Quincy M.E. (1976–1983): Season 5, Episode 3 - By the Death of a Child - full transcript
I've lost 31 babies.
If it's caused by what you think, it
could turn our island into a bloodbath.
They killed our babies. Don't
let them kill our religion too.
- Ever been in a revolution,
Quincy?
- No.
Unless you find what you're looking for
in this autopsy, you're gonna be in one.
There's no known cure for
the virus we're talking about.
Quincy, this is no
crusade back home.
We're playing for
high stakes here!
Turn him over to your
new gods if you wish.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
- Another one?
- Only 18 months old.
- The same as the others?
- Yes.
Dr. Pinaera, are you sure?
Of course I'm sure!
I'm sorry, Carvel. I've been
watching babies die for weeks now
and there's nothing
I can do to stop it!
Doctor, Prime Minister
DeVille would give his own life
if it would stop this epidemic.
But if it's caused by what you think, it
could turn our island into a bloodbath.
I know. I know.
But it's gone too far.
The Prime Minister
has no choice.
We must have verification,
one way or the other.
I'll so inform him.
Who is it? What do ya want?
Look, I don't have much, but
whatever you find, I'll split with you.
Ouch! Oh, here it is.
Quincy, I'm sorry.
What are you doing here?
It's 2:00 in the morning!
Look, if these guys
are accountants
and it's about that dinner voucher
and the champagne and everything,
I thought the girl
was a suspect.
These men are from
the State Department.
This is Mr. Baine
and Mr. Harris.
- How do you do?
- Sounds like
an old vaudeville team.
Quincy, try not to be so witty.
Yeah, well it's either
be witty or murderous.
Have you ever heard of a
country called San Cristos?
I drink its coffee all the time.
Lately it's known for its oil.
And you want me to help
you siphon some of it off?
Quincy... Please just listen.
Gentlemen, why don't you just
make yourselves comfortable?
Don't...
About 10 months ago, San
Cristos elected a new Prime Minister.
Harland DeVille,
the first progressive leader
ever to hold power there.
He's bringing in new industry,
new health programs...
In short, trying to bring his
country into the 20th century.
And we're trying to bring
his oil into the United States.
That, too. But there
could be a problem.
The old regime headed up
by a man named Boutillier,
is still very powerful, and very
much against anything new,
especially if it's American.
You guys don't need me,
you need Henry Kissinger!
Quincy...
We sent a supply of diphtheria
vaccine down there a few months ago.
Not long after that an epidemic
started among babies and small children.
Boutillier is claiming our
vaccine's causing the deaths.
Is it?
That's what we'd like you to
go down there and find out.
- But Sam will be
going with you.
- You're letting both of us go?
- It's that serious?
- It's that serious.
All right. What
airline and what time?
Uh, no. This is the
hospital, Doctor.
Until we can build a new hospital,
we're updating our old facility.
Bringing in modern equipment
as fast as we can purchase it,
but it's not enough.
- Shortage of
trained medical people?
- Yes.
Dr. Pinaera is top drawer,
but she's one of the few.
We need time to train others.
And if this epidemic is caused by
the vaccine, you're not going to get it.
Precisely. Boutillier
will use it as an excuse
to depose Prime Minister DeVille
and go back to the old ways...
Ah, here's Dr. Pinaera now.
- Dr. Pinaera, this is Dr. Quincy.
- How do you do?
- His assistant, Mr. Fujiyama.
- How do you do?
I believe you know Mr. Harris.
Dr. Quincy. I appreciate
your coming so quickly.
Follow me, please.
What makes you so
sure it's the vaccine?
I'm not, Doctor.
It's the only thing I can
think of that might be related.
Symptoms?
Initially a progressive
respiratory infection,
cough, runny nose,
moderate fever.
Then bronchiolar involvement with increased
difficulty breathing and cyanosis.
Finally prostration
with death from anoxia.
Ever notice how much smaller
they look when they're sick, Sam?
I've noticed. Too
small. Much too small.
Take a look at this.
Do you have a small diaphragm...
Yes.
Temperatures remain
high, dark nasal discharge,
respiratory wheezing is
noticed in both lung fields.
Lot of fluid build-up.
You're really working to
breathe, aren't you, little friend?
Do you think it's the vaccine?
Well, as you know, it
could be a thousand things.
I'll get a better idea after
Sam and I look at the lab data.
Dr. Quincy. I'd like you to meet
San Cristos' Secretary of
State, Arturo Dominguez.
I don't have time.
This man is a loyal DeVille
supporter and important man.
I don't care if he's the king of
Siam. I'm busy. I got work to do.
That was his son
you just examined.
Why didn't you say so?
Mr. Secretary, I'm Dr. Quincy.
I'm sorry. I didn't
know it was your child.
We understand.
Can you do
something for our baby?
Dr. Quincy, he's all we have.
We'll try. With everything
we have, we'll try.
Is Boutillier right?
Is it the vaccine?
We won't know until we
look at all the past cases.
I'm going to do that right away.
We'll need every medical
history and autopsy report
you have on the infants who've
died, plus a room to look at them.
And I want samples of diphtheria
vaccine from all the batches that we used
and the syringes
used to apply it.
Better bring 'em from
all over the island.
I don't believe these
autopsy reports.
I can't make heads or tails
of this. They're incomplete.
The most important
tests have been ignored,
or if they were performed, yielded
results that don't make any sense!
Maybe it's the equipment.
I glanced into one of their
labs. Some of it's brand new,
but a lot seems outdated
by about 30 years.
And that guy Boutillier wants
to push 'em back even further?
It must kill doctors like
Pinaera to put up with that.
They may have no choice.
What do you mean?
I've been comparing the
names of the children who died
with this list of those
who were vaccinated.
Most of them have been vaccinated!
Doesn't look too good, does it?
If it wasn't the vaccine, what
else could have caused it?
For the time being, let's
concentrate on the vaccine.
Couple of things we
have to find out right away.
Whether there was a living organism in
the vaccine that gave the kids diphtheria
or whether it was contaminated
with another organism.
Well, let's hope we can find
out from the slides and tissues
left over from their autopsies.
- Anything?
- Nope. Clean.
The heart tissue doesn't show
any evidence of diphtheria toxin
and there's no evidence
of live organisms.
Same here.
If there were live diphtheria
organisms in the vaccine,
they would have shown
up in the blood smear.
Now let's see what the cultures
from the syringes tell us, okay?
All right.
Well, that's a relief.
What did you find?
Well, when I checked the list
of kids who were vaccinated,
a very impressive
percentage had died.
Well, I just finished checking off
the kids who weren't vaccinated
and the same
percentage had died.
So no more of them dies
with the vaccine than without it.
Then the vaccine in no way is responsible
for anybody getting sick or dying!
- That's right.
- Well,
I gotta tell that to Pinaera.
- Listen, Sam...
- Hmm?
You made an awful mess. Don't
you think you ought to clean it up?
Come in.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm
looking for Dr. Pinaera.
She's examining my grandchild.
He's been stricken
like the others.
Dr. Quincy, this is
Prime Minister DeVille.
Oh, how do you do?
I'm terribly sorry
about your grandchild.
My associate and I just
concluded our test with the vaccine.
The children aren't dying
from the diphtheria inoculations.
Then Boutillier can't
use that as an excuse
to split our country
right down the middle.
No.
I almost wish the
vaccine was responsible.
Why?
Because then we might be able
to prevent our children from dying,
mightn't we, Doctor?
- How's it going, Sam?
- Oh, it's funny.
They've got the latest gas
chromatography equipment
but this old microscope
is barely usable.
I'd hardly call it funny.
