WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.940 [HF3387, A 50-50 Chance, 1967, Length: 00:27:50, Color, Sound, This Beta SP was duplicated from a 16mm answer print by Bono Film and Video, Inc. for the National Library of Medicine, February 2009] 00:00:10.940 --> 00:00:23.340 [Screen goes dark] 00:00:23.340 --> 00:00:29.620 [Numbers count down] 00:00:29.620 --> 00:00:36.310 [The U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Public Health Service Presents M-1415] 00:00:36.310 --> 00:00:42.060 [A Public Health Service Audiovisual Facility Production] 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:46.730 [A 50-50 Chance] 00:00:46.730 --> 00:01:01.050 [Woman writhes uncomfortably in hospital bed.] 00:01:01.050 --> 00:01:06.970 [Carol Winney:] Jerry. Don't worry, dear. I'll be all right. 00:01:06.970 --> 00:01:10.590 What about the kids? Who's with them? 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:13.650 [Jerry Winney:] They're okay, honey. Sally's taking care of them. 00:01:13.650 --> 00:01:19.690 [Carol Winney:] You should be with them, dear. They're so young, and they'll imagine all sorts of... 00:01:19.690 --> 00:01:24.460 Why don't you go home for dinner? They'll take good care of me here. 00:01:24.460 --> 00:01:28.750 [Dr. Simmons:] Carol's right, Jerry. The children need some reassurance now. 00:01:28.750 --> 00:01:37.480 There'll be a nurse on duty in this room around the clock. Myself or another doctor within call. You better go home. 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:44.470 [Jerry Winney:] All right, but I'll be back first thing in the morning. 00:01:44.470 --> 00:01:51.950 I love you, honey. Bye. 00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:59.000 [Music] 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:13.320 [Jerry and Dr. Simmons leave the hospital room as a nurse walks in.] 00:02:13.320 --> 00:02:18.860 Dr. Simmons, what is this with Carol? How bad is she? 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:24.550 You've known us for years. I want you to give it to me straight. What's happening to her? 00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:35.580 [Dr. Simmons:] I'll be frank with you, Jerry. She has tetanus, a highly dangerous disease. She's going to be a very sick girl. 00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:43.510 Right now, I can't honestly tell you how sick, but be prepared for this. She's going to have a rough time. 00:02:43.510 --> 00:02:52.920 At the very best, she'll be in the hospital for weeks and weeks. Now you take good care of the youngsters, and we'll let you know if there's any change here. 00:02:52.920 --> 00:02:58.940 [Jerry Winney:] Well, thank you, doctor. I'll be back in the morning. 00:02:58.940 --> 00:03:01.240 I know you'll do everything, I mean... 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.590 [Dr. Simmons:] Of course, we will, Jerry. Everything possible. 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:09.620 [Jerry Winney:] Well, what I can't figure, doctor, why Carol wasn't immunized for this thing? 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:15.280 [Dr. Simmons:] Jerry, I don't know how many times I've urged her to be immunized. She always put it off. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.950 "No time this week." That sort of thing. And now. 00:03:19.950 --> 00:03:24.970 [Jerry Winney:] Now is the payoff. 00:03:24.970 --> 00:03:26.470 See you tomorrow, doctor. 00:03:26.470 --> 00:03:32.520 [Music] 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:35.120 [Jerry is seated with his children at home.] 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:40.810 You see, the hospital's the best place. Mom will have everything she needs there. 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:47.890 Special nurses and all. And we'll make out until she feels better. 00:03:47.890 --> 00:03:53.610 [Mike Winney:] But, Dad, Mom must feel real sick because she never gives in. 00:03:53.610 --> 00:04:00.400 [Jerry Winney:] Yes, Mike. She is sick. And you're right, she has courage. 