First published in 1898, Chekhov’s “A Doctor’s Visit” has been ably adapted as a short play by
physician-playwright, Guy Fredrick Glass. In addition to the original
characters, in his adaptation Glass has added a new character, a medical
student, Boris, as a foil and interlocutor for the work’s main character, Dr.
Korolyov. Staging directions and scene setting also add dramatic dimensions to
the story, as do elaborations of conversations including comedic encounters with the governess, Christina Dmitryevna, and a display of "compassionate solidarity" (see Coulehan annotation ) with the
doctor’s patient, Liza. The primary theme of the story stays true in this
adaptation—Korolyov’s impressions of the patient viewed from a cold objective
stance are changed as he develops personal insights into the social and
political nature of her (and his) malaise.
