The Portland daily press., 1894-11-12
THE CARS ECCENTRIC DOCTOR.
He Is of the Brusque Kind, and Charges
Enormous Fees.

III IouueCIlOu with tuoCIaI s Illness Uu0Io
have beer. many stories about Prof. zacha-
rim pronounced ZachaTyeen). the En-
peror's most trusted meGlcal adviser, tell
| ing how he has shocked the courtiers by his
unconventional ways, and how he used to
attend the Emperor in a dressing gown and
| the boots of a peasant. Some correspond
| ents have even gone SO far as to declare
! him insane. 1t can not be denied that
| Prof. Zacharin is indeed a very eccentric
| man with many a strange within. He is
| what Americans might call crank" and
| what Russians call original"
| Zaoharin is a self-made man in the fullest
sense of the word. Of very poor and hum
| BILE parentage. his youth was not of the
| brightest. His parents were too poor to
| pay the tuition fee at the gymnasium, and
| it was only through his admirable facul-
| ties. his selfdenial and hard labor that he
| managed to obtain the attest of maturity
| as the diploma of asgymnasium is called in
| Russia.
| Zacharin's medical career was a success
| from the very start. Having received his
| diploma lie at once put out hand written
sign, CDR. ;Zacharln,' Fifteen minutes la
ter some one in carriage was looking for
doctor and Zacharin was hurried away to
attend an aristocratio lady who had tainted.
He found her already revived but the gen.
| tleman of the house handed him a three
| rouble bill for his trouble.
my name. sir. is DR.. Zacharin," said the
Doctor, Indignantly returning the note.
land my fee is ten roubles visit"
| He was paid and listened to an apology.
| A few years later, when he was all eady
| visiting his patients in carriage drawn by
| pair of black Orloff trotters with foot
man and an assistant, Zacharin thought it
was time to raise his fee. This is the way
| he did it: After visit to a patient he was
'handed l0-rouble bill. He took the paper
| note, spat upon it and stuck it to the door.
and, without a word, left the room. While
| Zacharin treats poor people free, his charges
| for those vino can pay is not less than 100
| roubles visit. There is no limit to his fees.
which depend upon the social position and
| financial standing of the patient. He hates
| vanity and knows how to avenge the slight
\ est disrespect shown him. especially by thu
| higher class of nobility. This story. which
| will serve as an Illustration. heard when
| a student in the Moscow University. The
| superintendent of the imperial estates in
| Moscow was Count OTloff-Davidoff, one of
| the most aristocratic mobiles of Russia. He
had sister, young and charming lady.
| who, being suddenly taken sick, was pro-
nounced by the attending physician to be
in very dangerous condition. Finally the
family sent for Prof. zacharin, who APP
pointed an hour for the consultation. The
appointed time arrived, half an hour passed,
and then an hour. but no Zacharin. The
attending physician, greatly incensed,
finally left the patient. Zacharins two as
| sistants arrived, and ten minutes alter the
professor himself made his appearance.
GOOD mornin; good morning." said the
Count briskly. He left the professors hand
| untouched, and. pointing to his sister, said
There is your patient, Doctor; feel her
pulse I'm all right
Zacharin swallowed the rebuff in silence,
| examined the patient, left prescription.
received his fee Of one hundred Ioubles and
| left.
| Next day the patients condition was very
alarming. and Zacharin was sent for again.
| But the messenger got only as far as Zach
! arms door. for no sooner had he declar ed
| that the message was from Count Orloff-
| Davidoff thar that door was slammed in his
| face. The Count then sent a written re-
| quest. which elected no reply. Finally the
| Count himself drove up TO Zacharins resi-
| dence and sent in his card with these few
words written on it: For Gods sake, Doc
| tor, come at once. my sister is dyingr' Two
minutes later the card was returned with
| these few lines on it in Zacharins hand:
| lone thousand roubles visit and nowhere
| to meet the Count!''
Orloff-Davidoff accepted this humiliating
condition and during the next two weeks,
| in which Zacharin visited the Counts sister
twice day, he never saw the Counts face,
and was paid LOCO roubles for every visit.
| The lady got well.
| Once Zacharin attended a wealthy mer-
| chant. On the mantel in the sick chamber
stood costly bronze clock under an ex-
| quisite crystal cover, which was somewhat
| too heavy to be remoy ed. While examining
the patient the Professor heard the clock
! strike.
ssoh, that clock!'' he exclaimed.
| The wife of the sick man hurried on tip
toe to remove the offending clock. and as
| she did SO she sneeZed. This mark of dis
PORTFOLIOS.