DR. CHRISTO STAMBOLSKY AND HIS DOCUMENTARY "CHEF D'OEUVRE"

Christo Tanev Stambolsky is born on 8 August 1843 in the town of Kazanluk - situated in the heart of the "valley of the roses". His parents were orthodox christians Tanyo and Dafina Stambolsky. There is a story about his grandparent Stoyan who was one time "muchtar" /mayor/ of Kazanluk. It is said that he traveled for 18 days to the capital of Stambuli and when he was back his fellow-citizens greeted him with the words "Hosh geldin, stambollu" /that is, "Well come, stambuli"/. Here is where the family name comes from. Young Christo studied his primary education in his native town with teacher Ivan Naydenov. In year 1858 he enrolled in the highly prestigious Military Medical Academy in Tzarigrad. There he studied for ten years and in 1868 graduated with a medical degree and rank "major" in the army.

In the middle of the XIX century Tzarigrad was the most important city in the Ottoman Empire. Christo Stambolsky gets there amidst a whirl of empirial struggle. He is immediately entangled in the fight for autonomous bulgarian church led by nationalist emmigree. At that time a popular allusion was that national church liberation should anticipate a much more political freedom of bulgarians. Subsequently, church liberation becomes a first stage in a wide legal movement for national emancipation. Whatever the chronology of that revolutionary events, we see young Stambolsky as one of the initiators of the "Easter Day Liturgy" on 3 April 1860. On that day Bishop Illarion Makariopolski /1812-1875/ denunciates the dependence of the Bulgarian church from the influence of the Greek Patriarchate. But let us take a look at the medical activities of Dr. Stambolsky.

As a medical student Christo demonstrates keen interest in anatomy. Even before graduation he works hard on the elaboration of anatomic terminology in turkic-arabic language and simultaneously reads lectures in the bulgarian community center on topics such as anthropology, physiology and hygiene. Thus, he makes a good impression as a diligent student which gives him a chance to be appointed as an assistant in the High Military Medical Academy after graduation. Next year, he is also ordained the post of Head of Dermato-Venerological Clinic in the same institute. Further, Dr. Christo Stambolsky works on a part time basis as a surgeon in the clinic of Prof. Karatheodoridi in Tzarigrad. The authorities in the capital appreciate very well the versatile talents of the young medical doctor and assign him the task to compile an anatomical atlas for the needs of education in the institute. This immense work is accomplished in 1874: a book entitled "Meftih tetrih" is published by the empirial printing office in turkic language with arabic script. The work has not been translated and is unknown in Bulgaria.

The aforementioned book comprised in three parts: Part One - text of the atlas; Part Two - the illustrated atlas itself; Part Three - a dictionary of anatomic terminology. In fact, the book is an authorized compilation from a work of French professor in anatomy Prof. Mass - reader from the Medical School in Paris. What is important here is the recognition which a bulgarian received among the ottoman court and next year 1875 Dr. Stambolsky becomes a full time professor in the Military Medical Academy. There are some articles printed in the newspaper "Napredak", edited by Ivan Naydenov /1834-1910/, that show in 1875 he was already very famous, i.e. the affair with the censoring of some "surras" from the Koran ended with the rehabilitation of the bulgarian doctor and his friend editor Naydenov. The latter is popular as the first translator of Konstantin Irechek's "History of the Bulgarians" /1876/.

What happened in the year 1877 is narrated in some 100 pages at Dr. Stambolsky's memoir. To make the long story short, we see that four bulgarian state employees are accused for pro-russian campaigning during the Russo-Turk War /1877-78/. The great "vizier" Midhat Pasha orders that Bishop Antim, Ivan Naydenov, Doctor Vulkovich and Doctor Stambolsky are sent to exile. The order is without appeal against sentence. So, on 7 September 1877 starts a new period in the life of Dr. Christo Stambolsky - he departs for Sanna, Yemen. On arrival he is appointed chief ordinator in the district hospital.

It is difficult to describe such a change in conditions for someone who is used to live in the relative luxury of capital Stambuli. In a primitive surrounding Dr. Stambolsky practice his medical profession. His main contribution from that period is the study of filariosis epidemics /caused by worm Filaria Medinensis/. From this parasite he makes a preparation which he sends to the Medical School in London together with a referral named "De ver de Medine, par d-r Chr. T. Stambolski, de Kazanlik, Thrace, 1879". Suffice to say, on 10 December 1878 the bulgarian patriot receives an amnesty /"Allah Kerim"/.

Now, in the spring of 1879 Dr. Stambolsky is back in the newly liberated Principality of Bulgaria. First he stays in the town of Gabrovo but soon is elected deputy in the Regional Assembly of Eastern Rumelia. Christo Stambolsky is involved with the conservative elements in the parliament. This causes him great trouble as a prefect in the town of Sliven where he had conflict with the so called "red belts", that is representatives of political jingoism at the time. On July 1881 Dr. Stambolsky is appointed new post - head of "Directorate for Transport and Communications" in Eastern Rumelia. There he stays until 8 December 1883 when a liberal coalition force him to resign. Disappointed from political carrier Dr. Stambolsky returns to the medical field. He goes to native town Kazanluk to start a private medical practice.

The Unification of Bulgaria in the year 1885 finds a doctor in his mid-forties with a rich biography behind himself. This causes him trouble with the regime of Premier Stephan Stambolov /1854-1895/ who registers Dr. Stambolsky in the camp of the "legalists". But in 1893 he is back again with a new carrier as administrative physician in the Alexander's Hospital in Sofia. There he stays until the Balkan War when in the years 1912-1913 he becomes a head of "Directorate of Public Health". After the Great War Dr. Stambolsky retires from public activity.

Towards the year 1918 he starts his work on the memoirs. He toils some 14 years on that "chef d'oeuvre" and we see a work called "Autobiography. Diaries. Recollections" published in three volumes: Volumes 1-2 in 1927; Volume 3 in 1931. This magnum opus is still unpublished in its totality. The archives of Dr. Stambolsky wait to be republished. On 4 June 1932, an old man in his 88s, he dies in Sofia.