tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21999805.post4692587688921320997..comments2024-03-28T19:56:32.848-05:00Comments on Anecdotal Evidence: `Of Authors My Favorite is Tolstoy'Patrick Kurphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08436175583386298032noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21999805.post-69743447328519013092018-02-25T12:26:47.281-06:002018-02-25T12:26:47.281-06:00Dr. Gregory Antonovich Zaharin (more commonly tran...Dr. Gregory Antonovich Zaharin (more commonly transliterated "Zakharin") was a brilliant but eccentric doctor well-known to Russians of Chekhov's day for treating both Tolstoy and Tsar Alexander III. He developed a distinct therapeutic style that emphasized the the importance of paying attention to the concrete particulars of both the disease and the patient. He was an expert in morbidly sensitive nerves and was known for promoting a "rational" diet, mineral waters, and hygienic practices. Politically conservative, he was not unlike Chekhov himself in at least one respect — eager to allay pain where possible but skeptical of grand schemes to improve the human condition.<br /><br />He was known for his idiosyncrasies. Notoriously rude, he demanded (perhaps a bit like Socrates) that the patient only answer "yes" or "no" to his questions. All payments had to be in advance of treatment. When he ministered to the Tsar, he imperiously demanded that three conditions be kept: that all dogs were contained, that all doors were thrown open, and that all the clocks were stopped. <br /><br />Some supposed him to have botched the medical treatment of the Tsar. When Alexander III died, a furious mob destroyed Zakharin's house.<br /><br />You can read an English translation of his lectures to medical students here:<br /><br />https://archive.org/details/clinicallecture00zakhgoog<br />Plinyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09883411215474201985noreply@blogger.com