Finding Judas

"Finding Judas" is the ninth episode of the third season of House and the fifty-fifth episode overall.

Six-year-old girl Alice (Alyssa Shafer), is enjoying herself at a carnival with her father. While on a ride, Alice starts screaming hysterically.

House's team checks her and finds gallstones and eventually pancreatitis. It is then revealed that her parents (Christopher Gartin and Paula Cale) are divorced, and argue all the time. Repeatedly, they are unable to agree on whether to trust House's judgement or not, so temporary guardianship is awarded to Cuddy.

Each time the doctors perform a test on Alice, her skin reacts as if she has allergies to everything. House thinks it's impossible for her to be allergic to everything, so he suspects infection. House recommends broad-spectrum antibiotics, but Cuddy, still fearing allergies, decides on Metronidazole. Alice keeps getting worse, including muscle rigidity and liver failure. Without answers, Cuddy runs a charcoal hemoperfusion during which Alice develops a clot in her arm. Foreman and Cuddy operate on her and remove the clot, during which time her temperature rises dangerously. Cuddy cools her off by taking her into a shower, where an enraged House finds her, shouts at her for giving Alice weak antibiotics, and telling her she'd fail as a mother, which emotionally effects upsets her.

In the final differential House has with his team, he concludes she has necrotizing fasciitis, and decides her only chance for survival is amputation of the infected limbs (left arm and leg). The team does not agree on such a radical measure, but a volatile House angrily criticizes them for being too cautious.

The amputation surgery is prepared while House's team hangs out in the office. Chase is playing with a laser pointer and has an epiphany. He catches up to House in the hospital foyer and tells him that Alice has erythropoietic protoporphyria which makes her allergic to light. House ignores his diagnosis. When Chase tries to stop him leaving, House punches him in the face. While lying on the floor, Chase explains the specifics. House, embarrassed by his tantrum and lack of understanding, realizes that Chase is right. The OR is called and the surgery halted. Shortly after, Cuddy explains the diagnosis to Alice's parents.