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:05.890 That's why I know she'll be home again in a few weeks. Until then, we'll just have to run the house. 00:04:05.890 --> 00:04:09.220 [Mike Winney:] We'll do all we can to help, Dad, won't we, Jenny. 00:04:09.220 --> 00:04:13.350 [Jenny Winney:] Sure, Dad. I'll do the dishes every night. You'll see. 00:04:13.350 --> 00:04:22.280 [Jerry Winney:] I know you will. Well, give me a kiss and get to bed. Tomorrow's a school day, you know. 00:04:22.280 --> 00:04:25.500 [Music] 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:31.090 [Mike Winney:] Dad? Mom will come home, won't she? 00:04:31.090 --> 00:04:36.830 [Jerry Winney:] She has to, son. She just has to. 00:04:36.830 --> 00:04:41.000 [Mike Winney:] We'll say our prayers for her tonight, Dad. She'll be all right. 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:49.740 [Music] 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:57.550 [Jerry Winney:] If she'd just gotten her shots. When I think back on how it happened, it just doesn't seem possible. 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:05.570 [Carol is gardening.] 00:05:05.570 --> 00:05:11.860 [She seems to injure her finger.] 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:16.940 [She goes inside and bandages the finger.] 00:05:16.940 --> 00:05:25.480 How could a little scratch like that cause so much trouble? She didn't even say anything about it that day. 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:28.010 Everything went along the same as usual. 00:05:28.010 --> 00:05:34.070 [Carol Winney:] Jerry, how are the hamburgers coming? The kids will be here any minute. 00:05:34.070 --> 00:05:44.130 [Jerry Winney:] Coming up. I got the onions, pickle relish, chili sauce, the works. 00:05:44.130 --> 00:05:50.140 I estimated six for Mike. Do you think that'll hold him? Ah, here come the troops now. 00:05:50.140 --> 00:05:59.200 [Mike Winney:] Hey, Dad. You should have seen the scrimmage. I completed four passes. The last one was about fifty yards. 00:05:59.200 --> 00:06:00.910 Well, thirty anyway. 00:06:00.910 --> 00:06:08.320 [Jerry Winney:] Well, now that's great, champ. I'm sorry I got home too late to be there. Sit down. Dinner's ready. 00:06:08.320 --> 00:06:12.180 [Mike Winney:] Hey, Mom. Could you wash my uniform so it will be clean for the game tomorrow? 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:13.580 [Carol Winney:] Sure, Mike. I'll do it. 00:06:13.580 --> 00:06:19.680 [Jerry Winney:] I don't know what we'd do without her. She holds the whole family together. 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:25.020 You never think about something you have until you don't have it anymore. 00:06:25.020 --> 00:06:29.500 How long was it before she started feeling bad? 00:06:29.500 --> 00:06:31.850 It all happened so fast. 00:06:31.850 --> 00:06:32.980 [Carol Winney:] Jerry? 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:36.730 [Jerry Winney:] Hi, Carol. What are you doing? I thought you were playing bridge. 00:06:36.730 --> 00:06:40.200 [Carol Winney:] Well, I'm not feeling so good. That's why I called. 00:06:40.200 --> 00:06:42.340 [Jerry Winney:] Well, what's wrong? 00:06:42.340 --> 00:06:53.450 [Carol Winney:] Oh, I feel kind of feverish and have this stiffness in all my muscles, and then, well, I'm weak all over, and I have a splitting headache. 00:06:53.450 --> 00:06:59.800 Another thing, I don't exactly know how to explain it, but, well, I'm so restless or something. 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:05.330 Well, I bawled the kids out this morning, and they really didn't do anything wrong. 00:07:05.330 --> 00:07:08.920 [Jerry Winney:] Well, maybe you ought to give the doctor a call. 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:14.040 [Carol Winney:] You think so, too? Well, then I'll call Dr. Simmons. 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:18.990 It's probably nothing serious, but, well, I'd feel better anyway. 00:07:18.990 --> 00:07:21.940 [Jerry Winney:] Listen, let me know as soon as you find out something, will you? 00:07:21.940 --> 00:07:26.270 [Carol Winney:] OK. I'll call and let you know. Bye, sweetie. 