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Call the midwife- brand new series starts tonight!!

999 replies

Soubriquet · 22/01/2017 10:23

At 8pm

Who's ready for it?!

OP posts:
Raahh · 19/02/2017 20:51

I adore Nurse Crane.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 19/02/2017 20:52

Oh god, the mental hospital Sad

rugbyballz · 19/02/2017 20:53

I hate the 'ECT is always barbaric' stereotype.

Yes, it was historically overused. But it can be life saving, and is a good treatment when used carefully.

The dental clearance is probably more barbaric, and yet was shown to have much less wrenching than real life!

Saucery · 19/02/2017 20:54

She must have known quite a few people who wore full dentures from a young age. It was quite prevalent in those days.

Dulra · 19/02/2017 20:55

Raahh oooh that sounds scary glad your daughter got through unscathed Smile

AnneEyhtMeyer · 19/02/2017 20:56

There they go, on a date already!

Raahh · 19/02/2017 20:57

rugby unfortunately, I have seen the negative effects of ECT. Sad

and also unnecessary dental work- all the women on my mother's side suffer horrific migraines. At 40, my gran (now 86) was encouraged to have her teeth removed, as it would cure them.

It didn't. Angry.

SherlockPotter · 19/02/2017 20:57

rugby it's barbaric when it was used for 'curing' mental health... but used for saving someone's life, it's not. It depends on the context on how ECT is used,

Ipitythescale · 19/02/2017 20:59

In tears here again. I don't think I've got through an episode without even just tearing up. Am I unusually soft?

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 19/02/2017 21:00

Would the dentures really have looked so great then? And could they have saved any of her teeth? They looked so rotten

IrenetheQuaint · 19/02/2017 21:00

My granny had bad teeth and had them all taken out in her 30s. Never regretted it for a moment.

I thought that was a good episode, less saccharine than the previous few. Vanessa Redgrave's voiceover is INTOLERABLE though.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 19/02/2017 21:01

I'm sure there was much unnecessary dental work, but those teeth were not good.

DesolateWaist · 19/02/2017 21:02

It was not unusual in those days for people to have all their teeth out even if they were ok. It was often done as a wedding present!

Akire · 19/02/2017 21:04

It was easier just pull out and do full sets than try and do ones with random teeth I guess.

Think unrealistic to show tgevhappy ending with regard care for learning disabilities when well into 1980 norm would been residential places though not as bad as hospital always. If only 2-3 in country then very very rare indeed so didn't quite show true reality. But guess that's CTM for you.

rugbyballz · 19/02/2017 21:04

But ECT can 'cure' people, it really can.

There are side effects. But it's a medical treatment for an illness. Liken to chemo- shouldn't be used to cure a cold! But for what it actually treats, severe mental illness, it can get people from being trapped in living hell, a danger to themselves and others, to getting home to their family. I have seen people get their lives back with ECT. It's not a cure-all, and it's not side effect free. It is not barbaric.

Having had an extraction recently, that was!

Many people did have unnecessary clearances, affecting their speech, jaw and eating ability for life.That is barbaric! Yet presented as positive here!

Saucery · 19/02/2017 21:04

It wasn't so much unnecessary as the cheapest option. Have them all out, would save all the pain and treatment in the future. An older relative of mine had all hers taken out at 21. Her siblings didn't (and still have excellent teeth for their age). I don't know what problems she had with them but it was seen as the best option to save pain and trouble later on.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 19/02/2017 21:05

ipity no, I cried at the last two and this was a near miss.

I'm still a bit sad that Reggie couldn't stay with Fred and violet. I hope the LD community place is at good as it seemed initially. I suppose in those times he might have stayed a social outcast forever otherwise though? Sad

BikeRunSki · 19/02/2017 21:06

No Ipity, I don't think you are. I think CTMW hits on 2 levels - 1, women who have been pregbsbt, given birth, raised children can relate to the physical and emotional aspects of that. 2 - for people sitting at home with their feet up on a Sunday night, the portrayal of such relatively recent poverty can be alarming, even though this still exists. 3 - the now seemingly archaic medical practises seem brutal, skggough considered appropriate at the time.

DMCWelshCakes · 19/02/2017 21:08

My grandmother and great aunt both had all their teeth out for their 21st birthdays, back in the 1930s. It meant that they never had to worry about their teeth again and was considered to be a very good gift.

I think I was happier with the necklace I got for mine.

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 19/02/2017 21:08

And yes, I was very surprised here was space at such a modern -thinking sort of place for Reggie available immediately

DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 19/02/2017 21:13

Rugbyballs I had 1 wisdom tooth out to help with a severe gum infection which tracked down into my jaw (I was in agony!) at about 20. I had the other 3 wisdom teeth, 2 which kept getting infected as they were only 1mm through and no further room to erupt fully, removed aged 21. All under local. Not brutal at all. I was SO pleased, the pain after wasn't a patch on the pain before when they were infected and zero issues since. I do have good ish teeth though. Sorry to hear yours was awful

rugbyballz · 19/02/2017 21:17

Ah, it was over quickly. But the dentist kneeling on the couch and wrenching wasn't what I expected, having been referred to the hospital because I needed a 'careful extraction'. CAREFUL?! I'd hate to see the careless ones!

Archimandrite · 19/02/2017 21:18

I thought that was the best episode of this series. As well as being the usual blubfest, I thought it was so interesting to have a bit of insight into what was available for people with learning disabilities then. At school I never saw a child with Down's Syndrome. I was thinking this a few weeks ago and then realised they would have nearly all been in institutions.

When I was at school in the 60's it was totally normal for any child who wasn't completely NS to be called a 'mongy'. At the time it wasn't even questioned. It was only when I was older that I realised just how utterly terrible that was and what heinous bullying and abuse some children must have been on the receiving end of when they were in their community.

I remember hearing about a friend of my parents' that had ECST and had many admissions to a 'mental' hospital. It's hard and so awful to believe this, and the treatment (imprisonment!) of people with additional needs happened in my lifetime and was considered acceptable practice.

Didn't take Trixie and the dentist long to become an item! That was uber fast work on the part of the scriptwriters.

JustDanceAddict · 19/02/2017 21:20

My mum had ECT too :-(

ppeatfruit · 19/02/2017 21:20

Oh lord that was gruelling. I couldn't look at the tooth pulling scene Blush esp. when her husband was approaching her with the pliers Aaaah Shock.

Nice that Trixie has a man now though with a flash motor!

Funny I can bear Vanessa's voice over but I can't bear the incidental muzak. It makes it cheesy , as dh says, which it really isn't.