Original subtitles

Henry?

No sensation.

MAN: Make way! Sister! Sister! ADA: Excuse me.

(MAN GROANS)

Some kind of knife attack?

-You'll never believe - mauled by a lion. -Mauled by a lion?

In Bethnal Green. (PATIENT GROANS)

He's just a bit chewed up, that's all. Roarrr!

(THEY LAUGH)

Take him to Dr Ingrams.

(HE GROANS)

Sister Russell!

Acid burns.

MAN: This little maniac walked into our polling station,

and smashed a bottle full of acid onto the ballot box!

If you think you will achieve the vote through terrorism,

you are mistaken! This, madam, is a democracy!

WOMAN: For you. Not for us!

-Take them to Dr Culpin. -And her?

All burns to Dr Culpin.

This way.

Henry? No sensation.

What you expected to see?

You describe the scene extremely accurately.

The exact nature of the stimuli Mr Dean intends to deliver,

and where on my forearm, are unknown to me.

Only by this meticulous process...

..can we properly chart the recovery of sensation to my divided nerve...

or not.

I'd not accounted for the great concentration it would require.

I try and let my thoughts flow by like clouds on a windy day.

I must entirely detach myself from the idea that there are

experiments in progress.

Suddenly, within this sea of flowing thoughts, there arises ...

.. a flash of pain, a wave of cold, a flicker of heat.

It should appear with the suddenness of a porpoise,

attract attention and disappear again.

Remarkable.

This state is the most perfect condition for psychological investigation,

and I can now assume it at will.

However, we are continually haunted by the fear that we've forgotten...

..to test some important area.

But I tell you this - once this experiment is over,

I shall know a great deal about sensation and pain.

(MAN GROANS) Easy, now.

I assume the lion in question is not in the habit of attacking its keepers?

Been with Sanger's Circus for three years.

Never touched a hair on a human head.

Perhaps he was disorientated to find himself in Whitechapel

-as opposed to the African savannah. -Weren't Whitechapel,

Bethnal Green.

There can be no reasonable explanation, then, can there?

(HE GROANS)

When you relate the tale to your grandchildren,

be sure to tell them there were casualties on both sides.

Hmm.

Doctor?

Artery forceps!

Let's hope this is a nick and not a cut.

(HE GROANS)

Calm yourself, Henry.

I'm sorry, I can't do this right now.

Was it my presence?

I don't believe so. Possibly.

For one moment, I thought he would simply explode!

Implode, more likely.

Poor Dean battles with forces that eat at him from within.

The cocaine.

In Dean's case, I would consider cocaine but a symptom.

How long do we keep them in?

Until the burning stops.

Undo the cuffs, please, so I can examine her hands.

The lady is under arrest, Doctor.

I'm not a lady. I'm a woman!

I don't treat prisoners, Constable, I treat people.

Kindly undo the handcuffs before I hack them off with a surgical saw.

Thank you.

Surely just pouring ink into the ballot box would have made your point?

The suffragists got precisely nowhere with civilised debate...

...and symbolic gesture!

It didn't occur to you that when you smashed the bottle,

-the acid would go everywhere? -I didn't intend to injure anyone.

But they could have washed the ballot papers before the ink dried.

So you wanted to destroy them?

Until our vote counts, no vote should count!

Perhaps next time, you might consider injecting the acid into the ballot box.

Much more precise. Less reckless.

I assume there will be a next time?

And a time after that. Until you and I share the same rights.

I sincerely hope the end is not undermined...

..by the means through which you seek to achieve it.

ETHEL: Miss De Burgh?

-Nurse Bennett, how wonderful! -Why are you here?

For radiotherapy. A month after the operation, I discovered another lump.

If only we could have met again under different circumstances.

The first time at my house. The second,

here at yours.

I don't think I've met anyone so determined to find the good in everything.

Nurse Bennett?

Why were your hands in contact with this patient's?

I'm sorry, Mr Dean, I...

I can assure you my hands are very clean.

I will go and wash them immediately.

-I took her hands in mine. -That would be of little consequence to an open wound..

that she might infect in theatre.

Good day.

Where were we?

Bananas.

Bananas. Yes. Continue.

Assorted nuts, steak and kidney pie,

roast chicken, bread, cheese, ham,

Battenburg cake, two bottles of wine.