00:07:26.270 --> 00:07:31.900 [Music] 00:07:31.900 --> 00:07:38.440 [Dr. Simmons:] Carol, you know I'm not disposed to be an alarmist. Quite the contrary. 00:07:38.440 --> 00:07:43.730 But after what you told me on the phone, I felt it my duty to order you down here on the double. 00:07:43.730 --> 00:07:47.150 Some things you can't let go. 00:07:47.150 --> 00:07:53.410 Now, try and remember just when it was that you got this scratch, and how. 00:07:53.410 --> 00:08:00.770 [Carol Winney:] Let's see. It must have been, yes, Tuesday, in the middle of the morning. 00:08:00.770 --> 00:08:03.160 I was gardening, and something in the mulch, 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.770 I don't know what it was, nicked my finger a little, and that's all. 00:08:07.770 --> 00:08:10.970 [Dr. Simmons:] In the mulch? So your hands were dirty? 00:08:10.970 --> 00:08:13.930 [Carol Winney:] Well, you can't garden and keep snow-white hands, you know. 00:08:13.930 --> 00:08:19.150 [Dr. Simmons:] Yes, I know. My wife has a green thumb, too. 00:08:19.150 --> 00:08:24.940 Carol, you never got those tetanus immunizations we talked about, did you? 00:08:24.940 --> 00:08:29.960 [Carol Winney:] No, I just never did get around to it. 00:08:29.960 --> 00:08:33.000 Do you suppose that might be what's wrong? 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:37.350 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, I don't say that it is, but it could very well be. 00:08:37.350 --> 00:08:42.090 We're going to admit you to the hospital for observation and further testing right now. 00:08:42.090 --> 00:08:49.350 [Music] 00:08:49.350 --> 00:08:53.650 [Jerry Winney:] What a shock it was when the doctor told me. 00:08:53.650 --> 00:08:57.600 Tetanus. Lockjaw. 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:02.530 Something you never even think about. 00:09:02.530 --> 00:09:09.340 [Phone rings.] 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:18.590 Hello. Oh, yes, Sally. Thanks so much for staying with the kids today. 00:09:18.590 --> 00:09:25.200 No, I don't know yet. But I'm going over first thing in the morning. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:37.150 Oh, I surely will, and thanks for calling. Bye. 00:09:37.150 --> 00:09:38.660 [Jerry Winney is at the hospital.] 00:09:38.660 --> 00:09:40.050 Good morning. Is Dr. Simmons in? 00:09:40.050 --> 00:09:42.990 [Nurse:] Dr. Simmons is in with your wife now, Mr. Winney. 00:09:42.990 --> 00:09:45.670 Well, why don't you step down the hall and wait for him? 00:09:45.670 --> 00:09:46.960 [Jerry Winney:] Thank you. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:54.210 [Nurse:] Oh, here he comes now. 00:09:54.210 --> 00:09:56.680 [Jerry Winney:] Morning, doctor. How's Carol this morning? 00:09:56.680 --> 00:10:03.420 [Dr. Simmons:] About as expected. Jerry, I told you it was going to be a long, tough fight. 00:10:03.420 --> 00:10:06.760 She's going to get worse before she gets better. 00:10:06.760 --> 00:10:09.120 We have to face that. 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:14.370 We've had one good break, though. She's shown no adverse reaction to tetanus anti-toxins. 00:10:14.370 --> 00:10:19.420 So we've been able to give her large doses of that. It should help. 00:10:19.420 --> 00:10:20.800 [Jerry Winney:] Can I see her? 00:10:20.800 --> 00:10:23.120 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, yes, but, Jerry. 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:24.940 [Jerry Winney:] Yes? 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:30.970 [Dr. Simmons:] It's not pretty, and be very quiet. Any little noise or vibration could cause a spasm. 00:10:30.970 --> 00:10:32.610 [Jerry Winney:] Oh. Will she know who I am? 00:10:32.610 --> 00:10:37.390 [Dr. Simmons:] Oh, yes. She's conscious. Sedated, but she'll know you. 00:10:37.390 --> 00:10:49.170 [Music] 00:10:49.170 --> 00:11:01.920 [Carol is moaning in her hospital bed.] 00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:22.090 [She grimaces in pain, her jaw locked.] 