’s worst fears are realized.5. The Speckled Rash -concerns an epidemic of syphilis among the villagers, who refuse to acknowledge the consequences of not taking a full course of treatment -which proves terribly frustrating to the doctor.6.The Blizzard-a tragic tale of a young bride to be.7. The Vanishing Eye- a comic story about an incredibly vile abscess which confounds the doctor.8. Morphine-a spectacular and sad story of morphine addiction based on Bulgakov’s own experiences.9. The Murderer-a story from the Revolution in which another doctor is forcibly conscripted to serve the forces of a brutal Ukrainian colonel.Delightful, unusual and a very quick read. Recommended.

⭐Its a short book and not at all like the Netflix show, but very well written. Its more like a small collection of stories from his time at the hospital. The second half is another doctor, who was a friend of his, journal.

⭐Very interesting stories.

⭐Takes time to travel back to the beginning of the last century and realize the huge differences in how medicine was practiced then compared with now. What is most revealing is the meticulous description of addiction, the struggle with cravings, the dishonesty with oneself about dependency and the ultimate self destruction. A very good Russian story that describes the Russian soul, struggle with a Russian winter, but also at times hilarious with Russian humor.

⭐This is a fantastic book! As a current young physician, I am amazed at how contemporary some of Bulgakov’s observations are, 100 years later! Highly recommend.

⭐This is a beautiful book telling of Bulgakov’s experiences as a country doctor in a remote location during the First World War.Many of the Russian doctors were sent to the front, so inexperienced graduates were offered positons in Zemstvo hospitals in the Russian countryside. Bulgakov was one of them. The book is organised into chapters each describing an event at the hospital where he was in charge.Bulgakov has a wonderful ability to create compelling and engaging images with just a few words. Do not miss this book or any of the others written by this man.

⭐A classic. Written in short chapters about a young newly qualified Russian doctor, who is sent to the provinces to start work as a surgeon, physician, and general practitioner in a country hospital. The hospital is miles from any civilised town and his own quarters are minimal and frequently perishingly cold. He writes frankly about his worries about the gaps in his knowledge and in particular his own experience, especially, the “dreaded breach position” of a woman in labour. Written in the first person, reflecting comically at life and the situations he comes across, and with dark ire at his situation compared to his fellow qualified university year members, it resonates much with my own days as a newly qualified, self-doubting doctor, in the 1990’s as his in the century just passed.

⭐I liked that having been thrown in at the deep end, how he struggles to get on top of the situation in amazingly primitive conditions.

⭐This was the book chosen by a member of my book club as our next read. I absolutely loved it! It was a great insight into the lives of the people living in Russia at this time. A superb choice for the book club. It will be interesting to see if other members enjoyed it as much as I did, when we next meet.

⭐This journal of medical practice in Russia during the revolution should be in every doctor’s bookshelf.I never thought there could be a rival to Chekov But these all too few experiences related by a masterring so true, and still so relevant, even exceed my hero Chekov.

⭐Book new as described. Good price.Heavily influenced my medical practice. Will now always look over my shoulder for wolves when walking back to my surgery.

Keywords

Free Download A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics) in EPUB format
A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics) EPUB Free Download
Download A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics) 2012 EPUB Free
A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics) 2012 EPUB Free Download
Download A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics) EPUB
Free Download Ebook A Country Doctor’s Notebook (Vintage Classics)