GLASS CLINKS

Now, I'm not able to find the nuts.

Oh, I used them to underpin the chicken

and buttress the pie up against the ham.

If you ever fall out of love with nursing,

you surely have a second vocation as an engineer!

Nursing is my life, Matron.

All I've ever wanted to do is look after the sick.

Orange and LIME marmalade!

I've always preferred orange myself.

Still, one mustn't complain about a gift...must one?

One mustn't. (KNOCK ON DOOR)

Yes, come in!

A message for you, Matron.

Thank you.

Where is Nurse Bennett?

And you have no idea what the message was?

She said simply find you and take you directly to the nurses' quarters.

-She didn't say why? -No.

And you didn't think to ask?

In Miss Luckes's office, one does not think, Ethel,

one merely does as one is instructed.

-What do you think, Nurse Ansett? -Doctor?

Of the suffragists' methods compared to those of the suffragettes?

I'm sure I don't know enough difference to venture an opinion.

Well, the former employ debate and persuasion to achieve their aims,

while the latter favour direct action.

I... Well, it can't be right to throw acid over people, whatever you want!

It got their attention.

Speaking for myself, I think everything works smoothly

when everyone knows their place.

Mrs Baker. Abdominal pain, headache, chest pains.

Collapsed on the street, apparently. Get her on the table.

(PATIENT GASPS)

-Please don't let me die! -I'll do my best.

(SHE GASPS AND GROANS)

Oh!

Agh!

Ohhh.

How many children do you have?

Five.

(SHE SQUEALS)

Another on the way?

I'm just going to have a look in your mouth...

Uh-huh. Sister...

You see the purple-blueish line along the gums? That's Burton's line,

created by excessive lead in the blood

reacting with sulphur produced by the oral bacteria.

Lead poisoning.

Nurse Ansett, get me one-sixth of morphia, please,

then prepare an olive-oil enema

and half an ounce of sodium sulphate in a pint of water.

Yes, Doctor.

What's your name?

Anna Baker.

How many black and whites did you take, Mrs Baker?

Please, Doctor, I've already got five children I can barely feed...

-I have to know how many you've taken. -Please...

Anna, I need to know if you've tried to abort this pregnancy.

(SHE SOBS)

Sister Russell...

Once we've treated her for the lead poisoning,

I'm going to need to examine her uterus,

so keep everyone outside, please.

And Sister...

I may need you.

The enema's ready, Doctor. And here's the morphia.

Hold her, please.

(SHE SOBS)

There.

I'm relieving you of your duties now.

Pack a bag and I will make arrangements for transportation to the Naval hospital.

Thank you, Matron.

Hurry now.

Matron, what's happened?

A strong cup of tea would be nice, Nurse Goodley.

Yes, Matron.

(SHE RETCHES)

(SHE COUGHS)

Everything runs smoothly when everyone knows their place.

If only that were true.

Fetch Sister Russell.

Yes, Doctor.

How do you feel?

I feel like death.

I will need to examine you, Anna. I need to see what's happened.

She has perhaps a month of worthwhile life left to her.

Let's not make her too sick to enjoy it.

Of course.

Before you begin the treatment, may I see her?

I want to say goodbye.

Yes, certainly.

Miss De Burgh?

My dear child. I should apologise for what happened earlier.

There's nothing to apologise for.

I have to go away for a few days.

My brother is being taken to the Royal Navy Hospital

direct from the ship from South Africa.

I wanted to say goodbye.

He's injured?

His appendix was removed in Johannesburg, but there appears to have been a

complication with the operation.

He's very sick.

Our parents are both dead, so...

There are things we can affect and things we cannot.

We cannot always tell them apart, which is a blessing, I think, because

the determination to live without fear

is more purposeful than passive acceptance.

Go and fight for your brother's life.

-You must continue to fight for yours. -Until the very end.

The abortion's incomplete. The placenta hasn't been delivered.

I can feel the cord, but...

..it may be trapped behind the bladder.

Anna, could you empty your bladder for me, please?

What, here?

Don't worry, we saw worse before you had your breakfast.

I ain't had no breakfast.

(SHE STRAINS)

How's that?

No. Nothing.

I don't think there's anything in there.

Speculum.

(SHE GASPS) Vulsellum forceps.

