House Training (House)
| "House Training" | |
|---|---|
| House episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 20 |
| Directed by | Paul McCrane |
| Written by | Doris Egan |
| Original air date | April 24, 2007 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"House Training" is the 20th episode of the third season of House and the 66th episode overall.
A young female scam artist named Lupe (Monique Gabriela Curnen) collapses while participating (possibly acting as a shill) in a Three-Card Monte scam on the street. She suffers from a lack of blood to the brain which temporarily paralyzed her ability to make decisions or exercise free will ("aboulia," says Foreman, as "part of a […] transient ischemic attack"). Based on her background, Foreman immediately suspects Lupe's condition stems from drug abuse, while Chase looks for other possibilities, such as toxins in her apartment. Lupe senses Foreman's disdain for the decisions she's made in her life, and Foreman grapples with his own humble past when his parents come to visit him.
When Lupe's symptoms worsen and her organs begin to shut down, Foreman and the team suspect autoimmune disease to be the culprit. When treatment does not work (symptoms worsen), the team thinks it must be cancer. Foreman presses for a full-body radiation treatment. However, severe pain after the radiation leads the team to the final, correct diagnosis: an infection. The radiation treatment has destroyed Lupe's immune system and there is nothing anybody can do to save her. Foreman tells her the news and helps her cope with it.
Meanwhile, Cuddy and Wilson go out on a date to see an art exhibit together after House asked Cuddy to go to a play with him (at the very end of the previous episode, Act Your Age) and Cuddy declined. House probes Wilson's ex-wife about Wilson and his dating habits.
When it becomes clear that they cannot cure Lupe, House tries to perform tests on her while she is still alive. When Foreman forbids this, House becomes frustrated and says "I need to know." Lupe eventually dies and when House performs an autopsy, it is learned that she had a staph infection from a scratch due to her bra hook, and the team didn't notice it because the strap covered it. House feels disappointed by the patient's death; however, unlike Foreman, House feels that the team took an appropriate course of action, stating that their unconventional decision-making abilities make them better doctors.
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