| House episode | |||||||
| "The Socratic Method" | |||||||
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| Episode no. | HOU-106 | ||||||
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| Airdate | December 21, 2004 | ||||||
| Writer(s) | John Mankiewicz | ||||||
| Director(s) | Peter Medak | ||||||
| Guest star(s) | Stacy Edwards Aaron Himelstein |
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| Final diagnosis | Vitamin K deficiency Hepatocellular carcinoma Wilson's disease |
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"The Socratic Method" is the sixth episode of the first season of House, which premiered on the FOX network on December 21, 2004. The title refers to the Socratic method, credited to Socrates. When a schizophrenic mother develops a deep-vein thrombosis while applying for welfare, a strange phone call causes House to question her sanity once again.
Plot
Lucille Palmeiro, a mother suffering from schizophrenia, feels a sharp pain in her leg, a result of a blood clot. The clot moves to Lucille’s lung and she has a pulmonary embolism from the clot (Deep vein thrombosis).
At night in the hospital, Lucille begins to vomit blood. House wonders if a Vitamin K deficiency explains the delay between the blood test and the vomiting. Foreman and Chase check the patient’s home for unused Ampicillin, which was prescribed earlier in the year for a sore throat. Foreman finds a strongbox filled with medicine, including an untouched bottle of Ampicillin and a freezer full of microwave burgers. House’s theory about Vitamin K is becoming stronger.
Chase and Cameron ultrasound Lucille’s liver and find cirrhosis and a cancerous tumor. To circumvent surgical guidelines, House injects ethanol into the tumor to temporarily shrink it. After the surgery, Social Services comes to the hospital to take Lucille's son, Luke. House accuses her of calling Social Services for her son and believes that her decision is inconsistent with her schizophrenia.
Late that night, House has a revelation. Wilson's disease is marked by high copper levels in the body, and explains the cirrhosis. Seeing that Lucille canceled an eye exam last year, they give her a quick test. The copper-colored rings around her corneas confirm the diagnosis. Within a few days, a healthy Lucille is happily reunited with Luke. House lies to spare the son from finding out his mother gave him up and claims that he had Cuddy call Social Services.
Throughout the episode, her son, and later House, reads "Her Praise" by William Butler Yeats to Lucille, ending with her reading the poem after she regains full mental capacity.
Trivia
- While attempting to call an ophthalmologist late at night House mimics an English accent pretending he is calling from London and mistook the time. Hugh Laurie is British, but the accent he mimicked is different from his own.
- In the episode it appears to be House's birthday, something he seems to not care about. - an information inconsistent with the fact that later in the show (see the 2nd season finale) it is revealed that his real birthday is in summer.
External links
- FOX.com-House official site
- Television Without Pity-House recaps
- House Episode Guide at epguides.com
- TVGuide's Page: Full list of House Episodes
- House M.D. Guide
- Medical Reviews of House: The Socratic Method
- Extended Medical Reviews of House 106: The Socratic Method
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