Going on 40 hours
without any sleep
and a lot of things
start to look funny.
Yeah. What was
the white cell count?
I checked the smears
and I couldn't get a count.
What are you talking about?
Sam, with an
infection like that,
the leukocyte count should
have gone way over the deep end!
Drink some coffee.
I want you awake as we go
over the toxicology results.
We can go over it,
but I don't think it's
going to help much.
Why?
See for yourself.
The blood alcohol level from
the frozen samples is .09%.
That's a lot of cough syrup.
And look at these other levels.
Sam, I think you are
suffering from jet lag.
You must've screwed this
up. These are basic tests!
I double checked my procedure
and everything came out fine.
Well, it's gotta be something. Maybe
the samples were contaminated.
I'll tell you one thing.
I hope it's not
necessary, but if it is,
you and I'll do the
next autopsy, ourselves.
Hello? Yes.
I understand.
Yeah. We'll be right there.
That was Pinaera.
Secretary Dominguez'
baby just lapsed into a coma.
No need to run,
gentlemen. It's over.
After lapsing into the coma,
he went into almost
immediate respiratory failure.
Damn!
Sam, I want you to start
propping him right away.
I want some tissue samples from
the lungs so I can start a viral culture.
You mean perform an autopsy?
That I am and right away.
Dr. Quincy, I'm afraid
an autopsy is impossible.
Impossible? Why?
What're you talking about?
An autopsy isn't possible
without the parents consent.
And Mr. Carvel knows
you won't get it today.
But we have to!
What we learn from an autopsy
will help us find a way to stop this!
Mister Fujiyama, our people
are basically very superstitious.
It's our heritage,
and it's why a man like
Boutillier really speaks
for a large segment
of our population.
Our religion demands the
body be held in vigil for 24 hours.
The people place
bells on the fingers.
If, after 24 hours, the bells have
not rung, then the body is buried.
You will not get permission to
conduct an autopsy until then.
Do you mean to tell me
that all the autopsies, every
bit of data we've been looking at,
came from examinations of cases
which were allowed
to sit there overnight?
None of them were performed
in less than 24 hours?
- But I thought that had
been explained to you.
- No, it had not.
Quince, that's why those tests
I ran didn't make any sense!
The samples were taken too late!
But this is an emergency.
Aren't there any laws or
any precedents established
to allow us to bend the customs?
Doctor, we've had an enlightened
leader for only a few months.
He's doing the best he can,
but trying to move our
parliament is not an easy task.
I'm afraid there's
nothing you can do.
You won't be able to perform an autopsy
without Secretary Dominguez' consent.
Then I'm going to
have to convince him!
Quincy, wait a minute.
- You can't do this.
- Why can't I?
Because your job's
over, that's why.
Your services aren't
needed here any longer.
Kids are still dying!
You were brought here
for a specific reason...
To find out if the diphtheria
vaccine we sent down here
was causing the deaths.
You found that it wasn't.
We're sending you back home.
I won't go!
Look, maybe you
don't understand,
but two more cases came in
last night from 60 miles away.
That means it's opening up. The
disease isn't confined to this area.
Now there's no telling
how many could die.
Quincy, this is
an internal matter.
The government
here is shaky enough,
they don't need you running
around adding fuel to the fire.
The political repercussions
could be disastrous!
I don't give a damn about
political repercussions.
That's your problem.
I came here because children
were dying. They're still dying.
And if you make me leave
here before I finish my job,
every nation in the world
is going to hear about it.
- You're bluffing.
- Am I?
Why don't you try me?
Is the Secretary in?
I share the sorrow of this home,
and humbly offer whatever
of mine may be needed
to ease this moment of pain.
Your offer is most generous
and will help us in our hour of grief.
I assume you are here to
ask permission for the autopsy.
- Yes, sir.
- Of course.
Tomorrow morning
after the vigil,
you may perform
what is necessary.
We can't wait until tomorrow
morning, Mr. Secretary.
I have to do it
today. Immediately.
- He doesn't know
what he's asking.
- Yes, I do.
I know I'm asking you to go
against everything you believe.
But without your help, there's no
telling how many more children will die.
You see, I think a virus is
what's causing the illness,
but it's very, very unstable.
It breaks apart as soon as someone
dies, as the body cools down,
and then it's
impossible to find.
The only way Dr. Quincy
can find it is to look now.
Even if I agreed with what
you ask, I am a political figure.
Any move I sanction
will be watched.
Especially something like this. To
go against the religion of our people.
No.
It could do great harm
to our administration.
But certainly, if the people
knew this was being done
to help the other children,
you'd be respected for it.
It is not likely.
If it can help others...
I share the sorrow of this home
and humbly offer whatever of mine may
be needed to ease this moment of pain.
Boutillier.
Your offer is most generous
and will aid us in our hour of grief.
- This is the American doctor?
- Dr. Quincy.
Did I hear correctly?
Does this American
wish to mock our religion?
I'm not trying to mock
anything. I'm trying to help.
How?
By killing our babies
with your vaccine?
The diphtheria vaccine was not responsible
for their deaths. I've proven that.
I'd hardly expect you
to prove otherwise.
It was an American vaccine.
You're an American doctor.
I'm a doctor first
and above all.
If that vaccine was responsible
for this epidemic, I'd say so.
And I would've saved the
lives of the surviving children.
I'd like to believe you.
Are you sure you would
like to believe me, sir,
or would you rather
remain in the dark ages?
To believe in the will of God
and his sovereignty for our
people is not to live in the dark ages,
but to tamper with His will,
to bring in foreign
customs and medicines,
that, Doctor is the
making of our dark age!
Our life was not so pitiful until
you Americans came to get our oil.
We lived simply but
for us it was enough.
They have killed our babies,
don't let them kill
our religion, too.
I must perform that
autopsy, immediately.
Listen to me, Dominguez!
Our people will not stand
for you defiling our religion.
God will not stand for it!
I'm sorry, Dr. Quincy. I cannot
grant permission until tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
Do you really believe
what you've just said?
I do.
How sad.
- Prime Minister is out here?
- Yes.
Well, I warned you, Quincy.
And I told you I
don't play politics.
Well, Boutillier's taking full
advantage of your political naivete.
I'll tell you that.
He's raising holy hell about
you requesting an autopsy
before the vigil is over.
Then he's really gonna holler when
he hears what I'm going to ask for now.
You're to clear
it with me first.
You can hear it when
the Prime Minister does.
This isn't some crusade
back home, Quincy.
We're playing for
high stakes here,
and our chips are with that man!
Listen, Mr. Harris, I don't
ask you to think like a doctor,
please don't ask me to
think like a statesman.
I'm have to do everything I can
to stop this disease. Everything!
Sir?
My grandson. Any news?
I'm afraid not,
Mr. Prime Minister.
Carvel has told me
you need my help.
Yes, sir.
I need you to issue
an official mandate,
ordering immediate
autopsies on any infant
suspected of dying
from the disease.
Out of the question!
That goes against the
beliefs of the entire island.
I'm aware of that.
But you have to break away from the
past sometime and that's always painful.
The autopsies that were
performed after 24 hours are useless.
Whatever's infecting those
babies is destroyed by then.
Only by conducting an immediate
autopsy can we hope to find some answers!
Something to with!
Mr. Prime Minister, may I point
out that if you proceed with this,
and Dr. Quincy does not
find the cause of the epidemic
or a way to fight it,
Boutillier will be in
power in a matter of hours.
Your opinion, Mr. Harris?
You have to move
cautiously, sir.
You have to move now!
Sir.
Doctor, you would have
undoubtedly made a terrible statesman.
So Mr. Harris tells me.
All right.