It's all right. (SHE PANTS)

Doctor?

(SHE GROANS) The cervix isn't sufficiently dilated.

If I force my way through to the uterus, we risk greater damage.

What's happening?

We can't free the placenta, Anna, so,

we're going to have to try and force it out manually.

Who's currently in theatre?

Mr Cooper-Fozzard.

Damn it! He won't do it. He'll report it.

She's tried to abort.

But...

There are no buts. I've had the conversation with the man many times.

He won't do it, so...we'll do it here.

-Where's Dr Ingrams? -Next door.

I'll need him to administer the anaesthetic.

-But... -I know.

Get him in.

Yes, Doctor.

We're going to turn the uterus into a piston,

and force the placenta through the cervix.

(SHE MOANS)

No interruptions in room one, Nurse.

She's ready.

And you?

-Everything is under control. -Good.

All right. After three.

And one, two, three.

Again.

One, two, three.

Is she all right? Mm-hm.

One, two, three...

It's over.

What would it have...?

What would have been is not our business.

Dispose of it. Get her up to Victor as soon as she comes round.

Official reason for admission - acute menorrhagia.

Yes, Doctor.

I'll buy you a pint after work.

-Two if you bring her back round. -That's not funny.

I thought you'd already left.

Oh, you've heard?

Yes. Sister Russell was informed by Miss Luckes.

-I wanted to come and find you. -But...?

But we've had no respite all day.

And then...

I thought perhaps I'd missed you.

Didn't you think I'd want to see you before I left?

I wasn't sure you had the time.

It didn't occur to you that I'd make the time?

I don't like to assume.

I wish you would.

What do you know of your brother's condition?

Only that it's grave. (KNOCK AT DOOR)

Are you coming for that drink?

I'll meet you there.

Ale or stout?

Er...stout.

Right you are.

I see you've made arrangements.

Just a quick pint at the end of a difficult day.

Well...don't let me keep you.

(HORSE WHINNIES)

There's a cab waiting to take you to Waterloo.

Have this hamper of good food to keep up your strength,

and that of your brother.

I have reports that the food at the Naval hospital leaves a lot to be desired.

Take all the time you need.

Thank you so much.

Sister Jarvis?

Sister Russell?

The woman admitted earlier with menorrhagia...

Mrs Baker. She...

I take it she recovered from the anaesthetic.

Oh! Yes.

-Has she been moved? -In a manner of speaking.

-She discharged herself. -What?

I explained that she needed complete rest,

that she couldn't leave until discharged by a doctor.

But...?

But she told me to "shove that", got dressed and walked out.

But she's not well.

Granted. Heavy menstruation is unpleasant but it's hardly life-threatening.

What was I supposed to do? Tie her to the bed?

Hey!

Mr Fenwick! To what do I owe the honour?

I have come about a private matter.

I keep no secrets from my sister.

I have not come to discuss secrets, Mr Dean.

I merely feel that until we have discussed what I have come to discuss,

we should discuss it between ourselves.

Would you leave us, please, Edith?

Of course.

Miss Dean.

God knows, you and I have had our differences.

He should.

On occasion, they have been loud enough to carry all the way to the heavens.

Mr Dean, I cannot stand by and watch a superb physician destroy himself.

Destroy?

Your behaviour around the hospital has been erratic for some time.

And then, today,

I saw at first hand how badly it has started to affect your nerves.

It?

From the lowliest scrubber to the chairman of the Board of Trustees,

everyone at the London has become aware

of your habituation to cocaine.

The only thing I am habituated towards is my work.

Do you deny you use the stuff?

I won't deny that I have used it in the past.

But no more?

I admit only to having had a predilection...

-n much the same way that you have for malt whisky.

-But I can take or leave the malt. - As can I, cocaine.

Can you?

I am about to go out, Mr Fenwick.

Why don't you accompany me...

and challenge the utter ..certainty

that you seem to enjoy in your observations?

Accompany you where?

I have an appointment in D'arblay Street.

(SHE CLEARS HER THROAT)

Excuse me.

I am here to see my brother, Lieutenant Alfred Bennett.

(DISTANT GROANING)

(DISTANT SHOUTING)

(ANGUISHED CRIES)

(COUGHING)

Wait here.

(ANGUISHED GROANS)

-Miss Bennett? -Yes.