00:11:22.090 --> 00:11:24.570 [Jerry Winney:] Doctor, can't you do anything? 00:11:24.570 --> 00:11:32.630 [Dr. Simmons:] Jerry, we're doing everything we can. She's trying to get your attention. 00:11:32.630 --> 00:11:43.610 [Carol tries to speak.] 00:11:43.610 --> 00:11:53.560 [Music] 00:11:53.560 --> 00:12:08.120 [Jerry and the doctor leave the room.] 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:12.730 [Jerry Winney:] Lockjaw. Why does she have to suffer? 00:12:12.730 --> 00:12:23.150 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, you have every right to be upset, Jerry, but this can happen to anybody who isn't protected, and the suffering goes with it. 00:12:23.150 --> 00:12:36.790 Let's find a seat, and I'll give you some background so you'll have a better picture of what's going on. 00:12:36.790 --> 00:12:45.550 Jerry, tetanus bacteria grow in the intestines of grass-eating animals such as horses or cows. 00:12:45.550 --> 00:12:52.240 So, as you may guess, they're frequently found around barnyards and fields used for grazing, 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:56.780 but this doesn't mean they're just way out in the country far from city life. 00:12:56.780 --> 00:13:02.260 There are dairies in and around every city in the United States, and that means cows. 00:13:02.260 --> 00:13:10.720 There are riding stables, park areas, zoos, many different activities involving grass-eating animals wherever you are. 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:17.050 Further, and this is even more significant, when the bacteria in the soil dry up, 00:13:17.050 --> 00:13:21.990 tiny spores are formed, each one as deadly as the bacteria. 00:13:21.990 --> 00:13:26.440 And they live almost indefinitely. 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:32.580 These spores can go anywhere, carried by the wind, and lie in wait for a victim, 00:13:32.580 --> 00:13:35.410 and they're not just outdoors. 00:13:35.410 --> 00:13:45.010 They're brought in to homes, churches, schools, everywhere. On shoes, clothing. 00:13:45.010 --> 00:13:50.350 It's safe to say that tetanus spores may be found in any room you enter. 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:58.740 Of course, the spores may be concentrated wherever manure is used to fertilize trees, shrubs, and flowers. 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:02.860 That's probably the source of Carol's infection. 00:14:02.860 --> 00:14:11.890 We fear the spores or bacteria most in dirty wounds, such as punctures from nails, gunshots, wounds from automobile accidents, 00:14:11.890 --> 00:14:17.620 but they can enter the body through any break in the skin, no matter how superficial. 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:24.270 Over fifty percent of all cases come from wounds so trivial that people don't even seek medical attention, 00:14:24.270 --> 00:14:32.500 and usually involve an abrasion which is contaminated with soil, such as the scratch on Carol's finger. 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:38.240 Although everybody's exposed to tetanus because everybody gets a scratch occasionally, 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:43.050 certain types of occupations are more frequently exposed. 00:14:43.050 --> 00:14:46.320 For example, construction workers and field hands, 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.950 outdoor laborers, industrial workers in plants and factories who work with their hands. 00:14:52.950 --> 00:14:56.340 And then there are children. You know how active they are. 00:14:56.340 --> 00:15:00.550 Always falling down, scraping a knee or a hand. 00:15:00.550 --> 00:15:04.600 Recently, women have become more and more exposed, too. 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:10.140 You see, more than ever, they're participating in sports, going camping, working in gardens. 00:15:10.140 --> 00:15:13.890 They need protection just as much as men do. 00:15:13.890 --> 00:15:19.600 Once inside the body, the germs produce a powerful nerve toxin or poison 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:25.140 that causes painful convulsions or spasms of the voluntary muscles. 