Steel Throat by Mikhail Bulgakov. Short summary

5 seconds

A young doctor successfully performs a tracheotomy. He inserts a tube into the girl’s throat to help her breathe. In the village they say that the doctor replaced the little girl’s native throat with an iron one.

1 minute

The main character is a young doctor. He is 24 years old, and he arrived a month ago on assignment in the village hospital. Most of all, he is afraid of hurting his patients.

A mother with a little girl, Lida, comes to see him. She is three years old. She is sick with diphtheria. The child suffocates. The doctor accused the mother of irresponsibility and said that only surgery could save the child.

The mother and grandmother were against it. The hero struggled to convince the women that this was the only chance for the girl.

The confused doctor read textbooks in a panic. He had never performed a tracheotomy or even seen it done. But it was too late to back out.

The doctor pulled himself together and performed the operation brilliantly. He inserted a silver tube into the girl’s trachea, which allowed her to breathe.

In the village, rumors spread with unusual speed. The villagers began to say that the doctor had replaced the usual throat with a steel one.