I'm afraid your brother's situation is not good.

I was told grave.

His appendectomy was performed in less than satisfactory conditions

in South Africa, and he now has a high temperature.

-How high? -Well...very.

No. I... No.

How high in numbers?

Come.

I assume you have measured his temperature?

You only have to look at him to see.

Oh, my dear Freddy.

We're trying to keep him cool.

His skin shows signs of liver failure

and his breathing is dangerously shallow,

and you are trying to keep him cool? He's dying.

Is he drinking?

Um...If he doesn't drink, he will dehydrate.

He needs as much water as he can drink, with lemon juice.

What medication is he being given?

He has acute sepsis.

Has he been given perchloride of iron, or antifebrin?

-Not to my knowledge. -Or quinine?

Has he received any antiseptics or saline injections

to at least dilute the toxins in the blood?

Again, not to my knowledge.

Thank you. But with all due respect, that is doing little good.

He needs systematic hydrotherapy

sponging of his limbs and trunk.

Or, better still, a continuous wet pack.

I will need two new sheets and two blankets.

I beg your pardon?

And a sponge, and two buckets of cold water, and I need it all now. NOW!

Papa?

Papa?

Sarah?

IN CHILD'S VOICE:Hello, Papa.

Is that you, Sarah?

I miss you, Papa.

SOBBING: Oh, my darling!

I miss you.

Is your mummy with you?

Yes, Papa.

I am so...

Anne, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Anne?

Mummy can hear you. She is with me.

Can she speak to me?

She loves you very much, Papa.

She is very proud of you and your work in...London.

In...the London.

(HE SOBS)

I think we should stop this.

It's all right, Henry.

It's all right.

Something from the galley?

Thank you. I've brought food for him.

I meant for you.

No. Thank you.

Suit yourself.

Haven't you finished yet?

I have to be very accurate.

If wards don't get allocated the right number of tickets,

the nurses will cry foul, and I will get assailed from all sides.

What is this latest show that we've been given tickets for?

-A light opera. -Oh, I hate light opera!

Wouldn't it be wonderful

to see a show depicting what life is really like for real people?

No. It would have to be unremittingly tedious,

as that is what real life is like.. At least, that's what mine is currently like

Is it so dreary in Matron's office?

I used to be a nurse.

Now I'm a clerk in a nurse's uniform,

endlessly shuffling bits of paper, and ceaselessly making cups of tea!

I don't know why Matron's bothering to distribute these, anyway.

Our curfew is before the final curtain.

Who on earth wants to see one half of The Merry Peasant?!

It's beyond my comprehension why anyone would want to see either half.

I'm going to turn in.

I wonder how Ethel is.

I have been thinking the same.

Eth?

I'm here.

-I'm so hot, Eth. -You have a fever.

I was dreaming.

I dreamt I was in Bleriot's flying machine, gliding across the Channel.

We crossed the White Cliffs of Dover...

so white beneath!

But instead of landing among the cheering crowds,

the machine turned upwards, heading straight for the sun.

The closer we got, the hotter it became. It was burning.

It was burning!

Shush, shush.

Ssh, ssh.

You have a serious infection, Freddy.

In your blood.

-You came to look after me? -As soon as I heard.

In my blood, did you say?

Yes.

Well, that...that doesn't sound very entertaining.

(SHE GIGGLES)

Well, I'm here now,

for as long as you need me.

And how long do you think that's likely to be...

..Nurse Bennett?

-I should go. -No.

Please.

It started with, of all things, a preparation against hay fever

some years before Sarah was even born.

Cocaine was one of its ingredients.

Perhaps this is a conversation we should have in...

Oh, Fenwick! Do you really believe that Edith doesn't know?

She knows better than anyone the effect that it's had on me over the years.

Better even than myself.

It grew more pronounced after they passed away.

Cocaine numbs, Fenwick.

Like all tropane alkaloids, that's its chief property.

It numbs one to sensation.

And it stimulates certain centres in the brain, energises,

and helps one to blast through depressive thoughts...

And it is addictive, and it destroys the nerves

with prolonged and excessive use!

Yes.

That you have lost both your wife and child to tuberculosis is a tragedy.

But this habit threatens everything that remains.

Help me.

Oh, Henry!

