In 1887, a psychiatric hospital was opened on Maiden Field. The best domestic psychiatrists worked here at one time: S.S. Korsakov, V.P. Serbsky, etc. A few years later, the clinic was headed by P. B. Gannushkin, who was the first to collect and systematize the stories of his patients. Sad, tragic, and sometimes funny stories of the life and illness of the patients of the clinic formed the basis of this book.