Perform your autopsy.
I'll issue the order
effective immediately.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much.
- Ever been in a revolution,
Quincy?
- No.
Unless you find what you're looking for
in this autopsy, you're gonna be in one.
Mucus membranes of the
mouth, throat and airway
appear opaque and inflamed.
There's a definite infection.
With that membrane so
smooth I'd bet my boat it's viral.
If it is a virus, and if it
hasn't broken down yet,
you may be able to get a
culture from these tissue samples.
Then maybe we can see
what we're dealing with.
I don't think I've seen an
infection this severe in years.
The consolidation is so severe, the
lungs are solid like a piece of wood.
We'd better get used to it.
- Gonna get started
on that right away.
- Right.
- Can I help?
- Oh, no.
To tell you the truth, I
finished 15 minutes ago.
I've just been double checking
to see if I've missed anything.
You're very thorough.
When you don't know what you're
dealing with, you've got to be thorough.
How does that quote go?
Oh, yes. "A doctor who's
not thorough is through."
That's terrible! Who said that?
You did. UCLA, 1968.
You were a guest lecturer
at the medical school.
You were there? No! I'd have
remembered a pretty girl like you.
Oh, I don't know about that.
There were over 500
interns at that lecture.
Did I really say that?
Well, something close.
When all this is over,
I'd love to talk with you,
catch up on what's
happened in LA.
- You have a date.
- It's Maria.
Maria.
This is the best scope
I could find, Quince.
- It's an antique.
- It'll have to do.
- Did you find anything?
- Not yet.
But until we get
the cultures growing,
any chance I have of
finding a clue to what this is
will come from the lungs
where the infection has settled.
Mmm-hmm. Sam,
Maria, take a look.
See how the air sacs of
the lungs are obliterated
and covered with a heavy pus?
Tiny red spots.
- Lesions?
- Lesions.
What does that mean to you, Sam?
I read the article on it.
A new respiratory
syncytial virus!
Our findings and the clinical
symptoms match perfectly.
- You know what it is?
- I almost wish we didn't.
There's no known cure for
the virus we're talking about.
Wait a minute!
There was a drug company
mentioned in the article
that was doing some pioneering
work? Some kind of experimentation?
Adams Pharmaceuticals.
Adams. That's right.
9:00 p.m. That's
5:00 in Los Angeles.
Let's hope they
didn't go home early!
I want information in
Los Angeles, please.
I'm afraid you could've saved
yourself the trip, Dr. Quincy,
and my getting up
at 5:00 in the morning,
if you'd have told me
about this on the phone.
Mr. Ross, with over 40 babies
dead, and still more dying,
there's no way I
could've avoided this trip.
I understand that, really I do.
But this drug is still in
the developmental stages.
We've only just applied to the FDA
for permission to test it on humans.
God only knows what
sort of effect it might have.
But the animal testing
was a success, wasn't it?
That's what the article
I read was about.
Very much so.
We started testing 24 months
ago on the monkeys you see here.
The contamination was
with a particularly lethal
respiratory syncytial virus.
That's what I read. You took the
virus from some children who died.
Exactly.
And you gave it to the
monkeys. What happened?
They developed an
acute respiratory infection.
Over the course
of the testing, we
eliminated all adverse
reactions to the drug
when used in the
recommended dosage.
It, in fact, cured them with
no effect on the offspring.
So there's no reason to
believe it'll be harmful to people!
Our blood-brain barrier is
higher, there's less infiltration,
there should be less risk of any
central nervous system damage!
I couldn't agree more. But
the point is, we don't know.
We won't know until AVA-43
is thoroughly totally tested.
I realize that and normally I'd be
the first to scream bloody murder
if a drug was being released on
the market without sufficient testing.
But this is different.
You've developed it to the point
where it's ready for human testing
I'm thinking about those babies.
Look, forget about it.
Forget about everything else.
As a pharmacologist, all the
years you have spent as a chemist,
what do you think the
chances are of success?
- I can't commit myself.
- I'm not asking you
to commit yourself.
This is between you and me.
I wanna know how far to push.
- What do you
think the chances are?
- Between you and me,
I think it has a great
chance of success,
but I can't let you have
any of the medication!
Even though I want to!
It's against the law!
You have to get a special
release from the FDA.
How do I do that?
Oh, well, uh...
Considering the situation,
your only chance is to get the
State Department to do it for you.
If they clear the way,
Dr. Quincy, AVA-43 is yours!
Okay, Mr. Ross.
And, listen, from now on, all my
aspirin come from your company.
Hey.
No! Absolutely not!
I'm telling you that anti-viral agent
is the only chance those kids have!
Harris told me you were
stirring things up down there,
he didn't bother to inform
me that you'd lost your mind!
I don't understand you people!
You jump on me at
2:00 in the morning,
send me 4,000 miles to an island
to preserve the American way,
and when I try, you tell
me I'm out of my mind!
I'd love you to
save those children.
But not by a game
of Russian roulette!
And I'm telling you that with every
bit of scientific evidence we have,
it's the only game in town!
Not good enough.
Let me give you a scenario.
We send that anti-viral
agent down there,
we, the golden Americans
say, "This will cure you."
But it doesn't.
Those kids start turning into vegetables,
or their bodies become paralyzed.
What then?
Is Boutillier going
to forgive us?
Why is everybody trying to
turn me into a statesman?
- All I care
about are those kids!
- You're right.
That's all you
should care about.
Unfortunately I have
to think about Boutillier
and what this could to
do DeVille if you're wrong.
And before you jump
down my throat about the oil,
the US isn't my
only consideration.
We'll survive without
it if we have to,
but those people
on the island can't.
DeVille is the only chance
they have to a decent future.
And I have no
right to risk that.
That was the heart-rending
way to say "No anti-viral agent".
No anti-viral agent.
Then there's nothing
I can do down there.
That's what Harris has
been telling you for two days.
I'll have Mr. Fujiyama
flown home on the next run.
Tell, me, sir, how
do you sleep at night?
Sometimes,
Dr. Quincy, not too well.
After I left Baine's
office, I took a long walk.
Then, I went to the boat.
I didn't know what to do.
- I'm glad you called me.
- Me, too.
- Gentlemen.
- Oh, hi, John.
- John, just put all on my...
- Right.
It helps to talk. I don't
know why, but it just does.
Of course it does.
Look, Sam will probably
be back tomorrow. Today.
I've got an intriguing
case for you to start.
In a day or two, we'll...
Quincy, you have to
put this all behind you.
I don't know how I'll be able to put the
thought of those babies dying behind me.
You have to admit to yourself
that you've done all you could.
Now listen. You stop
relying on your feelings.
The truth is, you
did a superb job
in what is now a
no-win situation
for you, the government,
the FDA and the people.
Each group trying to do
its best but as they see it.
Change takes time.
You know, you
should be the diplomat.
Everything you say
makes sense up here,
but down there it doesn't help.
You just wouldn't believe
the ignorance and superstition
physicians like Pinaera
have to deal with down there.
I don't know how they do it.
Listen, Quincy, doctors have always
had to put up with that kind of ignorance.
Now you know it wasn't long ago that
people looked at a hospital with fear.
It was a place to die,
not a place to get well.
And what about our ignorance?
You know, it's called the art
of ignorance, not the science.
Quincy, you're wanted
on the phone. A Mr. Baine.
The humanitarian of the year.
- Want me to get rid of him?
- Nah. I'll talk to him.
What do you say, Smiley?
Could things be that bad?
Looks that way.
The three witches from Macbeth.
Yeah?
I've been trying to
get you for hours!
Don't you ever
settle in one place?
When my conscience
will let me. How about you?