My dear man, with everything at my disposal.

(RAIN PATTERS)

Where is it?

I said, where is it? Where is what?

I brought a hamper of food with me for my brother,

which I put under his bed. When I came back from fetching more water...

-...to cool him. The hamper... -Miss Bennett.

Someone must have stolen it.

-Are you sure it isn't misplaced? -It's been stolen!

Do you know where it is?

Do you?

Does anyone know where my hamper is?

Miss Luckes gave it to us... to help us.

I turn my back for five minutes and it's gone!

Tell me, please! How is this possible?!

(SHE WEEPS)

MAN: Orderly!

Orderly!

(BELL RINGS)

Mrs Baker!

She's lost a lot of blood, Sister. Down below.

Maud,

every time you come in here,

it's as a consequence of your drinking too much gin and falling off something,

or bumping into something, or seeing two of something speeding towards you,

not knowing which of them to jump out of the way of!

And your point is?

Haven't we each got better things to be doing with our time?

Do you enjoy being a doctor, Doctor?

Yes.

Well, I like drinking gin.

So the answer to your question would appear to be "no".

Nurse Ansett, you find it amusing that this woman is wasting our time?

No, sir. I'm not a woman!

-I am a patient! -All right...

On your way!

Thank you kindly, Doctor. Nurse.

-Disinfect the table. -Yes, Doctor.

I don't know why this has haemorrhaged so much.

-Will she need surgery? -No, I don't think so,

but she'll need several days' bed rest if she's to heal properly.

-I'll get her back up to Victor. -No... No.

Mrs Baker, you've lost a great deal of blood.

If she leaves now, there's every probability she will die.

Anna, you have to stay here.

You think you're better than me, don't you?

-Of course not. -Yeah, I see it.

The way you look at me. Like, from above. Down on me.

-That simply isn't true. -None of you know how I live.

None of you could survive it, neither!

Sister... Sister.

The bleeding's stopped, but you need to get her on to a ward

-and keep her there. -She's a law unto herself.

Leave the nurse with her until they're ready to admit her.

MAN: Prevailing thought suggests that abrupt stoppage rarely works.

A successful outcome is most likely where the cocaine dosage

is gradually reduced to zero over six weeks.

I have prepared a table indicating the precise amounts for each daily dose...

This is your bible for the next six weeks, Edith.

To exorcise your brother of this demon,

you must keep the cocaine in a secure place, known only to you.

From this point on, you must treat it like a controlled poison.

There may be times when Henry demands more than you will have given him,

or screams that he needs to stop this process altogether.

It is the cocainomania speaking.

Stand firm.

EDITH:I will. Thank you.

(WHEELS OVER COBBLES, TROTTING HORSES)

(SHE SOBS)

My dear child, you should have sent word about the funeral.

We lost our parents at a very early age, so...

I wanted to be alone with him.

I understand.

The hospital had so little by way of pain relief.

I'm sorry! (SHE SOBS)

Oh, Ethel...

You're quite sure of the dose?

I have measured it out according to Mr Fenwick's instructions,

and then checked it again.

Very good.

You may not want to watch.

I want to oversee it all, Henry.

They had no quinine, little opium, so Freddy was exposed

to the worst effects of delirium and pain.

Men like my brother give life and limb for this country!

Something ought to be done about it! Yes, but what?

Well, we should write letters to the Admiralty.

Oh, which the Admiralty will file under "letters of protest" and ignore.

Well, we should stage a protest, then.

How, when thousands upon thousands of suffragettes are ignored..

over a much greater issue? We should send nurses.

If my career has taught me one thing, Nurse Goodley,

it is that leadership is best conveyed by example.

Nurse.

-Where is Mrs Baker? -She got up and left, Sister.

Left? She was waiting to go up to Victor.

I tried to persuade her to stay, but she said she was needed at home.

She called me... Please, don't make me repeat what she called me. Truth be told,

I was glad to see the back of her.

And will your gladness persist when she succumbs to her condition

and is brought to the hospital mortuary?

I'm sorry, Sister. I...I didn't mean any offence.

That was unfair of me.

Carry on.

Yes, Sister.

Edith!

Edith!

-Henry? -What have you done to me?

I can't stop! What in God's name did you put in the syringe?

The correct dose of cocaine solution, of course! No, no, no!

