IMAGE OF HOSPITAL IN MIKHAIL BULGAKOV’S WORKS

Abstract

The article examines features and diversity of medical institutions in Bulgakov’s work. In his works, Bulgakov’s medical experience is reflected in the methods of depicting people and society, which determines many types of psychology, on the one hand, and the reconstruction of the social sphere (including the medical field), on the other hand. A rural hospital, a private clinic and a psychiatric institution come into the view of the writer. The description of the three types of medical agencies reflects the historical events in post-revolutionary Russia and the Soviet Union, where the social system was already established. In Bulgakov’s work, it is at the level of the image of the hospital, created through various artistic means, that reflects the practical significance of all these aspects of the “medical theme”, like the state of medicine, the lifestyle of doctors, and the relationship between doctors and patients. M.A. Bulgakov questions the omnipotence of knowledge, science and practical medicine, reflects on the responsibilities of doctors and the choices they face in a rapidly changing world.