Интервью с профессором Сергеем Мироновым

— Сергей Павлович, кто они — ваши основные пациенты?

— Спортсмены... Артисты балета... Цирковые артисты... Раз­
ные люди с разными судьбами и разными травмами. За годы су­
ществования нашей клиники мы лечили Майю Плисецкую и
Валерия Харламова, Владимира Васильева и Ольгу Корбут... У
нас перебывали едва ли не все составы сборных Союза по хок­
кею, футболу, гимнастике, известные киноартисты. Спорт и ис­
кусство рядом не только потому, что это всегда взлет духа, твор­
чество, импровизация. Но и потому, что это — огромные физи­
ческие нагрузки и, увы, травмы.

— Ваши пациенты, наверное, и к больничному обслуживанию
предъявляют особые требования? Но что-то я не заметил здесь
этакого ненавязчивого «кремлевского» сервиса.

— Нет для этого материальной базы. Палаты, в основном, на
4—5 человек, операционная наша ремонтируется, так что прихо­
дится пользоваться чужими, еда... Какая сегодня в больнице мо­
жет быть еда! Сами, наверное, оценили.

— Оценил. И не только еду. Вот попросил у сестры кусочек
лейкопластыря, а она руками разводит: нет в помине...

— И с бинтами туго, и с ватой, не говоря уже о лекарствах.
Да в Москве еще куда ни шло.

— И все-таки ваша клиника давно считается престижной.
Говорят, что сюда можно было попасть только по блату...

— Скорее, она была специализированной, рассчитанной на
людей с характерными травмами. Теперь к нам может попасть
любой пациент. Условие, к сожалению, только одно: за лечение
необходимо платить.

— А вы бы хотели стать владельцем частной клиники?

— Хотел бы.

— И не боитесь, что вас обзовут воротилой, эксплуататором
наемного труда, человеком, зарабатывающим деньги на несчасть­
ях ближнего своего?

— Я боюсь, несмотря на свои 44 года, не дожить до этого. Да
и потом отечественная система, блестяще оперируя подобными
штампами в отношении к медицине Запада, довела нашего чело­
века, особенно человека заболевшего, до такого состояния, что
он сегодня боится ходить к врачу, а тем паче оказаться в больни­
це. Да и не по карману ему сегодня становится это удовольствие.

— Ваше положение, в том числе и материальное, вас не уни­
жает?

— Что значит не унижает? Я, например, широкий человек,
мой дом всегда открыт для знакомых и друзей. Но вы же знае­
те, в наше время даже не очень большое застолье обходится в
сумасшедшие деньги. Или вот есть у меня один недостаток: не
могу ездить на работу городским транспортом, потому что все­
гда хочется приехать в клинику, особенно когда предстоит опе­
рация, в непомятом состоянии. А бензин нынче... Словом, в ма­
териальном плане мне далеко до того, чтобы соответствовать,
скажем, положению «дореволюционного» профессора.

И дело тут не только в личных вкусах и привязанностях. Вот, например, в Испании с 25 по 29 мая будет проводиться первый всемирный конгресс по спортивной травматологии. Казалось бы, кому как не нам — представителям клиники, накопившей за го­ды своего существования уникальный опыт, в нем участвовать. Мы подготовились, нам прислали приглашения. Но если лететь туда с моим ассистентом, то на двоих эта поездка обойдется при­мерно в 4 тысячи долларов. Где их взять? А ведь этот конгресс собирает все лучшие силы мира, появляется возможность полу­чить уникальную информацию, обрести новые связи, завязать новые контакты. Одна надежда на спонсоров. Дай Бог, найдутся.

— Выходит, народная мудрость права: лучше быть богатым и
здоровым, чем бедным и больным?

— Да уж, сегодня лучше не болеть. Собственно то, что про­
исходит в медицине, отражает общие процессы. Скажем, если в
клиниках Москвы всегда был огромный приток иногородних
больных, то сейчас он резко сократился. Чтобы приехать в сто­
лицу лечиться, надо ведь располагать немалыми средствами:
платить за дорогу, проживание, питание, лечение. Сейчас мно­
гие детские больницы вынуждены сокращать число коек чуть ли
не вдвое. И мы теперь должны думать не только о том, как
помочь человеку профессионально, но и как облегчить ему

непосильное финансовое бремя. Скажем, если вести речь о травматологии, то теоретически перелом любой сложности мож­но ведь лечить на дому. А мы вынуждены практически после каждой операции держать больного в клинике — его просто не­куда выписать, нет амбулаторных реабилитационных баз. Для их создания нужны помещения, деньги... Замкнутый круг.

