Since the end of 1899, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov had a new socially significant project - the writer got involved in the creation of a tuberculosis sanatorium in Yalta. To organize such an institution, the writer was prompted by his acquaintance with the hopeless situation of the poor who suffered from this disease. They went to Crimea from all over Russia, but the lack of funds did not allow them to use the services of private hospitals and boarding houses. Chekhov helped the unfortunates as much as he could, but such isolated cases of support had almost no effect on the problem in general.

As part of the activities of the Charity Society ‘Guardianship for Visiting Patients’, Anton Pavlovich, through newspapers, appealed to concerned citizens with a request to help the poor in providing treatment. This proclamation stated: ‘Any donation, even a penny, will be accepted with gratitude.’

Following Chekhov’s example, many of his acquaintances and family members took part in this charity campaign. The money came from all over Russia. With these funds, the Yalta doctors, who formed the core of the charitable society, opened a small 20-bed boarding house called “Yauzlar”. However, much more space was required. In 1902, Chekhov wrote another proclamation to raise funds - already for a full-fledged sanatorium, capable of receiving 40-50 patients. The pledge again met with a wide response from all concerned people. This time, 45 000 were collected, 5 of which were the writer’s personal funds. The money went to purchase a house and re-equip it into a sanatorium, also called Yauzlar. This medical institution became one of the first tuberculosis sanatoriums for the poor at that time.

Anton Pavlovich devoted a lot of time to charity. Among the exhibits there is a ruled notebook with 20 sheets. There is a branded sticker of the Moscow trading house ‘Muir and Meriliz’ on its blue cover. Three pages of the notebook contain the writer’s notes, representing November dates without indicating the year and sums of money sent by Chekhov in favor of those in need.