Comments on: House – Episode 5: “Damned If You Do”

By: Tomas

Tomas — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:08:40 +0000

Dr Cameron, wen intubating the nun in the “clean room” takes the laringoscope with the right hand at first. It was very funnt, but they change it in the next camera view.

By: House 105: Damned if you do « monash medical student

House 105: Damned if you do « monash medical student — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:13:05 +0000

[...] Polite Dissent’s review of House 105 (part 1 and part 2) [...]

By: 26

26 — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 02:52:00 +0000

The medicine in this episode is based almost directly on a case described by Berton Roueche, first in ‘Annals of Medicine’ in the New Yorker in 1978, and more recently in the book ‘Medical Detectives’. Aside from making the patient a nun, the idea of an allergy to a copper IUD is a direct lift of a case treated by Dr. Vincent P. Barranco, of the Tulsa Dermatology Clinic in Oklahoma.

By: com64

com64 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:14:38 +0000

Thanks 13 – I suspected such but would’ve felt very smug had I noticed a goof :-)

By: 13

13 — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:33:51 +0000

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) creates images through a combination of magnetic fields and radio wave pulses. Only ferromagnetic or magnetisable material (pertaining to, or derived from, iron) should experience a static force within the MRI. Most intrauterine devices (IUDs) are composed of plastic with copper wire or copper bands, while some also have a central core of silver. None of this material should experience a magnetic force within the magnetic field.

In layman’s terms: Copper is not magnetic and cannot become magnetized.

By: com64

com64 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:14:19 +0000

Anybody else wonder how the nun made it through the MRI machine with that big hunk of copper inside her? Tell me if I’m missing something here but I believed there to be a giant electromagnet inside that machine…

Isnt that the reason House requested the MRI for the homeless girl? To get the surgical pin removed?

Hmmm

By: Nix

Nix — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 02:57:57 +0000

Tami, the copper crucifix _was_ the IUD.

By: Claudia

Claudia — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 09:43:43 +0000

Sometimes marks on the wrist are accepted as stigmata, because Roman crucifixions involved nails driven between the radius and the ulna.

By: Gwen Christie

Gwen Christie — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 09:16:47 +0000

Tami, it was just coincidence that the contraceptive device was shaped like a crucifix. You can probably get a full run down on old devices like this if you Google it.

By: Tami

Tami — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:10:02 +0000

1) It it very rare to see nuns in habits theses days. But at least they didn’t dress them in the whole get up. They put them in drab granny clothes which is pretty accurate.

2) As a previous poster stated, the tea thing was obvious from the start. Furthermore, in the nun kitchen it was “Copperpalooza.” Also, wouldn’t the hopital control all foods and liquids and not allow her to keep drinking the tea? Especially if being treated for allergies.

3) I still don’t get the ending. She had a copper crucifix jammed in her as a result of a botched IUD? Or was that a result of her attempt to self terminate her teen pregnancy? The combination of figwort tea and copper causing allergic reaction is interesting, but they coud have come up with a more reasonable cause of interaction.