00:15:25.140 --> 00:15:28.870 One of the most frequently affected muscles is the jaw muscle, 00:15:28.870 --> 00:15:33.150 causing the patient's jaw to close tightly. 00:15:33.150 --> 00:15:40.830 This characteristic symptom gave rise to the common or slang name for tetanus, lockjaw. 00:15:40.830 --> 00:15:48.020 Over half the infected people die from the disease unless treated quickly. 00:15:48.020 --> 00:15:51.750 I hope we've caught Carol's in time. 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:56.520 The terrible thing about tetanus is that it's absolutely unnecessary. 00:15:56.520 --> 00:16:03.670 It should never happen. Yet we have hundreds of cases each year in this country. 00:16:03.670 --> 00:16:07.620 Remember when you were in the service, and you got your tetanus immunization. 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:14.020 Well, tetanus vaccine is, for all practical purposes, one hundred percent effective, 00:16:14.020 --> 00:16:17.980 and there's virtually no serious reaction. 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:21.890 Of course, you should have booster immunizations at regular intervals. 00:16:21.890 --> 00:16:27.860 There are no documented cases of immunized persons dying from tetanus. 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:31.210 Most men get their immunization in the service. 00:16:31.210 --> 00:16:37.090 So a big problem is with women. They should be immunized, too. 00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:46.640 For the past thirty years or so, immunizations have been given to infants in combination with diphtheria and whooping cough. 00:16:46.640 --> 00:16:50.510 But don't worry, Mike and Jenny have had theirs. 00:16:50.510 --> 00:16:55.110 But there are millions of children under five who have never had this protection. 00:16:55.110 --> 00:16:57.300 They need immunization. 00:16:57.300 --> 00:17:00.470 Another thing, tetanus is no respecter of age either. 00:17:00.470 --> 00:17:04.420 It strikes anytime from birth to old age. 00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:10.160 There are millions of elderly people in the United States who've never been immunized and should be. 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.580 There would be no tetanus in the United States at all 00:17:13.580 --> 00:17:18.540 if everyone would get their immunizations. 00:17:18.540 --> 00:17:26.880 But that's water over the dam for Carol. If she pulls through this time, we'll make sure she's immunized. 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:28.980 [Jerry Winney:] You mean she could get it again? 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:37.730 [Dr. Simmons:] Oh, yes. Having this disease does not confer immunity. You must have the toxoid. 00:17:37.730 --> 00:17:44.360 [Jerry Winney:] You just said over half of the people die. What are Carol's chances? 00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:53.150 [Dr. Simmons:] That's the truth, Jerry. Carol has a 50/50 chance. Maybe a little better. 00:17:53.150 --> 00:17:59.030 Her symptoms have progressed rather slowly. That's on the good side. 00:17:59.030 --> 00:18:08.890 Let's just say she's holding her own right now. So if there's no change tonight, there's no use you sitting around here. 00:18:08.890 --> 00:18:12.730 Much better you be home with the kids. 00:18:12.730 --> 00:18:20.420 If you are needed, I'll call you. 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:35.130 [Music] 00:18:35.130 --> 00:18:58.910 [Jerry looks around the house at things that remind him of Carol--a sewing machine, flowers, a photograph.] 00:18:58.910 --> 00:19:08.970 [He sits down and throws his head back.] 00:19:08.970 --> 00:19:15.180 [Jerry Winney:] What would I do without her? What would the children do? 00:19:15.180 --> 00:19:19.690 But she just can't. She just can't. 00:19:19.690 --> 00:19:22.340 [Jenny Winney:] Dad. Dad. 00:19:22.340 --> 00:19:26.490 [Jerry Winney:] Oh. Oh, yes. What do you want, honey? 00:19:26.490 --> 00:19:30.440 [Jenny Winney:] Well, Mom always reads my spelling words to me before a test. 