'There are so many psychopaths in Moscow, so many that we have to hunt for healthy people with fire or even policemen,' Chekhov wittily observed. Nervousness in his works becomes an artistic philosophy, a recognizable trait of his characters. Contemporaries were amazed by how convincingly Chekhov depicted various mental states—anxiety, fear, seizures, and mental illness. His education at the Faculty of Medicine at Moscow University and his medical practice helped Chekhov the writer come to a close understanding of human nature and develop his own method for uncovering the secret movements of the soul, combining medical precision with genuine artistry. This edition includes such famous works by Chekhov as 'The Seizure,' 'Ward No. 6,' 'The Black Monk,' and others.