All right, Quincy.
Now tell me. Do you really believe
that anti-viral agent will work?
Yes, I do.
Besides, it's the only
chance those kids have. Why?
Because things have
gotten worse over there.
- I mean... Worse.
- So?
So, I've got an Air
Force jet waiting at LAX.
I want you on it as
soon as possible.
With the anti-viral agent?
With the anti-viral agent.
Oh, Mr. Baine, I take back
everything I thought about you.
Harris met with DeVille.
- He explained all the risks.
- Yeah, I'll bet he did.
Will you knock it off,
Doctor? You've won.
DeVille made an official
request direct to the President
and assumed all responsibility.
Now, that jet's waiting. Are
you going to be on it or not?
Dr. Astin, that no-win situation?
We're gonna change that.
We'll administer the AVA-43
to the most critical case,
then we'll just wait and see.
A little fluctuation, but she's
holding as steady as we could expect.
Nothing to do now but wait.
Dr. Quincy, I'll stay.
I know you haven't
had any sleep for days.
There's a couch in my office. Why
don't you go and get some rest?
I catnapped on the plane.
Doctor, take the advice of a
doctor. Go get some sleep.
How much longer before we know?
No way to tell.
There wasn't any immediate
reaction to the medication
which is what usually happens if
there's going to be a complication.
But there wasn't
any positive reaction.
No, but there usually isn't.
How long the AVA-43 might
take to work is unknown.
So we wait.
What is it? Is she
coming out of it?
She died a few minutes ago.
Soon as we're done here, run a full
work-up on those samples we took.
And pay special attention
to the tox analysis.
Will do.
What's the matter? You look
like you've been through the wars.
That's what's it's
coming to out there.
Boutillier's followers are
running through the streets,
destroying everything
that even looks American.
I've just been on the
phone to Washington.
They want to get all
our people out of here.
Not us. We're performing
an autopsy here!
This place is going to explode.
You're Americans
and you're getting out!
We're doctors and we're staying!
The anti-viral agent didn't
kill that girl! I know it didn't!
I need more time
to find out what did.
I suppose if I
ordered you to out...
That's what I thought.
I'll be at the Embassy.
When you're
finished, give me a call
and I'll do what I
can to get you out.
But don't wait
too long... Doctor.
- Sam?
- Yeah?
Dr. Pinaera can
assist me on this.
I always did hate
to pack, Quince.
Brain appears normal.
No lesions or abnormalities
present to account for the death.
We've checked the
entire abdominal cavity,
and the nervous system. Nothing.
Well, there has to
be something here.
I just don't believe AVA-43
could've caused her death.
There's absolutely no signs
of any sort of tissue damage
that could be related
to the drug therapy.
That's because there was none.
Take a look at what
the tox screen shows.
Sam, these are a
lot of heavy drugs.
Chloramphenicol,
Salicylates, and Cortisol.
I don't believe this!
No wonder she died.
Her body was so overwhelmed
by this drug cocktail,
it couldn't keep going
when she lapsed into coma!
That little girl was already dead
when we gave her the anti-viral agent.
Now, who would prescribe
medication like that for a kid?
Well, Doctor, it's not
like it is in your country.
Every one of these drugs
is available over the counter,
especially in small villages
like where that child is from.
But those things should
only be prescribed by a doctor!
In this case they were probably
prescribed by her parents.
The child was in pain. They
thought they were helping her.
- Then AVA-43...
- Didn't kill that kid.
Ignorance did! Come
on. We have work to do.
That medication
didn't kill the baby girl.
She was loaded with heavy
drugs that rendered it useless.
She died of the disease.
It doesn't matter. You cannot
administer it to any more babies.
I just told you, it's safe.
It's not responsible
for her death!
Dr. Quincy, the Prime
Minister has given an order
forbidding you to give
any more inoculations.
- He gave in to Boutillier?
- He was forced to.
It was the only way he could
get Boutillier to stop this rioting.
Unless he made concessions, Boutillier
would have been in power by dawn.
He may be anyway.
Get me a car. I must
see DeVille immediately.
A car won't be necessary.
He's here at the hospital.
His grandson's
condition has deteriorated.
Dr. Quincy,
Boutillier is with him.
Doctor, how long?
If your grandson follows the
pattern of the others... A few hours.
Perhaps Boutillier is right.
- This is my
punishment from God.
- No!
Your way is right!
That baby girl we administered
the anti-viral drug to didn't die from it.
Nor did this plague come
from your diphtheria vaccine!
She was loaded with heavy
drugs her parents gave her.
Drugs that never should have
been put into that tiny body.
Drugs they got because
of your archaic laws.
Every human organism
has a point of no return
when you're dealing with
a life and death illness.
The drugs her parents gave
her pushed her past that point.
They destroyed all her defenses.
Giving her the anti-viral shot
was like giving her a shot of water!
- Dr. Pinaera...
- He's right.
You must believe him.
If I have any motive here,
it's to save the babies.
I, too, am trying
to save their lives.
Boutillier,
I know you are
trying to save them,
but you're also
trying to save yourself.
- I have no disease!
- Yes, you do.
You have the
disease of the archaic.
Your way is dying
and you are trying to keep it alive even
if it sacrifices the lives of our children.
But that is my grandson there
and I will do everything
I can to keep him alive.
Or would you deny
me that right, too?
He is of your blood.
Turn him over to your
new gods if you wish.
He will only die.
And if the medication
is successful?
I will not stand in the
way of saving our children.
But if he dies, I expect
you to end all of this.
Throw out every foreign element
and influence in our country.
You have my promise.
Doctor...
My grandson's life
is in your hands.
This is our last innings, Sam.
- Yeah,
we should know before long.
- Yep.
I thought I'd relieve you. Why
don't you go get a cup of coffee?
Oh, thank you.
Has he been sleeping long?
I'm not sleeping. I'm
just resting my eyes.
- Any change?
- No.
Well, so far so good.
All the babies who died went
into coma by this time, didn't they?
Oh, by now they were all...
Not heart failure. Not now!
His heart is fine.
He's moving around
because he's feeling better.
The lung consolidation
is breaking out.
- He's coming out of it!
- The anti-viral
agent is working!
Nurse.
Your grandson
is going to be fine.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
I'm happy for you,
Mr. Prime Minister.
Thank you, Boutillier.
- May I go to him?
- Come with me.
You win, Doctor.
I won't interfere with your
treatment of the babies.
Thank you. But I didn't
win. The babies did.
I will continue to oppose
him in other things.
I believe what I believe.
I do... what I must do.
I know no other way.
- Good night.
- Thank you.
For what it's worth, whether you're
right or wrong, and I believe you're wrong,
- I do believe you're sincere.
- So are you, Doctor.
So are you.
- What did he mean?
- What?
That you're sincere
or you're wrong?
Very funny. Come with
me. We've got work to do!
Oh. Oh, that sun.
- What day is it?
- Oh, Sunday. I think.
A beautiful, peaceful Sunday.
Think it will stay that way?
Oh, excuse me.
For now, yes.
Now that we stopped the disease.
Boutillier may be fanatical,
but he is a man of his word.
I heard on the radio he's stopped all
attacks on DeVille's health programs.
Terrific!
Now he's out to segregate the
American oil workers from our people.
Why?
Well, he claims your rock
music and disco dancing
is undermining the
morals of our youth.
I have to say, with that I
kinda go along with him.
Not all of our old ways are bad.
We have a custom, that
after surviving a disaster
we give a day of thanks to God
followed by a week of celebration.
You mean like eating
and drinking and dancing.
Mmm. And other things.
- Other things?
- Well,
it's part of our tradition.
