Cursed (House)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| House episode | |
| "Cursed" | |
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| Episode no. | HOU-113 |
|---|---|
| Airdate | March 1, 2005 |
| Writer(s) | Matt Witten, Peter Blake |
| Director(s) | Daniel Sackheim |
| All House episodes | |
Cursed is the thirteenth episode of the first season of House, which premiered on the FOX network on March 1, 2005. After consulting a Ouija board on his life, a young boy thinks that he is going to die.
[edit] Plot
12-year-old Gabe Reillich (Daryl Sabara) is taken to the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital after he collapses with a rash on his arm and a developing pneumonia. Foreman suggests the presence of chlamydia, while Chase believes it is caused by tick bites. While the team collects fluid from the rash, Gabe's father, Jeffrey (Nestor Carbonell), a notable donor to the hospital, bickers with his separated wife, Sarah. Chase takes Gabe aside to ease the tension, and asks if he went to anywhere in particular. Gabe states a week ago after school, he went to a secret clubhouse meeting in an attic of an abandoned house and slipped on something, developing the rash. As Chase prepares to leave to investigate, his estranged father, Rowan Chase, a rhematologist, comes in and hopes to speak with him, but Chase immediately brushes him off, sparking an interest in House.
Back with the sample from the attic and upon examination, the team is bewildered to discover Gabe is infected with anthrax. He is quickly put on levaquin, but immediately develops an allergic reaction and goes into arrest. Rowan suggests sarcoidosis, but Chase is still determined that it is anthrax. The rest of the team sides with Rowan, until necrosis presents itself in Gabe, indicating anthrax. House doesn't believe both father and son are wrong, and deduces anthrax triggered a dormant sarcoidosis. Gabe is treated with antibiotics for the anthrax and methotrexate for the sarcoidosis, but skin lesions begin spreading throughout his body.
The team now diagnose an auto-immune disease, although Chase states this is suggested because Rowan is a rhematologist. To prove his father wrong, he runs various auto-immune tests. As he argues with Rowan that it cannot be auto-immune, he questions his father's presence at the hospital. Rowan aptly replies he is here to see his son, but Chase thinks otherwise, knowing that Rowan abandoned him and his alcoholic mother years ago. He shows the tests to House, who sides with Rowan's theory of auto-immune. At the same time, House asks if Chase knows why Rowan is here, which Chase believes is a conference. House confronts Rowan, noting his macrobiotic diet and neck tattoo for guiding radiation treatment, suggesting cancer. Rowan confirms stage 4 lung cancer, and tells House it is none of his business, knowing that he will eventually inform Chase, due to his curious nature. House takes notice and does not reveal this to Chase.
When Gabe's right hand and forearm are paralyzed, with a returning high fever, the team and Rowan diagonse neurofibromatosis, but scans show no signs of it. House recalls Jeffrey suggesting leishmaniasis and filariasis, which are exclusive to Southeast Asia and confronts him if he has ever been there. Jeffrey confesses he spent two years in India, where he lost all his money after joining an ashram, too ashamed to tell anyone. House immediately diagnoses leprosy, which Jeffrey also has, but was slowed down, due to it damaging his ulnar nerve and misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. House states when the levaquin staved off the leprosy, Gabe's body produced antibodies to finish off the dying bacteria. These antibodies then attacked the neural and fat cells, leading to the rest of his symptoms. Both father and son are treated for leprosy.
As Chase checks-in with Gabe, angry his father lied to him, Chase assures the teenager Jeffrey loves him, regardless of how bad the situation, past or present, are. Heeding his own words, Chase heads to Rowan's hotel, just before he leaves for the airport, hoping for a drink to catch up, but Rowan must return to Australia. Chase promises to visit him in the next year, and hugs his father, not knowing this would be the last time he will ever see him.
[edit] Goofs
Leishmaniasis and filariasis are not diseases exclusive to Asia; they are found in other areas of the world as well. In addition, House mistakenly says that damage to the ulnar nerve was misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve does not pass through the carpal tunnel. Only damage to the median nerve, which does, could be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome.
[edit] 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
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