Coma (1978)

Richard Doyle: Jim

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Quotes 

• Dr. Susan Wheeler : Jim, I know it sounds silly but, supposing you wanted to put people into a coma, what would you do?

  Jim : You mean on purpose?

  Pathology Resident #2 : Diethyl para-amino tannadol.

  Jim : No, no, leaves a serum trace.

  Pathology Resident #2 : Yeah, if you know to look for it.

  Jim : But it also peaks alk phos. That's a real giveaway. Besides, who can get tannadol?

  Pathology Resident #2 : Well, then you can use paradine.

  Jim : No, it has a taste. We'd all make great murderers. I mean, who knows better about murder than a pathologist?

  Pathology Resident #2 : It sure keeps my wife in line.

• Jim : First rule of crime: Keep It Simple. What's simple? Carbon Monoxide.

  Pathology Resident #2 : Boring.

  Dr. Susan Wheeler : Carbon Monoxide?

  Jim : Sure, it's perfect. Anesthetist feeds the patient some carbon monoxide instead of oxygen. It's colorless and makes the blood very red so the surgeon doesn't notice anything funny. But the brain dies from lack of oxygen. End of operation - the patient doesn't wake up.

  Dr. Susan Wheeler : No other effects?

  Pathology Resident #2 : Sure, other effects. Cardiac irritability.

  Jim : Which this case had.

  Pathology Resident #2 : You know, it'd be much better to block the neuro-muscular junction with succinylcholine. Now that's a nice murder.

  Jim : Yeah, who's gonna do it?

  Pathology Resident #2 : Well, who's gonna feed you carbon monoxide?

  Jim : That's the problem. Been about a dozen of these coma cases here in the last year. They're always different. Different case, different anesthetist, different operation. Hard to imagine it's murder.