Well, here's to tradition.
If it's caused by what you think, it
could turn our island into a bloodbath.
They killed our babies. Don't
let them kill our religion too.
- Ever been in a revolution,
Quincy?
- No.
Unless you find what you're looking for
in this autopsy, you're gonna be in one.
There's no known cure for
the virus we're talking about.
Quincy, this is no
crusade back home.
We're playing for
high stakes here!
Turn him over to your
new gods if you wish.
Gentlemen, you
are about to enter
the most fascinating
sphere of police work,
the world of forensic medicine.
- Another one?
- Only 18 months old.
- The same as the others?
- Yes.
Dr. Pinaera, are you sure?
Of course I'm sure!
I'm sorry, Carvel. I've been
watching babies die for weeks now
and there's nothing
I can do to stop it!
Doctor, Prime Minister
DeVille would give his own life
if it would stop this epidemic.
But if it's caused by what you think, it
could turn our island into a bloodbath.
I know. I know.
But it's gone too far.
The Prime Minister
has no choice.
We must have verification,
one way or the other.
I'll so inform him.
Who is it? What do ya want?
Look, I don't have much, but
whatever you find, I'll split with you.
Ouch! Oh, here it is.
Quincy, I'm sorry.
What are you doing here?
It's 2:00 in the morning!
Look, if these guys
are accountants
and it's about that dinner voucher
and the champagne and everything,
I thought the girl
was a suspect.
These men are from
the State Department.
This is Mr. Baine
and Mr. Harris.
- How do you do?
- Sounds like
an old vaudeville team.
Quincy, try not to be so witty.
Yeah, well it's either
be witty or murderous.
Have you ever heard of a
country called San Cristos?
I drink its coffee all the time.
Lately it's known for its oil.
And you want me to help
you siphon some of it off?
Quincy... Please just listen.
Gentlemen, why don't you just
make yourselves comfortable?
Don't...
About 10 months ago, San
Cristos elected a new Prime Minister.
Harland DeVille,
the first progressive leader
ever to hold power there.
He's bringing in new industry,
new health programs...
In short, trying to bring his
country into the 20th century.
And we're trying to bring
his oil into the United States.
That, too. But there
could be a problem.
The old regime headed up
by a man named Boutillier,
is still very powerful, and very
much against anything new,
especially if it's American.
You guys don't need me,
you need Henry Kissinger!
Quincy...
We sent a supply of diphtheria
vaccine down there a few months ago.
Not long after that an epidemic
started among babies and small children.
Boutillier is claiming our
vaccine's causing the deaths.
Is it?
That's what we'd like you to
go down there and find out.
- But Sam will be
going with you.
- You're letting both of us go?
- It's that serious?
- It's that serious.
All right. What
airline and what time?
Uh, no. This is the
hospital, Doctor.
Until we can build a new hospital,
we're updating our old facility.
Bringing in modern equipment
as fast as we can purchase it,
but it's not enough.
- Shortage of
trained medical people?
- Yes.
Dr. Pinaera is top drawer,
but she's one of the few.
We need time to train others.
And if this epidemic is caused by
the vaccine, you're not going to get it.
Precisely. Boutillier
will use it as an excuse
to depose Prime Minister DeVille
and go back to the old ways...
Ah, here's Dr. Pinaera now.
- Dr. Pinaera, this is Dr. Quincy.
- How do you do?
- His assistant, Mr. Fujiyama.
- How do you do?
I believe you know Mr. Harris.
Dr. Quincy. I appreciate
your coming so quickly.
Follow me, please.
What makes you so
sure it's the vaccine?
I'm not, Doctor.
It's the only thing I can
think of that might be related.
Symptoms?
Initially a progressive
respiratory infection,
cough, runny nose,
moderate fever.
Then bronchiolar involvement with increased
difficulty breathing and cyanosis.
Finally prostration
with death from anoxia.
Ever notice how much smaller
they look when they're sick, Sam?
I've noticed. Too
small. Much too small.
Take a look at this.
Do you have a small diaphragm...
Yes.
Temperatures remain
high, dark nasal discharge,
respiratory wheezing is
noticed in both lung fields.
Lot of fluid build-up.
You're really working to
breathe, aren't you, little friend?
Do you think it's the vaccine?
Well, as you know, it
could be a thousand things.
I'll get a better idea after
Sam and I look at the lab data.
Dr. Quincy. I'd like you to meet
San Cristos' Secretary of
State, Arturo Dominguez.
I don't have time.
This man is a loyal DeVille
supporter and important man.
I don't care if he's the king of
Siam. I'm busy. I got work to do.
That was his son
you just examined.
Why didn't you say so?
Mr. Secretary, I'm Dr. Quincy.
I'm sorry. I didn't
know it was your child.
We understand.
Can you do
something for our baby?
Dr. Quincy, he's all we have.
We'll try. With everything
we have, we'll try.
Is Boutillier right?
Is it the vaccine?
We won't know until we
look at all the past cases.
I'm going to do that right away.
We'll need every medical
history and autopsy report
you have on the infants who've
died, plus a room to look at them.
And I want samples of diphtheria
vaccine from all the batches that we used
and the syringes
used to apply it.
Better bring 'em from
all over the island.
I don't believe these
autopsy reports.
I can't make heads or tails
of this. They're incomplete.
The most important
tests have been ignored,
or if they were performed, yielded
results that don't make any sense!
Maybe it's the equipment.
I glanced into one of their
labs. Some of it's brand new,
but a lot seems outdated
by about 30 years.
And that guy Boutillier wants
to push 'em back even further?
It must kill doctors like
Pinaera to put up with that.
They may have no choice.
What do you mean?
I've been comparing the
names of the children who died
with this list of those
who were vaccinated.
Most of them have been vaccinated!
Doesn't look too good, does it?
If it wasn't the vaccine, what
else could have caused it?
For the time being, let's
concentrate on the vaccine.
Couple of things we
have to find out right away.
Whether there was a living organism in
the vaccine that gave the kids diphtheria
or whether it was contaminated
with another organism.
Well, let's hope we can find
out from the slides and tissues
left over from their autopsies.
- Anything?
- Nope. Clean.
The heart tissue doesn't show
any evidence of diphtheria toxin
and there's no evidence
of live organisms.
Same here.
If there were live diphtheria
organisms in the vaccine,
they would have shown
up in the blood smear.
Now let's see what the cultures
from the syringes tell us, okay?
All right.
Well, that's a relief.
What did you find?
Well, when I checked the list
of kids who were vaccinated,
a very impressive
percentage had died.
Well, I just finished checking off
the kids who weren't vaccinated
and the same
percentage had died.
So no more of them dies
with the vaccine than without it.
Then the vaccine in no way is responsible
for anybody getting sick or dying!
- That's right.
- Well,
I gotta tell that to Pinaera.
- Listen, Sam...
- Hmm?
You made an awful mess. Don't
you think you ought to clean it up?
Come in.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm
looking for Dr. Pinaera.
She's examining my grandchild.
He's been stricken
like the others.
Dr. Quincy, this is
Prime Minister DeVille.
Oh, how do you do?
I'm terribly sorry
about your grandchild.
My associate and I just
concluded our test with the vaccine.
The children aren't dying
from the diphtheria inoculations.
Then Boutillier can't
use that as an excuse
to split our country
right down the middle.
No.
I almost wish the
vaccine was responsible.
Why?
Because then we might be able
to prevent our children from dying,
mightn't we, Doctor?
- How's it going, Sam?
- Oh, it's funny.
They've got the latest gas
chromatography equipment
but this old microscope
is barely usable.
I'd hardly call it funny.