— Для решения всех этих наболевших вопросов вам нужен,
наверное, не столько талант врача, сколько администратора. Он
у вас есть?

— Многому научился у мамы. Ей приходилось и лечить, и
клинику на себе тащить, а это — сотни проблем.

— Сергей Павлович, простите за банальный вопрос. А вы
счастливы?

— Наверное. Есть любимая работа, умные коллеги, друзья,
семья, сын растет...

— Сколько ему?

— Почти семь.

— Вы бы хотели, чтобы он пошел по вашим стопам? Ведь у
вас, можно сказать, развивается семейное дело — Зоя Сергеевна,
ваша мама, руководила клиникой, теперь вы...

— Вообще-то я за семейственность. Раньше это почему-то
порицалось, но теперь, думается, в этом никто не должен
видеть ничего зазорного. Если подрастают дети, и не вырастают
дебилами, почему бы им не передавать то дело, которому отда­
вали свои силы и энергию их предки. А силы, ей-же Богу, ухо­
дят немалые.

— А вам не хотелось в один прекрасный день плюнуть на эту
муторную жизнь и уехать, скажем, за границу? Неужели у вас не
было подобных предложений — с вашим-то талантом и квалифи­
кацией?

—...Конечно, были. В принципе, я далек от громких слов о

патриотизме, но уезжать не хочу. Держат здесь родные могилы, в том числе и могила отца, имя матери, наше дело. Да и потом сами же говорите: сын растет...

* * *

This text which consists of an interview with a noted physician by a journalist, makes use of highly colloquial language, and should be translated as such to do it justice.

* * *

— Sergei Pavlovich, who are your patients — most of lhem?/Who
forms the bulk of your patients':У Where are most of your patients coming
from?/What kind of people are most of your patients?

— Athletes... Ballet performers... circus performers. Different kinds
of people of different sorts/from different walks of life/from different
backgrounds/doing different things/with different lives and different
injuries/illnesses/problems/traumas. During/over the years of its
existence/that it has been around/our clinic has/we've treated Maya
Plisetskaya and Valery Kharlamov, Vladimir Vasiliev and Olga
Korbut... We've seen nearly all the players/members of the USSR
hockey, football and gymnastics teams, and well known movie actors/
Nearly all the players/members of the USSR hockey, football and
gymnastics teams, and well known movie actors have been to our
clinic/come to us. Sports and art go together not just because they
always involve flights/a soaring of the spirit,(spurts of) creativity, and
improvisation. It's also because these involve enormous physical
stress/overload, and, unfortunately, traumas.

 

— Your patients probably are also pretty demanding of/make special
demands on/are tough customers for/insist on special/health care in the
clinic. Yet I don't think I've seen/1 haven'(really seen/You don't seem
to have that sophisticated/elegant/refined/kind of "Kremlin "/"Kremlin-
style "/service here.

— We don't have the funds for that. Most of the wards are for 4—5
people, our operating room is being redone/under repair, so we have
to use facilities elsewhere/other facilities, the food... What kind of
food can you have in a hospital nowadays!/What can hospital food be
like nowadays? You've probably/seen that for yourself/had a chance to
try that out/been through that yourself.— Been through it/I've done
that/Had that experience. And not just of the food. I asked the nurse for
a bandaid, and she threw up her hands/shrugged her shoulders: haven't
seen one in ages/not one in sight/ forget it.

 

— Things are tight/rough/tough/bad regarding/There's a real
shortage of gauze bandages, and cotton, let alone medicines. And in
Moscow the situation is still livable/and in Moscow you can still put
up with the situation/And if you think Moscow's bad...

— And yet/But your clinic has always been considered prestigious.
People say you/can only get in here through connections/have to have
pull to get in here/need to know someone to get in here.

— Well, I'd rather say that it was specialized, intended for people
with specific kinds of trauma. Now/any patient can come here/we
accept anyone/any and all patients. There's only one condition,
unfortunately: you have to pay for treatment/all treatment is for pay.

— And would you like to become the owner of a private clinic?

— I would/Sure.

— And you're not afraid/of being called/that you'd be
called/labelled/stigmatized as/a bigwig/big shot/big cheese,/someone
making money off his neighbor's misfortunes/raking it in over the next
guy's problems/making money at the next guy's expense?

