A BURNING DAYLIGHT TO DR. KIRKO KIRKOVICH

Kirko Kirkovich is born in the town of Sopot, year 1840. His family stems from the big Hadji Kirko's genus and is far-away relative to famous penman Ivan Vazov. The later, in his bestseller "Under the yoke", has described a beautiful picture of life in a 19^th century bulgarian town - "Akche Klise" or "White Chapel", as the turks called Sopot. Young Kirko first studied with the grammar school of daskal Yordan Nenov in his birthplace town. Then, for some time he was volunteer in a trade company at the city of Plovdiv. But, however hard he worked, Kirkovich always suffered from inadequate material circumstances and until 1860, when, he becomes a bursar from the "Slav-Bulgarian Committee". In Moscow, he spent 10 years and became a Russian citizen. From that time he wears a beard like the russian "raznochintsi" - to make a difference. Anyway, fighting with misery, Dr. Kirko Kirkovich graduated medicine in the year 1870. Subsequently, he spent the next two years as a "zemski" doctor in Orlovska gubernks.

The town of Orel is situated, some, 100 kilometers east of Moscow - on the bank of river Oka, left tributary of Volga. Here is what I found written about "Zemstvo" in a book by traveler D. Mackenzie Wallace, cf. "Russia, vol. II. Leipzig: Bernard Tauchnitz, 1878".

"The Zemstvo is a kind of local administration, which, supplements the action of the rural communes and takes cognisance of those higher public wants, which, individual communes cannot possibly satisfy. Its principal duties are to keep the roads and bridges in proper repair, to provide means of conveyance for the rural police and other officials, to elect the justices of peace, to look after primary education and sanitary affairs, to watch the state of the crops and take measures against approaching famine and in short to undertake, within certain clearly-defined limits, whatever seems likely to increase the material and moral well-being of the population … Every province /"guberniya"/ and each of the districts /"uyezdi"/, into which the province is subdivided, has such an assembly and such a bureau".

Further, in his life Dr. Kirkovich will be back in the town of Orel but for the moment, in 1872, we see him settle in Plovdiv for a position of private medical practice. Here, he becomes active participant in community life and in the upsurge of Enlightenment culture. Dr. Kirkovich is welcomed by the bulgarian high-life in Plovdiv, viz - "masters" P. Gorbanov, D. Blagoev, Chr. Pavlov, etc.; "booksellers" Chr. G. Danov, D. V. Manchev, etc; banker Ivan Evstatiev Geshov and bishop Panaret, among the others. On 2 September 1873, he marries to Rada Gugova - niece to famous enlightener Nayden Gerov, who, is standing for the Russian Consulate in the period from 1857 to 1877. The young family have three children, the second son Stoyan becoming famous professor of internal medicine.

When, in the end of 1874, Dr. Kirkovich leaves Plovdiv and transfers to Sofia - I.E.Geshov remarks: "We lost our best man". Whatever, in Sofia during that times, there were only two physicians working, namely: 1. Dr. Naderne from Moravia; 2. Dr. Hasan Bey from Anatolia; and Dr. Kirkovich appears to be the first bulgarian doctor working in that town. Here, he is under the auspices of benefactors Sava and Yordanka Philaretoff but, also, with the honors from "chorbadjii" or "nobleman" such as Dim. Hadjikotev, Dim. Traikovich and others. Soon after his arrival and Dr. Kirkovich, already, has a prosperous clientele. He manages to run a private office and a drugstore with a pharmacist - situated, around the place of now-a-day "Vuzraghdane Square". It was a time when motor vehicles were not existent, yet, and Dr. Kirkovich had to make his round-abouts on foot.

Sometime, about year 1875, great turmoil stirred on the Balkans. The conflict elevated from the "sandjack" of Bosnia-Hercegovina. Mass conversions to Islam and its intermediate position between Catholic Croatia and Orthodox Serbia, accounted, for the complex religious and ethnic structure of the region. Independent principalities existed in the region since the 14^th century and the revolts from 1875-8 assumed the character of a national independence struggle. We will mention, beforehand, that this led to the Treaty of Berlin /July 1878/ and its major accomplishments, namely: 1. Division of Bulgaria into three parts; 2. Permission for Austria-Hungary to occupy Bosnia-Hercegovina; 3. Recognition of the independence for Serbia, Montenegro and Romania. Within the context of our story we continue by mentioning several facts. First, with the starting of the conflict on the Balkans Dr. Kirkovich lost a tolerance from the side of the turks. Second, being a russofil and wearing a beard, he was in a constant contact with patriots, who, demanded from him to serve as a link in a revolutionary setup. Third, in early 1876 begin the uprisings in South Bulgaria or, so called, "April's Uprising". Thus, in a situation which threatens his life and that of his family, Dr. Kirkovich moves back to Russia and with the help of council Nayden Gerov.

From that time on, until his death from tuberculosis, life proceeded in constant suffering for Dr. Kirkovich. It is narrated, vividly, by his wife Rada Kirkovich in her "Memoirs". A woman of extreme education - graduate with gold medal from "Funduklii Gymnasium" in Kiev /1866/ - she was one of the first woman-translators in Bulgaria. In the last days of her ill husband, Rada Kirkovich was the real support for the family. After a short stay in Odessa and living with the immigrant community, there, Dr. Kirkovich wishes to spent his last days in the town of Orel - where he has started his medical carrier. Unfortunately, "tuberculosis" or "scrofulosis" /i.e., the old name of the disease but almost synonymous in symptoms/ was untreatable for that time and most patients died from pulmonary consumption. The end was, unequivocal, for Dr. Kirko Kirkovich. He died on 22 October 1877. In memoriam