Going on 40 hours
without any sleep
and a lot of things
start to look funny.
Yeah. What was
the white cell count?
I checked the smears
and I couldn't get a count.
What are you talking about?
Sam, with an
infection like that,
the leukocyte count should
have gone way over the deep end!
Drink some coffee.
I want you awake as we go
over the toxicology results.
We can go over it,
but I don't think it's
going to help much.
Why?
See for yourself.
The blood alcohol level from
the frozen samples is .09%.
That's a lot of cough syrup.
And look at these other levels.
Sam, I think you are
suffering from jet lag.
You must've screwed this
up. These are basic tests!
I double checked my procedure
and everything came out fine.
Well, it's gotta be something. Maybe
the samples were contaminated.
I'll tell you one thing.
I hope it's not
necessary, but if it is,
you and I'll do the
next autopsy, ourselves.
Hello? Yes.
I understand.
Yeah. We'll be right there.
That was Pinaera.
Secretary Dominguez'
baby just lapsed into a coma.
No need to run,
gentlemen. It's over.
After lapsing into the coma,
he went into almost
immediate respiratory failure.
Damn!
Sam, I want you to start
propping him right away.
I want some tissue samples from
the lungs so I can start a viral culture.
You mean perform an autopsy?
That I am and right away.
Dr. Quincy, I'm afraid
an autopsy is impossible.
Impossible? Why?
What're you talking about?
An autopsy isn't possible
without the parents consent.
And Mr. Carvel knows
you won't get it today.
But we have to!
What we learn from an autopsy
will help us find a way to stop this!
Mister Fujiyama, our people
are basically very superstitious.
It's our heritage,
and it's why a man like
Boutillier really speaks
for a large segment
of our population.
Our religion demands the
body be held in vigil for 24 hours.
The people place
bells on the fingers.
If, after 24 hours, the bells have
not rung, then the body is buried.
You will not get permission to
conduct an autopsy until then.
Do you mean to tell me
that all the autopsies, every
bit of data we've been looking at,
came from examinations of cases
which were allowed
to sit there overnight?
None of them were performed
in less than 24 hours?
- But I thought that had
been explained to you.
- No, it had not.
Quince, that's why those tests
I ran didn't make any sense!
The samples were taken too late!
But this is an emergency.
Aren't there any laws or
any precedents established
to allow us to bend the customs?
Doctor, we've had an enlightened
leader for only a few months.
He's doing the best he can,
but trying to move our
parliament is not an easy task.
I'm afraid there's
nothing you can do.
You won't be able to perform an autopsy
without Secretary Dominguez' consent.
Then I'm going to
have to convince him!
Quincy, wait a minute.
- You can't do this.
- Why can't I?
Because your job's
over, that's why.
Your services aren't
needed here any longer.
Kids are still dying!
You were brought here
for a specific reason...
To find out if the diphtheria
vaccine we sent down here
was causing the deaths.
You found that it wasn't.
We're sending you back home.
I won't go!
Look, maybe you
don't understand,
but two more cases came in
last night from 60 miles away.
That means it's opening up. The
disease isn't confined to this area.
Now there's no telling
how many could die.
Quincy, this is
an internal matter.
The government
here is shaky enough,
they don't need you running
around adding fuel to the fire.
The political repercussions
could be disastrous!
I don't give a damn about
political repercussions.
That's your problem.
I came here because children
were dying. They're still dying.
And if you make me leave
here before I finish my job,
every nation in the world
is going to hear about it.
- You're bluffing.
- Am I?
Why don't you try me?
Is the Secretary in?
I share the sorrow of this home,
and humbly offer whatever
of mine may be needed
to ease this moment of pain.
Your offer is most generous
and will help us in our hour of grief.
I assume you are here to
ask permission for the autopsy.
- Yes, sir.
- Of course.
Tomorrow morning
after the vigil,
you may perform
what is necessary.
We can't wait until tomorrow
morning, Mr. Secretary.
I have to do it
today. Immediately.
- He doesn't know
what he's asking.
- Yes, I do.
I know I'm asking you to go
against everything you believe.
But without your help, there's no
telling how many more children will die.
You see, I think a virus is
what's causing the illness,
but it's very, very unstable.
It breaks apart as soon as someone
dies, as the body cools down,
and then it's
impossible to find.
The only way Dr. Quincy
can find it is to look now.
Even if I agreed with what
you ask, I am a political figure.
Any move I sanction
will be watched.
Especially something like this. To
go against the religion of our people.
No.
It could do great harm
to our administration.
But certainly, if the people
knew this was being done
to help the other children,
you'd be respected for it.
It is not likely.
If it can help others...
I share the sorrow of this home
and humbly offer whatever of mine may
be needed to ease this moment of pain.
Boutillier.
Your offer is most generous
and will aid us in our hour of grief.
- This is the American doctor?
- Dr. Quincy.
Did I hear correctly?
Does this American
wish to mock our religion?
I'm not trying to mock
anything. I'm trying to help.
How?
By killing our babies
with your vaccine?
The diphtheria vaccine was not responsible
for their deaths. I've proven that.
I'd hardly expect you
to prove otherwise.
It was an American vaccine.
You're an American doctor.
I'm a doctor first
and above all.
If that vaccine was responsible
for this epidemic, I'd say so.
And I would've saved the
lives of the surviving children.
I'd like to believe you.
Are you sure you would
like to believe me, sir,
or would you rather
remain in the dark ages?
To believe in the will of God
and his sovereignty for our
people is not to live in the dark ages,
but to tamper with His will,
to bring in foreign
customs and medicines,
that, Doctor is the
making of our dark age!
Our life was not so pitiful until
you Americans came to get our oil.
We lived simply but
for us it was enough.
They have killed our babies,
don't let them kill
our religion, too.
I must perform that
autopsy, immediately.
Listen to me, Dominguez!
Our people will not stand
for you defiling our religion.
God will not stand for it!
I'm sorry, Dr. Quincy. I cannot
grant permission until tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
Do you really believe
what you've just said?
I do.
How sad.
- Prime Minister is out here?
- Yes.
Well, I warned you, Quincy.
And I told you I
don't play politics.
Well, Boutillier's taking full
advantage of your political naivete.
I'll tell you that.
He's raising holy hell about
you requesting an autopsy
before the vigil is over.
Then he's really gonna holler when
he hears what I'm going to ask for now.
You're to clear
it with me first.
You can hear it when
the Prime Minister does.
This isn't some crusade
back home, Quincy.
We're playing for
high stakes here,
and our chips are with that man!
Listen, Mr. Harris, I don't
ask you to think like a doctor,
please don't ask me to
think like a statesman.
I'm have to do everything I can
to stop this disease. Everything!
Sir?
My grandson. Any news?
I'm afraid not,
Mr. Prime Minister.
Carvel has told me
you need my help.
Yes, sir.
I need you to issue
an official mandate,
ordering immediate
autopsies on any infant
suspected of dying
from the disease.
Out of the question!
That goes against the
beliefs of the entire island.
I'm aware of that.
But you have to break away from the
past sometime and that's always painful.
The autopsies that were
performed after 24 hours are useless.
Whatever's infecting those
babies is destroyed by then.
Only by conducting an immediate
autopsy can we hope to find some answers!
Something to with!
Mr. Prime Minister, may I point
out that if you proceed with this,
and Dr. Quincy does not
find the cause of the epidemic
or a way to fight it,
Boutillier will be in
power in a matter of hours.
Your opinion, Mr. Harris?
You have to move
cautiously, sir.
You have to move now!
Sir.
Doctor, you would have
undoubtedly made a terrible statesman.
So Mr. Harris tells me.
All right.
Perform your autopsy.
