We present the story of A. Kuprin (summary): "Wonderful Doctor"

"This story happened in reality," the author asserts from the first lines of his story. Here is a brief summary. "Wonderful Doctor" is distinguished by its capacious meaning and bright language. The documentary framework gives the narrative a special intriguing flavor. The finals reveal a secret.

The summary of the story "The Wonderful Doctor". Hungry children

In front of the show-window with gastronomic abundance two little boys stopped and, swallowing the approaching saliva, are animatedly discussing what they saw. They are amused by the sight of a ruddy roast piglet with a twig of green in its mouth. The narrative about the "still life" behind the glass is given by the author in a highly aesthetic and appetizing manner. Here and "garlands of sausages", and "pyramids of tender golden mandarins." And the hungry children throw at them "love-greedy" looks. Too contrasted looks like Kiev, prepared for the Christmas holidays, in comparison with the miserable little figures of poor children.

Fatal year

Grisha and Volodya went on the instructions of the mother with a letter of help. Yes, only the doorman of an influential addressee with curses drove away the little beggars. And then they returned to their dwelling - a cellar with "walls weeping from dampness". The description of the Mertsalov family causes acute compassion. A seven-year-old sister is lying in a fever, a hungry baby is crying from beside her in the cradle. The emaciated woman "with a face blackened with grief" gives the boys the remnants of cold soup, which there is nothing to warm up. Is the father with "swollen" from the cold hands. We learn that in this fatal year, he fell ill with typhus, lost the place of the manager, who brought a modest income. One after another, disaster struck: the children began to get sick, all the savings were gone, the daughter died, and now the other was seriously ill. No one gave charity, and there was no one to ask. Here is a description of the misfortunes, their brief content.

Wonderful Doctor

Despair covers Mertsalov, he leaves the house, wanders around the city, not hoping for anything. Tired, he sits down on a bench in the city garden and feels a desire to commit suicide. At that moment a stranger appears on the avenue. He sits down next to me and starts a friendly conversation. When the old man mentions gifts, bought for friends of children, Mertsalov does not stand up and starts to shout hotly and angrily that his children "are dying of hunger". The old man listens attentively to the inconsistent story and offers help: it turns out that he is a doctor. Mertsalov leads him to his place. The doctor examines the sick girl, prescribes a prescription, gives money to buy firewood, medicine and food. The same evening, Mertsalov, on a label on a bottle with a medicine, recognizes the name of his benefactor: Professor Pirogov, an outstanding Russian physician. Since then, as if "the angel has descended" on the family, and its affairs have gone up the hill. So says Kuprin. A wonderful doctor (we summarize this conclusion to the end) acted very humanely, and this changed not only the circumstances, but also the worldview of the heroes of the story. The boys grew up, one of them took a major post in the bank and was always especially sensitive to the needs of poor people.