— I'm afraid, even though I'm already 44, I won't live to see that
(day). And, you know, the Russian system, which is great at pinning/
throwing around terms/labels like that at/on western medicine, has
pushed/gotten our people, particularly when they get sick, to the point
where today they're afraid to go to the doctor, and they're even more
scared of landing/ending up/winding up/in the hospital. No one can/
afford that/shell out that kind of money for/allow himself that kind of
luxury.

— You don '1 feel humiliated/put down/by your own situation — and
your own financial situation?

— What does that mean, "don't feel humiliated?" I'm pretty
generous, I like to do things for/help out/my acquaintances and friends/

have people over/entertain... But you know that nowadays even a small get-together/having a few people over/the food and drink for just a few guests/even entertaining modestly costs a fortune/a mint/an arm and a leg. And I've got one "fault"/"shortcoming" — I won't/don't

take public transportation to work, because I always want to get to the clinic, especially when I've got to operate/before an operation, looking unrumpled/without getting my clothes wrinkled/ feeling crisp and clean. And (the cost of) gas nowadays... Well/to sum it up/in a word, materially/I'm nowhere near/far from/the situation of a "prerevolutionary" professor. And it's not just a question of personal tastes and preferences. For example, in Spain from May 25—29 there's going to be the first world congress on sports injuries. You'd think that we/Who other than we — the representatives of a clinic which has acquired/gained unique experience over the years — would be the obvious people/choice to participate/to go. We prepared for it, we were sent/received invitations. But the flight for me and my assistant there would run/cost/set us back approximately/about/around $4,000. Where is that going to come from? And the congress is bringing together the best specialists/most knowledgeable experts from all over/worldwide,/there's a chance to get/obtain unique/irreplaceable information, establish new ties/get to know new people, make/ establish new contacts. Our only hope is for sponsors. God willing, there will be some/we'll find some.

— So the adage/popular saying is right: it's better to be rich and
healthy than poor and sick?

— Yes, today you're better off not getting sick. What's going on
in medicine is in fact reflecting more general processes. For example,
while/there has always been a huge flow of patients from other cities
to Moscow clinics/Moscow clinics have always had a huge flow of
patients coming from other cities, today there are a lot less/there's
been a drastic drop/a sharp decline. To come to the capital for
treatment you need considerable funds/a lot of money: to pay for/
cover the trip, housing, food, treatment. Today many children's
hospitals have had/been forced/obliged/to practically halve the
number of beds. And now we need to think not just about how to
render a person professional assistance, but how to ease his terrible/
desperate financial burden/plight. For example, if we're talking about
traumas, theoretically/a fracture of any degree of complexity/even any
kind of compound fracture/can be treated at home. But we're forced
after virtually/practically every operation to keep the patient in the
clinic, because there's literally no place to which to discharge him, and
there are no ambulatory rehabilitation centers. For those you
need/Those require/premises/buildings, money... It's a vicious circle.

— To solve all these pressing/urgent/longstanding problems you
probably have to be not just a talented doctor, but a/so a talented
administrator. Can you do that/Do you have that in you?

— I learned a lot from my mother. She had to both see patients and
run the clinic (single-handed), and that involves hundreds of problems.

— Sergei Pavlovich, apologies/sorry for a banal question. Are you
happy?

— Probably/I think so. I've got work I love/I love my work,/I
have bright colleagues, friends, my family, my son is growing up...

— How old is he?

— Almost/going on/seven.

— Would you like him to follow in your footsteps? After all, you've
got, so to speak, a family business going... Zoya Sergeevna ran the clinic,
now you're doing it....

— Well, I'm for family businesses. In the past that for some reason
was criticized/castigated/but I don't see anything shameful about it.
When your children grow up, and grow up normal/if they're not
retarded/mental defectives/dumb why not pass on to them the
thing/cause to which their parents/forefathers have devoted/dedicated
their lives/creative strength/forces/and energy. And it certainly requires
a good deal of creative strength/it certainly takes a lot out of you.

— But one fine day wouldn't you feel like giving up on this
dump/saying good-bye to this dreary mess/throwing in the towel/and
going off', well, abroad? Don 't you have/You can 7 not have had/offers
— someone of your talent and skills?