I'll issue the order
effective immediately.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much.
- Ever been in a revolution,
Quincy?
- No.
Unless you find what you're looking for
in this autopsy, you're gonna be in one.
Mucus membranes of the
mouth, throat and airway
appear opaque and inflamed.
There's a definite infection.
With that membrane so
smooth I'd bet my boat it's viral.
If it is a virus, and if it
hasn't broken down yet,
you may be able to get a
culture from these tissue samples.
Then maybe we can see
what we're dealing with.
I don't think I've seen an
infection this severe in years.
The consolidation is so severe, the
lungs are solid like a piece of wood.
We'd better get used to it.
- Gonna get started
on that right away.
- Right.
- Can I help?
- Oh, no.
To tell you the truth, I
finished 15 minutes ago.
I've just been double checking
to see if I've missed anything.
You're very thorough.
When you don't know what you're
dealing with, you've got to be thorough.
How does that quote go?
Oh, yes. "A doctor who's
not thorough is through."
That's terrible! Who said that?
You did. UCLA, 1968.
You were a guest lecturer
at the medical school.
You were there? No! I'd have
remembered a pretty girl like you.
Oh, I don't know about that.
There were over 500
interns at that lecture.
Did I really say that?
Well, something close.
When all this is over,
I'd love to talk with you,
catch up on what's
happened in LA.
- You have a date.
- It's Maria.
Maria.
This is the best scope
I could find, Quince.
- It's an antique.
- It'll have to do.
- Did you find anything?
- Not yet.
But until we get
the cultures growing,
any chance I have of
finding a clue to what this is
will come from the lungs
where the infection has settled.
Mmm-hmm. Sam,
Maria, take a look.
See how the air sacs of
the lungs are obliterated
and covered with a heavy pus?
Tiny red spots.
- Lesions?
- Lesions.
What does that mean to you, Sam?
I read the article on it.
A new respiratory
syncytial virus!
Our findings and the clinical
symptoms match perfectly.
- You know what it is?
- I almost wish we didn't.
There's no known cure for
the virus we're talking about.
Wait a minute!
There was a drug company
mentioned in the article
that was doing some pioneering
work? Some kind of experimentation?
Adams Pharmaceuticals.
Adams. That's right.
9:00 p.m. That's
5:00 in Los Angeles.
Let's hope they
didn't go home early!
I want information in
Los Angeles, please.
I'm afraid you could've saved
yourself the trip, Dr. Quincy,
and my getting up
at 5:00 in the morning,
if you'd have told me
about this on the phone.
Mr. Ross, with over 40 babies
dead, and still more dying,
there's no way I
could've avoided this trip.
I understand that, really I do.
But this drug is still in
the developmental stages.
We've only just applied to the FDA
for permission to test it on humans.
God only knows what
sort of effect it might have.
But the animal testing
was a success, wasn't it?
That's what the article
I read was about.
Very much so.
We started testing 24 months
ago on the monkeys you see here.
The contamination was
with a particularly lethal
respiratory syncytial virus.
That's what I read. You took the
virus from some children who died.
Exactly.
And you gave it to the
monkeys. What happened?
They developed an
acute respiratory infection.
Over the course
of the testing, we
eliminated all adverse
reactions to the drug
when used in the
recommended dosage.
It, in fact, cured them with
no effect on the offspring.
So there's no reason to
believe it'll be harmful to people!
Our blood-brain barrier is
higher, there's less infiltration,
there should be less risk of any
central nervous system damage!
I couldn't agree more. But
the point is, we don't know.
We won't know until AVA-43
is thoroughly totally tested.
I realize that and normally I'd be
the first to scream bloody murder
if a drug was being released on
the market without sufficient testing.
But this is different.
You've developed it to the point
where it's ready for human testing
I'm thinking about those babies.
Look, forget about it.
Forget about everything else.
As a pharmacologist, all the
years you have spent as a chemist,
what do you think the
chances are of success?
- I can't commit myself.
- I'm not asking you
to commit yourself.
This is between you and me.
I wanna know how far to push.
- What do you
think the chances are?
- Between you and me,
I think it has a great
chance of success,
but I can't let you have
any of the medication!
Even though I want to!
It's against the law!
You have to get a special
release from the FDA.
How do I do that?
Oh, well, uh...
Considering the situation,
your only chance is to get the
State Department to do it for you.
If they clear the way,
Dr. Quincy, AVA-43 is yours!
Okay, Mr. Ross.
And, listen, from now on, all my
aspirin come from your company.
Hey.
No! Absolutely not!
I'm telling you that anti-viral agent
is the only chance those kids have!
Harris told me you were
stirring things up down there,
he didn't bother to inform
me that you'd lost your mind!
I don't understand you people!
You jump on me at
2:00 in the morning,
send me 4,000 miles to an island
to preserve the American way,
and when I try, you tell
me I'm out of my mind!
I'd love you to
save those children.
But not by a game
of Russian roulette!
And I'm telling you that with every
bit of scientific evidence we have,
it's the only game in town!
Not good enough.
Let me give you a scenario.
We send that anti-viral
agent down there,
we, the golden Americans
say, "This will cure you."
But it doesn't.
Those kids start turning into vegetables,
or their bodies become paralyzed.
What then?
Is Boutillier going
to forgive us?
Why is everybody trying to
turn me into a statesman?
- All I care
about are those kids!
- You're right.
That's all you
should care about.
Unfortunately I have
to think about Boutillier
and what this could to
do DeVille if you're wrong.
And before you jump
down my throat about the oil,
the US isn't my
only consideration.
We'll survive without
it if we have to,
but those people
on the island can't.
DeVille is the only chance
they have to a decent future.
And I have no
right to risk that.
That was the heart-rending
way to say "No anti-viral agent".
No anti-viral agent.
Then there's nothing
I can do down there.
That's what Harris has
been telling you for two days.
I'll have Mr. Fujiyama
flown home on the next run.
Tell, me, sir, how
do you sleep at night?
Sometimes,
Dr. Quincy, not too well.
After I left Baine's
office, I took a long walk.
Then, I went to the boat.
I didn't know what to do.
- I'm glad you called me.
- Me, too.
- Gentlemen.
- Oh, hi, John.
- John, just put all on my...
- Right.
It helps to talk. I don't
know why, but it just does.
Of course it does.
Look, Sam will probably
be back tomorrow. Today.
I've got an intriguing
case for you to start.
In a day or two, we'll...
Quincy, you have to
put this all behind you.
I don't know how I'll be able to put the
thought of those babies dying behind me.
You have to admit to yourself
that you've done all you could.
Now listen. You stop
relying on your feelings.
The truth is, you
did a superb job
in what is now a
no-win situation
for you, the government,
the FDA and the people.
Each group trying to do
its best but as they see it.
Change takes time.
You know, you
should be the diplomat.
Everything you say
makes sense up here,
but down there it doesn't help.
You just wouldn't believe
the ignorance and superstition
physicians like Pinaera
have to deal with down there.
I don't know how they do it.
Listen, Quincy, doctors have always
had to put up with that kind of ignorance.
Now you know it wasn't long ago that
people looked at a hospital with fear.
It was a place to die,
not a place to get well.
And what about our ignorance?
You know, it's called the art
of ignorance, not the science.
Quincy, you're wanted
on the phone. A Mr. Baine.
The humanitarian of the year.
- Want me to get rid of him?
- Nah. I'll talk to him.
What do you say, Smiley?
Could things be that bad?
Looks that way.
The three witches from Macbeth.
Yeah?
I've been trying to
get you for hours!
Don't you ever
settle in one place?
When my conscience
will let me. How about you?
All right, Quincy.