You've cheated me on the dose. You've cheated me! I can't stop!

Was it cocaine at all?

It wasn't, was it? It can't have been! It's you and Fenwick!

You've concocted some alternative plan using a placebo!

Henry, listen to me. The literature I've been reading warns of this reaction.

The sensation of insects crawling beneath the skin.

Duped using a placebo!

No. Henry, please, you must stop scratching.

I'm being eaten alive!

You're bleeding! Stop! Get away from me!

You're trying to kill me!

Admit it! Admit it!

I shall do no such thing, Henry.

Did Dean give any indication how long he might be away?

His sister is apparently subject to periodic bouts of incapacitation.

He suggested it could last a week, or anything up to six.

Are you prepared to take his place for six weeks?

It's quite a commitment for a man as busy as you are.

I could ask one of the others.

All I require are the steady hands of a surgeon.

My dear Dr Head, it is a privilege to assist you in your great work.

-I wouldn't have it any other way. -Very well.

Open the ledger...

..and record the date and time.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Pub?

Not tonight, Ingrams.

Third night in a row, old chap.

Not going all Temperance on me, are you?

Things on my mind.

Drown them with beer!

Not tonight.

Very well, suit yourself.

Do you have everything?

Everything except the words I need to persuade the other nurses to do as I ask.

There are two expressions that I've used to great effect

since I was made Sister. The first is "please". And the second is "thank you".

I will try to be like you.

Just be yourself, Laura Goodley.

Just be a good nurse.

That is all I've ever wanted to be.

The London will miss you.

I will think of you every day, in the receiving room.

(CLOCK CHIMES)

(FOOTSTEPS)

(SHOUTING AND DOGS BARKING)

(KNOCKING)

Slight pain!

The body has found a way

to re-engage this tiny part of itself with the world once more.

But how?

Speaking to you now, I don't know.

But what we've seen here, my dear Harry...

..is nothing less than the triumph of life over death.

I should make a note in the ledger?

You should indeed.

Never thought I'd be so happy to feel pain!

"Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus,

"that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.

"Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades,

"and many a hero did it yield a-prey to dogs and vultures...

"for so were the counsels of Jove..."I love you...

I love you, Anna, I love you, Sarah.

DEAN:I love you, Anna, I love you, Sarah.

DEAN:I love you, Anna, I love you, Sarah.

DEAN:I love you, Anna, I love you, Sarah. I love you, Anna,

I love you, Sarah.

I love you, Anna, I love you, Sarah... I love you, Anna...

Mr Woodcott?

I thought you'd gone, Dr Head.

Good night.

Good night, sir.

Slight sensations, slight pain.

Sir?

The relationship between sensation and pain, Mr Woodcott,

takes us to the very root of human suffering.

Do have a very good evening.

(COUGHING)

I had to come home.

Anna, there are things you can do to prevent yourself from falling pregnant

Trust me, they don't work.

Trixie?

Wait for me in there, love. Be in in a minute.

Feeding her.

Put another one of your coals on the fire for when I get back? It's freezing.

-Anna! -What?

Don't!

-Looking down on me now? -Never.

I won't be long.

(BABY CRIES)

(DOG BARKS)

(STREET BUSTLE)

I've learned the symptoms for severe sepsis, if you'll hear me.

Severe sepsis occurs when sepsis leads to organ failure,

low blood pressure, or hypotension,

or insufficient blood flow, hypoperfusion to one or more of the organs,

causing, for example, lactic acidosis,

decreased urine production, or altered mental status.

Sepsis can also lead to septic shock, multiple organ failure,

or in my brother's case, death.

How did I do?

When did you get back?

This afternoon. It took this long to come and see me?

I didn't want to interrupt your work.

What are you talking about?

You make it abundantly clear how important your work is to you.

I thought I should wait until you'd finished.

My work is important to me.

But it's not as important as you are to me.

If that were true, why did you not come after me the evening I left?

And say what? How much I'd miss you? How much...

How much I love you?

I would like to have heard that.

Saying it then would have diminished it. It would have meant...

Do you sometimes think that you think just a little too much?

It's been said.

What are you thinking now?

How much I'd like to come over there...

Hold you.

(METALLIC CLANKING)

CULPIN: The scrubbers... (DOOR CLOSES)