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:32.300 Could you do it for me, Dad? 00:19:32.300 --> 00:19:37.940 [Jerry Winney:] Why certainly. Let me see the book. 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:43.150 You ready? Necessary. 00:19:43.150 --> 00:19:47.590 [Jenny Winney:] N-E-C-E-S-S-A-R-Y. 00:19:47.590 --> 00:19:52.100 [Jerry Winney:] Right. Habitation. 00:19:52.100 --> 00:19:54.790 [Jenny Winney:] H-A-B-I-T-A-T-I-O-N. 00:19:54.790 --> 00:20:01.740 [Phone ringing] 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:08.380 [Jerry Winney:] Hello. Yes. 00:20:08.380 --> 00:20:13.480 Yes, of course. I'll be there right away. 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:16.140 Mike, I've got to go to the hospital for a little while. 00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:18.240 You go next door and tell Mrs. Barnes, will you? 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.600 She'll come over and stay with you, and I'll see you in the morning. 00:20:21.600 --> 00:20:23.820 [Mike Winney:] What's the matter, Dad? 00:20:23.820 --> 00:20:28.100 [Jerry Winney:] They just want to talk to me, son. You mind Mrs. Barnes now. 00:20:28.100 --> 00:20:30.540 [Mike Winney:] OK, Dad. 00:20:30.540 --> 00:20:33.230 [Music] 00:20:33.230 --> 00:20:35.940 [Dr. Simmons:] You got here in a hurry, Jerry. Sit down for a moment, go ahead. 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:39.230 [Jerry Winney:] Oh, I'm all right. Well, what's wrong? Is she worse? 00:20:39.230 --> 00:20:42.680 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, she's had laryngeal spasms. 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:47.960 That means closing off her windpipe, which could stop her breathing. 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:51.880 We've had to insert a tube in her windpipe. 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:54.950 This is one of the hazards of tetanus. 00:20:54.950 --> 00:20:57.530 [Jerry Winney:] What are her chances now? 00:20:57.530 --> 00:21:04.870 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, the odds have certainly gotten worse. It's not hopeless, 00:21:04.870 --> 00:21:07.710 but it's not a good situation. 00:21:07.710 --> 00:21:12.070 If we can pull her through tonight, I'd say she has a good chance then. 00:21:12.070 --> 00:21:14.530 [Jerry Winney:] Can I see her? 00:21:14.530 --> 00:21:19.590 [Dr. Simmons:] If you make it brief. She's heavily sedated. 00:21:19.590 --> 00:21:23.870 She may not know you this time. 00:21:23.870 --> 00:21:28.610 [Music] 00:21:28.610 --> 00:21:41.790 [Carol Winney is unconscious in bed, breathing through a tube.] 00:21:41.790 --> 00:21:56.090 [Jerry stands next to her bed. Carol's eyes are covered and a tube extends from her throat.] 00:21:56.090 --> 00:22:04.140 [Labored breathing sounds] 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:09.870 [Moments pass, Jerry appearing deeply worried.] 00:22:09.870 --> 00:22:29.680 [Breathing sounds] 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:34.680 [Jerry sits in a chair, considering.] 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:38.330 [Jerry Winney:] She'll get through the night. 00:22:38.330 --> 00:22:43.940 She'll make it all right. Things will be like they always were. 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:55.830 [Carol, Mike, and Jenny Winney:] Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Daddy. 00:22:55.830 --> 00:23:01.590 [Winney family:] Happy birthday to you, me. 00:23:01.590 --> 00:23:05.910 [Carol puts drops in Mike's nose.] 00:23:05.910 --> 00:23:11.430 [Carol trims Jenny's hair.] 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:17.280 [Carol reads with Mike.] 00:23:17.280 --> 00:23:25.220 [Carol is shown lying in bed with her eye bandages.] 00:23:25.220 --> 00:23:29.980 [Jerry Winney:] She's not going to make it. 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:38.950 There's no sense in kidding myself. She's not going to make it. 00:23:38.950 --> 00:23:44.960 [Music] 00:23:44.960 --> 00:24:04.950 [Jerry is dreaming, seeing filmy images of nurses and brightly lit hospital rooms.] 