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Safe (House)
Encyclopedia
"Safe" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of House
, which premiered on the Fox
network on April 4, 2006.
and removes the mask to comply with her demand for a kiss. While kissing her, Dan notices urticaria
on Melinda's left forearm, but when he tries to question the girl about it, she almost immediately goes into anaphylaxis
. Mrs. Bardach saves her via the use of an EpiPen
, blames Dan, and takes her to the hospital. There it is revealed that Melinda had a transplant heart operation after her chest was crushed in a car accident. Thus, with a compromised immune system
she has to be kept in a constantly clean environment.
Suspicions arise regarding whether Dan has been sneaking into her house. House and his team discover that the boy actually did meet Melinda, had sexual intercourse with her and, as a precaution for her safety, has been taking penicillin
ignoring that the girl is allergic to it. House chides Dan for being unaware that antibiotics can be transferred during sexual transmission of bodily fluids.
Just when they believe that Melinda is out of danger, she begins to have heart problems, followed by paralysis (steppage gait
) and none of the treatments seem to be working. House interrupts a procedure to question Melinda about possible allergen
s, and they learn that the antibiotic that Dan was on wasn't penicillin. The anaphylaxis must have an alternate explanation. House believes that all these symptoms have been caused by a tick
or other bug, currently injecting trace amounts of venom into her bloodstream. He searches for a tick (a search that had been carried out previously as well), but finds nothing.
During an elevator ride to intensive care, House emergency-stops the elevator and proceeds once again to look for a tick. Foreman, dismayed by the irregular examination, initially goes along. In the meantime, Cuddy and the family are perplexed while waiting for the stopped elevator. When the patient's condition deteriorates further, Foreman returns the elevator to service. As the elevator door opens, the girl's family and other doctors are initially astonished to see House, with the patient's knees spread apart and his head under the covers. The father of the girl (Lance Guest
) initially suspects House of perversion, but the doctor is able to hold up the blood-gorged tick which he had found in her vagina
. Finally, Melinda's health returns.
Side stories include House playing various mean tricks on Wilson, including the classic "hand in warm water", pushing his patience and diplomacy until he files House's cane making him break it and trip when walking. At the end House tells Wilson that the purpose of his recent behavior was to teach him to react to the unpleasant things in his life, like the recent separation from his wife, rather than just complain about them.
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...
, which premiered on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network on April 4, 2006.
Plot
The episode starts out with teenager Melinda's boyfriend, Dan, visiting her at her house. Her mother, Mrs. Bardach, makes Dan wash his hands up to the elbows and when he sneezes, she questions him closely about possible illness, but he denies being sick so she reluctantly lets him go upstairs. Dan, wearing a surgeon's mask, meets Melinda in her bedroom cleanroomCleanroom
A cleanroom is an environment, typically used in manufacturing or scientific research, that has a low level of environmental pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles and chemical vapors. More accurately, a cleanroom has a controlled level of contamination that is specified by...
and removes the mask to comply with her demand for a kiss. While kissing her, Dan notices urticaria
Urticaria
Urticaria is a kind of skin rash notable for pale red, raised, itchy bumps. Hives is frequently caused by allergic reactions; however, there are many non-allergic causes...
on Melinda's left forearm, but when he tries to question the girl about it, she almost immediately goes into anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...
. Mrs. Bardach saves her via the use of an EpiPen
EpiPen
An epinephrine autoinjector is a medical device used to deliver a measured dose of epinephrine using autoinjector technology, most frequently for the treatment of acute allergic reactions to avoid or treat the onset of anaphylactic shock.Trade names for this device include EpiPen, Twinject,...
, blames Dan, and takes her to the hospital. There it is revealed that Melinda had a transplant heart operation after her chest was crushed in a car accident. Thus, with a compromised immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
she has to be kept in a constantly clean environment.
Suspicions arise regarding whether Dan has been sneaking into her house. House and his team discover that the boy actually did meet Melinda, had sexual intercourse with her and, as a precaution for her safety, has been taking penicillin
Penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....
ignoring that the girl is allergic to it. House chides Dan for being unaware that antibiotics can be transferred during sexual transmission of bodily fluids.
Just when they believe that Melinda is out of danger, she begins to have heart problems, followed by paralysis (steppage gait
Steppage gait
Steppage gait is a form of gait abnormality that is associated with a loss of dorsiflexion.It can be caused by damage to the deep peroneal nerve.-Presentation:Toes point down...
) and none of the treatments seem to be working. House interrupts a procedure to question Melinda about possible allergen
Allergen
An allergen is any substance that can cause an allergy. In technical terms, an allergen is a non-parasitic antigen capable of stimulating a type-I hypersensitivity reaction in atopic individuals....
s, and they learn that the antibiotic that Dan was on wasn't penicillin. The anaphylaxis must have an alternate explanation. House believes that all these symptoms have been caused by a tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
or other bug, currently injecting trace amounts of venom into her bloodstream. He searches for a tick (a search that had been carried out previously as well), but finds nothing.
During an elevator ride to intensive care, House emergency-stops the elevator and proceeds once again to look for a tick. Foreman, dismayed by the irregular examination, initially goes along. In the meantime, Cuddy and the family are perplexed while waiting for the stopped elevator. When the patient's condition deteriorates further, Foreman returns the elevator to service. As the elevator door opens, the girl's family and other doctors are initially astonished to see House, with the patient's knees spread apart and his head under the covers. The father of the girl (Lance Guest
Lance Guest
Lance R. Guest is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Guest developed a serious interest in acting in the ninth grade, and he majored in theater while attending UCLA. He has starred in many theatrical films including his role as Jimmy alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween...
) initially suspects House of perversion, but the doctor is able to hold up the blood-gorged tick which he had found in her vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
. Finally, Melinda's health returns.
Side stories include House playing various mean tricks on Wilson, including the classic "hand in warm water", pushing his patience and diplomacy until he files House's cane making him break it and trip when walking. At the end House tells Wilson that the purpose of his recent behavior was to teach him to react to the unpleasant things in his life, like the recent separation from his wife, rather than just complain about them.
External links
- "Safe" at Fox.com