MR. SAVA DOBROPLODNI - UNIVERSAL EDUCATOR
Sava Dobroplodni is born on 3 December 1820 (old style calendar), in the town of Sliven. Both his parents were grammar-school teachers, namely, father Ilya and mother Trendphila from the Slavov's genus. After the Russo-Turk War from 1828-1829, the family moves to the walachian city of Ploesti where the father dies from cholera. The mother takes care of the family - brothers Nikola, Haralambo, Hristaki and sister Maria - while they return back to their hometown. Sava receives his primary education with daskal Gavril Krustevich - Kotliyanin. The latter was nephew of bulgarian Prince Bogoridi /1780-1859/, who was himself high turkish official and to continue the lineage, viz. grandfather Sophroni Vrachanski of the town Kotel. So this man, G. Krustevich, was a factor that young Sava should be sent to continue his tuition in Tzarigrad.
In year 1835, we see him as a private student with presbyter Nathanail in Tzarigrad and making a living of translating old greek manuscripts. That is, at the same time he applies for a sponsorship to a group of merchants from his hometown and, finally, receives a ticket for the famous Kuru-Cheshme School in Tzarigrad. Sava Dobroplodni is an excellent student there and makes friend with many a famous bulgarians who study there, also: G. S. Rakovski, I. Bogorov, I. Makariopolski, etc. An interesting episode is left from this time, which Sava narrates in a letter to his friend N. N. from Sliven, Re: "… with the lecturer in classic studies, master Evtivuliss, I made stenographic notes and on the next day I was in a position to answer all his questions, while all my schoolmates - having no such notes - find it difficult to give correct answers. This master E., who was examining us on a bulletin sheets, one day reads my name instead "Savvas Ilyadiss" to "Savvas Evcarpidiss", literally meaning - Sava Know How. Thus my nickname remained "evcarpidiss" …". What the point is, here, an allusion /N.B. the extract is from - Ed. L. Miller. Questions that matter: An invitation to philosophy, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987, p. 3./:
"… when Leon the tyrant of Philius asked him who he was, he said, "A philosopher", …"
After graduation, in 1842, master Sava Dobroplofni return back to his homeland. He becomes a schoolteacher for fifty years in a row, almost, to the end of his life. The chronology is better described in his "Short autobiography" from 1893. What the aim of our narrative is to point out the contribution Sava Dobroplodni made to the development of health education in those lands, all-in-all, within the context of Bulgarian Revival. So far, he was grammar-school teacher in Kotel /from 1848 to 1847/ and in Shumen /from 1848 to 1852/. In Shumen, Dobroplodni make friends with Lajos Kossuth /1802-1894/, leader of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. Kossuth aimed at Hungarian independence from Austria of the Habsburgs. The defeat of his movement in 1849, seen as partly due to Kossuth's harsh policy to the non-Magyar nationalities, led to his exile. Sava Dobroplodni occupied for some time a tenure track with Kossuth's news agency, but soon quit the job to make a roundtrip in Central and Eastern Europe. He visited the city of Zemun in 1853, where he published his "Hygiaenomics, 2nd edition" and "A guide for grammar schools". During the period 1853-1856, he is college professor in greek languages at Sremska Karlovtsi. The end of the Crimean War finds him back in Shumen, this time for a longer period of time.
Now, master Sava Dobroplodni gets married to Maria Gencheva and a son of his, called Preslav, is born in 1857. Also, this is a time for a fruitful literary activity, when Dobroplodni excels as a playwright. On 15 August 1856, he produced and directed the first Bulgarian comedy play "Michail Mishkoed" and is known to have arranged a theatrical art-school, where some of the furtherers of Bulgarian dramaturgy studied - V. Drumev, D. Voinikov, V. Stoyanov, etc. Following is a long list of his tenures as an educator, which gives him a right place among the figures of Bulgarian Revival: Sliven /1859-1862/, Varna /1862-1864/, Tulca /1864-1867/, Silistra /1867-1872/, Kustendja /1872-1875/.
The Liberation in 1878 finds master Sava Dobroplodni in an active position as a chairmen of the District Administrative Council in Varna. At this mature age, he continues to give a contribution to bulgarian enlightenment: he is a school inspector and, simultaneously, newspaper editor-in-chief of the "New Bulgarian Bee". The state gives a tribute to his wholesome career, accordingly: part time member /from 1881/ and full time member /from 1884/ of Bulgarian Academy of Science; honorary pensioner of the state /from 1887/, etc. Sava Doproplodni dies on 19 April 1894 in Sofia.
Last word should be given to his work in the field of public health education. We have found two medical books written by master Sava Dobroplodni, which put him on the forefront of bulgarian medical science of XIX century:
1. "Hygiaenomics", printed in Tzarigrad, 1846. This book is an authorized translation - from lecturer S. A. Saraccieff Auspice at the "Galata-Saray Medical School" in Tzarigrad. It is written on a prophylactic agenda and contains chapters on rational nutrition, on labour hygiene, on some principles of raising infants, etc.
2. "Viewpoints in healthism", printed in Bolgrad, 1865. This second book is on Hyppocrate's medicine. There are interesting propositions made here how diseases are generated, how to beware of magic id est God has not given power to mortals on making decisions for life and death, how to ignore healthisms coming from medical folklore, like "sueverie", "babi", etc.