00:24:04.950 --> 00:24:34.540 [He imagines nurses and other medical staff, beckoning him down corridors and towards Carol's room.] 00:24:34.540 --> 00:24:44.480 [Carol's hospital bed is empty, neatly made up.] 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:49.980 [Menacing music.] 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:54.560 [A hand comes toward Jerry's face.] 00:24:54.560 --> 00:24:56.200 [Dr. Simmons:] Jerry, come out of it. 00:24:56.200 --> 00:25:04.100 [Jerry Winney:] She's gone. 00:25:04.100 --> 00:25:06.430 What's the matter? 00:25:06.430 --> 00:25:08.040 [Dr. Simmons:] You're exhausted. 00:25:08.040 --> 00:25:09.470 That's what's the matter. 00:25:09.470 --> 00:25:16.770 Three days with no sleep finally caught up with you. It's morning. 00:25:16.770 --> 00:25:21.110 [Jerry Winney:] Morning? How's Carol? 00:25:21.110 --> 00:25:24.380 [Dr. Simmons:] Good news. Her condition improved during the night. 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:27.700 She's going to pull through. We feel sure. 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:28.750 Why don't you go call the kids? 00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:33.930 They're scared, too, and then come on back here. 00:25:33.930 --> 00:25:37.110 [Jerry Winney:] OK. I'll call. She's going to be all right? 00:25:37.110 --> 00:25:46.540 Oh, man. What a dream. And she's coming home. 00:25:46.540 --> 00:25:49.400 [Phone ringing] 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:53.210 [Mike Winney:] Hello. Hi, Dad. 00:25:53.210 --> 00:26:00.120 She is? Sure. Sure. Bye. 00:26:00.120 --> 00:26:08.160 Mom's going to be all right. Dad just said so. She'll come home. 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:11.240 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, what did the kids think about the good news? 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:14.120 [Jerry Winney:] I talked to Mike, and he was really pleased. 00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:15.570 [Dr. Simmons:] Good, good. 00:26:15.570 --> 00:26:18.190 [Jerry Winney:] Can I see Carol now? 00:26:18.190 --> 00:26:21.300 [Dr. Simmons:] Well, it would be best if you can wait until this afternoon to see her, Jerry. 00:26:21.300 --> 00:26:25.870 She's still a mighty sick girl and will be for several days. 00:26:25.870 --> 00:26:28.940 She'll stay here in the hospital for quite a while. 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:33.480 Those stiff, rigid muscles and spasms will persist, 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:38.150 but they'll gradually get fewer and further apart until she's completely recovered. 00:26:38.150 --> 00:26:42.330 I can tell you this. We were lucky, mighty lucky. 00:26:42.330 --> 00:26:45.600 Tetanus is something doctors dread. 00:26:45.600 --> 00:26:49.150 As I told you before, even with prompt round-the-clock treatment, 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:52.920 we still lose about fifty percent of the cases. 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:58.380 And without treatment, death is virtually certain. 00:26:58.380 --> 00:27:03.380 [Jerry Winney:] I just never knew. If people only realized, this sort of thing wouldn't happen. 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:05.510 [Dr. Simmons:] Right. 00:27:05.510 --> 00:27:09.310 [Jerry Winney:] I won't keep you anymore. 00:27:09.310 --> 00:27:11.030 Maybe I ought to get some breakfast in me. 00:27:11.030 --> 00:27:13.520 [Dr. Simmons:] That's a good idea. I'm going back to Carol. 00:27:13.520 --> 00:27:21.930 I'll see you this afternoon. 00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:28.130 [The doctor stands over Carol's bed.] 00:27:28.130 --> 00:27:33.030 So unnecessary. 00:27:33.030 --> 00:27:42.030 There wouldn't be a case of tetanus in this country ever if people would just get immunized. 00:27:42.030 --> 00:27:50.920 [Music] 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:55.480 [THE END M-1415 MCMLXVII] 00:27:55.480 --> 00:28:20.000 [Produced for the National Communicable Disease Center]