Chapter 8 Eight

Eight Two years ago the Zemstvo became generous and resolved to allocate three hundred rubles a year as a subsidy for the additional medical staff of the Municipal Hospital until the Zemstvo Hospital was opened.Therefore, in order to assist Andrei Yefimitch, the county doctor Yevgeny Fedorich Hobotov was hired to come to the city.The man was still very young, not more than thirty years old, with high cheekbones and small eyes, a tall black-haired man whose ancestry seemed to be alien.He came to the city penniless, with a small suitcase and an ugly young woman who he said was his cook.This woman also has a nursing doll.Yevgeny Fedoritch always wore a peaked cap, high boots, and in winter a short leather jacket.He made friends with Sergey Sergeyitch, the doctor, and the accountant, but for some reason he called the rest of the officials nobles and kept avoiding them.There was only one book in his apartment: The Latest Prescriptions for the Vienna Hospital in 1881.He always took this book with him when he came to the hospital.Every night he plays pool at the club, he doesn't like playing cards.He was fond of such phrases in conversation: "procrastinating," "blah blah blah," "don't muddle the water," and so on.

He comes to the hospital twice a week to check the ward and see the outpatient.The lack of antiseptics in the hospital and the continued use of cupping cups for bloodletting angered him, but he did not adopt new methods for fear of offending Andrey Yefimitch.He regarded his colleague Andrey Yefimitch as an old cunning, suspected him of being rich, and was jealous of him.He would be glad to have his place.