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Acceptance (House)
Encyclopedia
"Acceptance" is the first episode of the second season of House
and the twenty-third episode overall. A death row
inmate is felled by an unknown disease and House volunteers to investigate, over the objections of most of the staff. House also has to deal with Stacy, who is working closely with him. Cameron takes over some of House's clinic hours, and ends up with her own patient to deal with.
Meanwhile Dr. Cameron meets a patient named Cindy who appears to be anemic
. The x-rays indicate that she has lung cancer
but Cameron refuses to believe it. She goes to Wilson
and House for other possible diagnoses but both dismiss it as terminal cancer.
House diagnoses Clarence as hypoxic with fluid in his lungs. He will die in an hour without a respirator. House calls for an ambulance. The warden insists that no death row inmate leave through the front doors. House has Stacy acquire a legal injunction, apparently having told her that Cuddy approved. When Cuddy finds out, she is angry about the need to shut down a section of the hospital for death row level security. Foreman thinks heroin might be the cause of Clarence's tachycardia and pulmonary edema, so House orders a drug test. The test results come back with no sign of opiates in Clarence's system.
Foreman draws blood from Clarence's femoral artery. The tests results indicate anion gap acidosis, a new symptom. The team mulls over the causes of anion gap acidosis, and Cameron suggests INH
, the drug for tuberculosis
. House sends Chase to the prison to find Clarence's heroin stash, but he only finds boxes of office supplies. House figures out that Clarence drank copier
fluid
to kill himself, and cures him with several shots of liquor, so that the alcohol binds to the methanol in the copier fluid and eliminates the toxin by urination. Clarence's return to health means he should go back to prison, but House asks Stacy to cover, believing something else is medically wrong with Clarence. Stacy tells Cuddy anyway, and when she tries send Clarence back to prison, Clarence complains of tremendous stomach pain. House pulls back Clarence's sheets, revealing a large pool of blood on the bed.
The surgeons remove almost a foot of necrotic bowel from Clarence. House asks Clarence about why he killed his fourth victim, the only case that didn't fit or have an apparent motive. Clarence says that he felt like the victim was trying to see through him and "raged out" at him. House, Foreman and Chase ponder the sudden cause of this rage. Chase suggests adrenaline, which leads House to think about pheochromocytoma
, a tumor that sits on top of the adrenal gland and randomly dumps the system with adrenaline. Although extremely rare, it is the best explanation. The diagnosis is confirmed by an excruciating MRI (due to iron content in his prison tattoo
s), and Clarence is cured. Afterwards, Foreman plans to testify at Clarence's appeal hearing, on the basis that the tumor led to the rage murders in the first place, even after House reminds him that it was only one of many factors in play.
After running various tests on Cindy trying to avoid doing a definitive biopsy, and in the process going through the five stages of grief herself, Cameron is forced to confront that her patient has terminal lung cancer. The episode ends with her hugging Cindy after she delivers the news.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
and the twenty-third episode overall. A death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmate is felled by an unknown disease and House volunteers to investigate, over the objections of most of the staff. House also has to deal with Stacy, who is working closely with him. Cameron takes over some of House's clinic hours, and ends up with her own patient to deal with.
Plot
Clarence, an inmate on death row, starts seeing hallucinations of the people he killed—his girlfriend, a rival gang member inmate, a guard and a second inmate. Clarence screams to be let out of the room and then collapses on the floor. House is intrigued to hear that the patient's heart was beating so quickly that it pumped air instead of blood. Cuddy gives him the case in exchange for two clinic hours.Meanwhile Dr. Cameron meets a patient named Cindy who appears to be anemic
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
. The x-rays indicate that she has lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
but Cameron refuses to believe it. She goes to Wilson
James Wilson (House)
James Evan Wilson, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend,...
and House for other possible diagnoses but both dismiss it as terminal cancer.
House diagnoses Clarence as hypoxic with fluid in his lungs. He will die in an hour without a respirator. House calls for an ambulance. The warden insists that no death row inmate leave through the front doors. House has Stacy acquire a legal injunction, apparently having told her that Cuddy approved. When Cuddy finds out, she is angry about the need to shut down a section of the hospital for death row level security. Foreman thinks heroin might be the cause of Clarence's tachycardia and pulmonary edema, so House orders a drug test. The test results come back with no sign of opiates in Clarence's system.
Foreman draws blood from Clarence's femoral artery. The tests results indicate anion gap acidosis, a new symptom. The team mulls over the causes of anion gap acidosis, and Cameron suggests INH
Isoniazid
Isoniazid , also known as isonicotinylhydrazine , is an organic compound that is the first-line antituberculosis medication in prevention and treatment. It was first discovered in 1912, and later in 1951 it was found to be effective against tuberculosis by inhibiting its mycolic acid...
, the drug for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. House sends Chase to the prison to find Clarence's heroin stash, but he only finds boxes of office supplies. House figures out that Clarence drank copier
Photocopier
A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat...
fluid
Toner
Toner is a powder used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the printed text and images on the paper. In its early form it was simply carbon powder. Then, to improve the quality of the printout, the carbon was melt-mixed with a polymer...
to kill himself, and cures him with several shots of liquor, so that the alcohol binds to the methanol in the copier fluid and eliminates the toxin by urination. Clarence's return to health means he should go back to prison, but House asks Stacy to cover, believing something else is medically wrong with Clarence. Stacy tells Cuddy anyway, and when she tries send Clarence back to prison, Clarence complains of tremendous stomach pain. House pulls back Clarence's sheets, revealing a large pool of blood on the bed.
The surgeons remove almost a foot of necrotic bowel from Clarence. House asks Clarence about why he killed his fourth victim, the only case that didn't fit or have an apparent motive. Clarence says that he felt like the victim was trying to see through him and "raged out" at him. House, Foreman and Chase ponder the sudden cause of this rage. Chase suggests adrenaline, which leads House to think about pheochromocytoma
Pheochromocytoma
A pheochromocytoma or phaeochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor of the medulla of the adrenal glands , or extra-adrenal chromaffin tissue that failed to involute after birth and secretes excessive amounts of catecholamines, usually noradrenaline , and adrenaline to a lesser extent...
, a tumor that sits on top of the adrenal gland and randomly dumps the system with adrenaline. Although extremely rare, it is the best explanation. The diagnosis is confirmed by an excruciating MRI (due to iron content in his prison tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
s), and Clarence is cured. Afterwards, Foreman plans to testify at Clarence's appeal hearing, on the basis that the tumor led to the rage murders in the first place, even after House reminds him that it was only one of many factors in play.
After running various tests on Cindy trying to avoid doing a definitive biopsy, and in the process going through the five stages of grief herself, Cameron is forced to confront that her patient has terminal lung cancer. The episode ends with her hugging Cindy after she delivers the news.
External links
- "Acceptance" at Fox.com