M*A*S*H (TV Series) Preventative Medicine (1979) User Reviews

Medical Ethics

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 11 April 2015]

This is a very memorable episode. It starts with the usual operating room banter. The conversation eventually gets around to a certain Colonel Lacey. He has the highest casualty rate of any commander in Korea. As they are looking after the wounded in the recovery area, who should show up but Lacey himself. He is a big, handsome, walking model for a soldier with absolutely no conscience. He has no qualms about giving up a third of his men to take hill. His own soldiers can't stand the sight of him and one tells Hawkeye about it. The guys (including Colonel Potter) do what they can to diminish his role, but he doesn't listen a bit. Then Hawkeye has a solution which smacks at the height of medical malfeasance. The question, in this episode, is what extremes can one go to to protect the lives of soldiers.

A Crisis Of Conscience!!

[ellisel · 9/10 · 13 June 2007]

The opening part of the episode started with surgery. Captain Hunnicutt was first unsure about a patient's liver looking like Illinois. Little did he know the patient was a crew of Colonel Lacy's outfit. The 4077th -- in its obvious task -- had been involved with doing surgery with the rest of Colonel Lacy's soldiers. No wonder everyone acted confused and unsure about the reckless situation from the likes of Colonel Lacy. Coloney Lacy would later arrive at the 4077th to visit his soldiers in the post-operation section of the hospital. Captain Hunnicutt was crudely shocked -- but surprised -- at Colonel Lacy's presence for the sole purpose of engaging in an obvious counteroffensive. Captain North acted resentful and hateful about the injuries his other buddies endured in the battle under his unit. Another soldier became in shock as Colonel Lacy was about to hand him the purple heart in the post-operation ward.

Captains Pierce and Hunnicutt -- albeit with difference of opinions -- invited Colonel Lacy to "The Swamp" for a round of drinks. Captain Pierce would hand Colonel Lacy his drink; then later encountered appendicitis. Captain Pierce operated on Colonel Lacy in surgery -- without the assistance of Captain Hunnicutt. The Reality: operating on Captain Lacy was a ploy to prevent the mortality rate to reach anywhere between 45 percent and 55 percent from his outfit. Surgery was a plan to prevent Colonel Lacy from causing any more injuries to his soldiers. The Result: A Solid 9!! Recommended For Everyone To Watch!!

great epide. incorrect good on idmb

[koolkicker2 · 10/10 · 31 October 2020]

Only here to fix a mistake on idmb. idmb list a good of col.lacey wearing the wrong rank cause he is wearing oak leafs. as a battalion commander col lacey would be a luitenant Colonel whish is between the ranks of major and colonel. their emblem is a silver oakleaf cluster which is what shows on his color. both Luitenant Colonel and Colonel are addressed simply as Colonel.

A Moral Dilemma

[athompsonblue · 5/10 · 24 June 2023]

Colonel Lacy uses patrotic speeches and fatherly tenderness to conceal the sociopathy underneath. He is reckless with his troops' lives, all for his sick obsession with taking Hill 403. He's even willing to go around the higher-ups' orders by sending recon aircraft to deliberately provoke the enemy to start the battle he wants.

Hawkeye and BJ take matters into their own hands. They drug Lacy's drink, giving him severe pain in his abdomen. BJ wants to stop there and call it gastritis, but Hawkeye goes a step further by removing Lacy's healthy appendix so he'll be out of commission for two weeks. Hopefully, by then, Colonel Potter's letter will get Lacy transferred to a noncombative role.

Another reviewer took BJ's side. It's certainly understandable. Hawkeye DID break the rules big time. Under normal circumstances, his actions would be deeply wrong. But this is a war. And my emotions are strongly on Hawkeye's side. The way he and I saw it, removing one sociopath's unnecessary organ was a small price to pay to save dozens or hundreds of American lives. So, whereas BJ preached from a high horse, Hawkeye decided to do what he felt was necessary for the greater good.

I'm not certain if my emotions are right. It IS a morally gray issue, a dilemma of ethics and conscience. Hawkeye certainly feels lousy after pulling off his plan. He hates himself and he hates the war. I'm glad BJ decided not to berate him any further. What's done is done. Now....back to work.

Hawkeye crosses the line

[safenoe · 5/10 · 28 September 2020]

Hawkeye and BJ encounter a Colonel who is willing to put his troops at risk big time, all for the glory of taking a hill. Hawkeye crossed the line big time. I'm on BJ's side here. In some ways, Hawkeye's very unethical conduct presaged his breakdown in Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.