— Of course I've had them. In principle, I'm not the type to
proclaim patriotic slogans/I don't go in for proclaiming patriotic
sentiments/I don't like making patriotic noises but I don't want to
leave. My ancestors/relatives/are buried here, there's my father's
grave, my mother's reputation, our cause/work. And as you've just
said/noted: my son is growing up/I'm raising my son...

Комментарии:

1) ваши основные пациенты — the idea is not "basic" here, but rather
who are most of them, who forms the bulk or majority of them.

2) Спортсмены... Артисты балета... Цирковые артисты — Артисты here
are "performers," or "performing artists," not necessarily "artists," and
спортсмены is usually translated as "athletes."

3) разными судьбами — "with different fates" is a much too literal
translation. These people are "from different walks of life," "from different
backgrounds," even, colloquially, "all kinds of people."

4) к больничному обслуживанию предъявляют особые требования —
they are demanding, insistent, "tough customers." The verb предъявляют
is easily subsumed into any of these expressions and does not require
literal translation.

5) нет для этого материальной базы — "material base" does not mean
anything in English. He means, quite simply, that he does not have the
money or the funds for this.

6) сами, наверное, оценили — the tone here is obviously sarcastic.
"Assess" or "evaluate" is much too formal. "You've probably been through
that" or "seen for yourself' is what is meant.

7) нет в помине — again, this is very colloquial. "Not one in sight," or
even "forget it" will get the concept across.

8) еще куда ни шло — this idiom can be translated as "is still livable,"
"is still bearable," meaning that though the situation is not good there are
far worse situations.

9) давно считается — what is important here is the verb tense. This
cannot be translated by a simple or compound present tense, as this is
action begun in the past and continued into the present. "Has
always/long/been considered prestigious" would be a good translation.

10) только по блату — the closest English translation is "to have
connections," or, colloquially, "to have pull." "You have to know
someone" will also do; a very colloquial expression is "to have an in with
someone."

1!) за лечение необходимо платить — the word необходимо does not require separate translation, as "you have to pay" covers that. "It is necessary to pay" is formal and awkward.

12) зарабатывающим деньги на несчастьях своего ближнего — while the
idea here is that of "making money off someone else," or more formally,
at someone else's expense, the use of "neighbor" keeps the biblical nuance
of ближнего.

13) не дожить до этого — the English idiom needs "day" — i.e. "live to
sec that day."

14) отечественная система — "The Russian system" or "The system in
our country" are clear renditions of this phrase..

15) нашего человека — this has to be rephrased if it is to make any sense
in English. "Our people," or "Russians" will do, but the plural must be used.

16) не по карману — "no one can afford that" or "afford to shell/fork out
that kind of money" will do. Or, simply, "that's just too expensive."

17) широкий человек — a seemingly simple, but quite tricky phrase. The
idea here is one of generosity, of living well but not in a selfish sense.
"Broad" or "open" will not work. "I like to help out" or "I'm pretty
generous" gets the idea across.

 

18) не очень большое застолье — застолье is one of those culturally
determined concepts which always creates a headache for the
translator/interpreter. This needs rephrasing: "a small get-together," or
"having a few people over" is adequate. "Wining and dining" implies
going out to a restaurant, not entertaining at home.

19) сумасшедшие деньги — "it costs an arm and a leg," or "a (small)
fortune" are common colloquialisms in English for this. "It breaks the
bank" is even more informal.

20) не могу — "I can't" is not a good translation, because the issue here
is not one of being physically unable to take public transportation, but
rather of not wanting to do so. Hence "I won't" or "don't" are needed
here, not "I can't."

21) одна надежда на спонсоров — "the only hope is for sponsors" is a
bit awkward; "our only hope" is much better. Or, "The only way out for
us is to find sponsors."

22) замкнутый круг — is best translated by the idiom "a vicious circle"
rather than by a "closed circle." This is an English idiom which has lost
the original meaning of "vicious" as brutal or cruel.

 

23) это почему-то порицалось — the idea is not so much one of
rejection, as of criticism.

24) в один прекрасный день плюнуть на эту муторную жизнь — this
phrase needs some reworking, as a literal translation would be both silly
and incomprehensible. "Throw in the towel" or "walk away from it all"
would be good equivalents.

25) я далек от громких слов о патриотизме — here, too, reworking is
needed. "I'm not given to making patriotic statements" is a possibility, or
"I don't go around trumpeting patriotism/patriotic slogans."

26) дело — this is "cause" or "work," or even "my life's work."