In the operation scene, they show the kid crying in pain throughout. What I don't get is, wouldn't the kid be sedated? Technically, he would either be unconscious with a general anesthesia, or he would be numb in the face with local anesthesia. They made it look like he was being stitched with no sedation. Weird!
Maybe they did it differently in the 70s, or maybe it was something so pressing they didn't have time to sedate him, I don't know.
shareI'm no doctor, but:
- Sedation and anesthesia aren't the same thing.
- I think they typically avoid giving sedatives to kids.
- They would never give general anesthesia for stitching up cuts.
- He may have been given local anesthesia. Local anesthesia isn't magic, and doesn't render getting stitches an enjoyable experience.
Well if that WAS with anesthetics...must've been like the time I had a tooth extracted and the doctor didn't bother with any nitrous oxide...good thing he didn't have any other patients that night, Novacaine in itself was not enough.
shareThey would never give general anesthesia for stitching up cuts.
Exactly. General anesthesia is risky. They would not do it for something so minor as stitches.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
I was a little surprised by this scene as well. The problem is the cut was so close to his eye that they may not have been able to numb the area. That scene made me cringe as it was shot so well. Kids this age cry more from being scared than actual pain. Really good acting throughout the entire film and this scene was no exception.
I also had the thought that maybe his father was getting him ready to play hockey in the near future. Hockey players get stitched up on the bench between shifts!!! LOL!!
No, back in the 70's they didn't sedate a patient for stitches.
When I was 7 I fell off a rock wall and cut my chin badly. I needed stitches, was not given anything for the pain. The scene in the film was very similar to my experience, except my mother held my head, not my father.
I had almost the same thing happen around '76 or '77. I got a bad cut on the top of my head. The doctor decided it needed 1 stitch, and they didn't give you anything for the pain with 1 stitch.
It was a very interesting experience.
I had a similar experience as a kid, probably around 1985. I needed stitches in my feet, and I remember that it hurt a lot (not sure if I had any anesthetic or not). I also remember my Mom standing next to me holding my hand just like Dustin Hoffman in the movie.
shareYes - this sounds very similar to my experience. Much has changed since then. Lots of things were just taken for granted - like anesthesia being a luxury :-)
It is also still a great movie, and Hoffman & Streep are excellent.
It is so fascinating what ends up sticking in your memory - I can still remember that incident like yesterday, but it was 38+ years ago. Wow.
They probably did give him a needle NEAR the wound. But take it from someone who has had stitches, Novocain helps but it in NO WAY kills all the pain!
I was in tears by the time the doc finished sewing up the back of my neck.
With Billy, add to that a big scary doc with a big scary needle & big scary light after a big scary fall...whew!
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
I know it may seem a bit strange for this age, but actually it's quite realistic. I should know better since I got 8 stitches at the exact same spot in my left eyebrow when I was 6-7 at a similar accident in the late 80s, with no kind of anaesthesia or sedative, unfortunately.
It was no major hospital or anything since it was an emergency and hopefully I don't remember much from that experience. The bad thing is, I still have a scar there. It didn't heal completely throughout the ages as one would have guessed.
movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/_7vsFPVeXwQ/
animation:
http://www.imdb.com/list/XCvG_EK1ngk/
My brother got his forehead banged on a car door by his sister (me) by accident when he was a boy so this hits a sore spot.
Does anyone notice neither EVER washes their hands after going to the bathroom?
They must not have peed on their hands! :)
shareDoes anyone notice neither EVER washes their hands after going to the bathroom?Urgh yeah. I'm a bit of a germophobe so that got to me each time. I don't think they even flushed most of the time. Then they don't wash their hands, and then go straight to the kitchen to handle food. Finger food, at that, like donuts.
Even worse, he stick his hands in the egg to dig out shell after NOT washing them in the bathroom. I was totally grossed out. To the max.
shareSeriously? You people don't understand that a little kid like that would be scared and freaked out whether or not he was numbed?
shareThe boy crying has nothing to do with being or not being sedated, and they certainly don't use anesthesia for stitching up a wound.
I had the same thing down when I was five and all they did was numb the cut; I was still crying, of course.
I didn't find that scene the least bit weird.
"What is necessary is never unwise." -- Sarek.
What do you mean, they don't use anesthesia when stitching up a wound??
You must mean they don't use general anesthesia.
They DO use local anesthesia usually. Such as Novocain.
I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.
I thought the sound coming from that kid the whole time was brilliant. Not exactly a scream, but a whine that just never stopped. Then he would say, "stop it, stop it, stop it," over and over. Exactly how a kid would react.
share