Now tell me. Do you really believe
that anti-viral agent will work?
Yes, I do.
Besides, it's the only
chance those kids have. Why?
Because things have
gotten worse over there.
- I mean... Worse.
- So?
So, I've got an Air
Force jet waiting at LAX.
I want you on it as
soon as possible.
With the anti-viral agent?
With the anti-viral agent.
Oh, Mr. Baine, I take back
everything I thought about you.
Harris met with DeVille.
- He explained all the risks.
- Yeah, I'll bet he did.
Will you knock it off,
Doctor? You've won.
DeVille made an official
request direct to the President
and assumed all responsibility.
Now, that jet's waiting. Are
you going to be on it or not?
Dr. Astin, that no-win situation?
We're gonna change that.
We'll administer the AVA-43
to the most critical case,
then we'll just wait and see.
A little fluctuation, but she's
holding as steady as we could expect.
Nothing to do now but wait.
Dr. Quincy, I'll stay.
I know you haven't
had any sleep for days.
There's a couch in my office. Why
don't you go and get some rest?
I catnapped on the plane.
Doctor, take the advice of a
doctor. Go get some sleep.
How much longer before we know?
No way to tell.
There wasn't any immediate
reaction to the medication
which is what usually happens if
there's going to be a complication.
But there wasn't
any positive reaction.
No, but there usually isn't.
How long the AVA-43 might
take to work is unknown.
So we wait.
What is it? Is she
coming out of it?
She died a few minutes ago.
Soon as we're done here, run a full
work-up on those samples we took.
And pay special attention
to the tox analysis.
Will do.
What's the matter? You look
like you've been through the wars.
That's what's it's
coming to out there.
Boutillier's followers are
running through the streets,
destroying everything
that even looks American.
I've just been on the
phone to Washington.
They want to get all
our people out of here.
Not us. We're performing
an autopsy here!
This place is going to explode.
You're Americans
and you're getting out!
We're doctors and we're staying!
The anti-viral agent didn't
kill that girl! I know it didn't!
I need more time
to find out what did.
I suppose if I
ordered you to out...
That's what I thought.
I'll be at the Embassy.
When you're
finished, give me a call
and I'll do what I
can to get you out.
But don't wait
too long... Doctor.
- Sam?
- Yeah?
Dr. Pinaera can
assist me on this.
I always did hate
to pack, Quince.
Brain appears normal.
No lesions or abnormalities
present to account for the death.
We've checked the
entire abdominal cavity,
and the nervous system. Nothing.
Well, there has to
be something here.
I just don't believe AVA-43
could've caused her death.
There's absolutely no signs
of any sort of tissue damage
that could be related
to the drug therapy.
That's because there was none.
Take a look at what
the tox screen shows.
Sam, these are a
lot of heavy drugs.
Chloramphenicol,
Salicylates, and Cortisol.
I don't believe this!
No wonder she died.
Her body was so overwhelmed
by this drug cocktail,
it couldn't keep going
when she lapsed into coma!
That little girl was already dead
when we gave her the anti-viral agent.
Now, who would prescribe
medication like that for a kid?
Well, Doctor, it's not
like it is in your country.
Every one of these drugs
is available over the counter,
especially in small villages
like where that child is from.
But those things should
only be prescribed by a doctor!
In this case they were probably
prescribed by her parents.
The child was in pain. They
thought they were helping her.
- Then AVA-43...
- Didn't kill that kid.
Ignorance did! Come
on. We have work to do.
That medication
didn't kill the baby girl.
She was loaded with heavy
drugs that rendered it useless.
She died of the disease.
It doesn't matter. You cannot
administer it to any more babies.
I just told you, it's safe.
It's not responsible
for her death!
Dr. Quincy, the Prime
Minister has given an order
forbidding you to give
any more inoculations.
- He gave in to Boutillier?
- He was forced to.
It was the only way he could
get Boutillier to stop this rioting.
Unless he made concessions, Boutillier
would have been in power by dawn.
He may be anyway.
Get me a car. I must
see DeVille immediately.
A car won't be necessary.
He's here at the hospital.
His grandson's
condition has deteriorated.
Dr. Quincy,
Boutillier is with him.
Doctor, how long?
If your grandson follows the
pattern of the others... A few hours.
Perhaps Boutillier is right.
- This is my
punishment from God.
- No!
Your way is right!
That baby girl we administered
the anti-viral drug to didn't die from it.
Nor did this plague come
from your diphtheria vaccine!
She was loaded with heavy
drugs her parents gave her.
Drugs that never should have
been put into that tiny body.
Drugs they got because
of your archaic laws.
Every human organism
has a point of no return
when you're dealing with
a life and death illness.
The drugs her parents gave
her pushed her past that point.
They destroyed all her defenses.
Giving her the anti-viral shot
was like giving her a shot of water!
- Dr. Pinaera...
- He's right.
You must believe him.
If I have any motive here,
it's to save the babies.
I, too, am trying
to save their lives.
Boutillier,
I know you are
trying to save them,
but you're also
trying to save yourself.
- I have no disease!
- Yes, you do.
You have the
disease of the archaic.
Your way is dying
and you are trying to keep it alive even
if it sacrifices the lives of our children.
But that is my grandson there
and I will do everything
I can to keep him alive.
Or would you deny
me that right, too?
He is of your blood.
Turn him over to your
new gods if you wish.
He will only die.
And if the medication
is successful?
I will not stand in the
way of saving our children.
But if he dies, I expect
you to end all of this.
Throw out every foreign element
and influence in our country.
You have my promise.
Doctor...
My grandson's life
is in your hands.
This is our last innings, Sam.
- Yeah,
we should know before long.
- Yep.
I thought I'd relieve you. Why
don't you go get a cup of coffee?
Oh, thank you.
Has he been sleeping long?
I'm not sleeping. I'm
just resting my eyes.
- Any change?
- No.
Well, so far so good.
All the babies who died went
into coma by this time, didn't they?
Oh, by now they were all...
Not heart failure. Not now!
His heart is fine.
He's moving around
because he's feeling better.
The lung consolidation
is breaking out.
- He's coming out of it!
- The anti-viral
agent is working!
Nurse.
Your grandson
is going to be fine.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
I'm happy for you,
Mr. Prime Minister.
Thank you, Boutillier.
- May I go to him?
- Come with me.
You win, Doctor.
I won't interfere with your
treatment of the babies.
Thank you. But I didn't
win. The babies did.
I will continue to oppose
him in other things.
I believe what I believe.
I do... what I must do.
I know no other way.
- Good night.
- Thank you.
For what it's worth, whether you're
right or wrong, and I believe you're wrong,
- I do believe you're sincere.
- So are you, Doctor.
So are you.
- What did he mean?
- What?
That you're sincere
or you're wrong?
Very funny. Come with
me. We've got work to do!
Oh. Oh, that sun.
- What day is it?
- Oh, Sunday. I think.
A beautiful, peaceful Sunday.
Think it will stay that way?
Oh, excuse me.
For now, yes.
Now that we stopped the disease.
Boutillier may be fanatical,
but he is a man of his word.
I heard on the radio he's stopped all
attacks on DeVille's health programs.
Terrific!
Now he's out to segregate the
American oil workers from our people.
Why?
Well, he claims your rock
music and disco dancing
is undermining the
morals of our youth.
I have to say, with that I
kinda go along with him.
Not all of our old ways are bad.
We have a custom, that
after surviving a disaster
we give a day of thanks to God
followed by a week of celebration.
You mean like eating
and drinking and dancing.
Mmm. And other things.
- Other things?
- Well,
it's part of our tradition.
Well, here's to tradition.