MovieChat Forums > Men in White (1934) Discussion > Medical accuracy

Medical accuracy

posted 12 years ago by jonkennedy
4 replies | jump to latest

As an operating room R.N. for 23 years I was struck by the very high degree of medical accuracy in this film, especially with the O.R. scene. They must have had one helluva medical consultant team for this film - and actually listened to them, unlike so many medical dramas these days. I cannot watch most medical shows these days because they are so inaccurate. (The best in the last 20 years was "Chicago Hope" for medical/O.R. realism.) This is a film way ahead of it's time in this area and probably unsurpassed by any generally-released film since.

This film is just outstanding in showing a realistic operating room scene and using medical terminology, right down to the autoclave, instruments, procedures, sterile technique, etc. And yes, back in that time they did have operating rooms with overhead observation as shown in the film - that's where the term "operating theater" originates. None are in use today, but one can still be seen at Mass. General in Boston, called "The Ether Dome".

As for the English nursing student, I guess it's implied that she did have at least a one night stand with Gable that resulted in pregnancy, but it's unclear whether her illness was the result of an abortion gone wrong or an ectopic. Don't know if TMC showed the uncut version or not.

[–] CindyH 9 years ago

I too am a nurse of 23 years, though not all my time was in OR. I did work OB and I can attest to the equipment. Some of those horrifying metal pieces are still in use. lol!

Yes, I was stunned by the accuracy. I think that's what makes this film so great. It tries to show how difficult the profession is, the personal sacrifices a good doctor makes to do what he does.

Did you gasp when you heard 40 units of insulin? I expected that to be a mistake then when I realized it was an intended mistake, I felt like applauding.

Admittedly, I don't know if their units are our units today, but I'm pretty sure they probably were.

The autoclave was interesting. I must admit I don't remember ever seeing one in the OR room itself and I'm not sure how that would really work with sparks and all, but I have seen a vacuum system for delivery of it, like you have at a bank for lanes not next to the window. I don't know when those came about.

I totally enjoyed this film. What a nice find!

Random Thoughts: http://goo.gl/eXk3O

[–] jonkennedy 9 years ago

The O.R. I first worked in had autoclaves between pairs of O.R.s that were constructed back in the flammable anesthesia days (c. 1940). The rooms still had electrical conductivity testers on the walls, for instance. The autoclaves were almost all mechanical - they might have had cycle indicator lights is all - and were manually operated. They were not at all like modern autoclaves that are computer controlled.

[–] theLastResortt 7 years ago

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I cannot believe they had to use those little (albeit lovely) bowls to wash up.

[–] jonkennedy 7 years ago

Back in the day, O.R. personnel would scrub with plain soap and water. The upon entering the O.R. they would dip their hands and forearms in an antiseptic solution in one bowl, then rinse off with sterile water in another bowl. They would then dry off with a sterile towel and finally gown and glove. Gloves back then were reusable. A central processing tech would inflate them to look for pinholes, wash them inside and out, and then powder them with corn starch to make them easy to put on.