ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 4:59 pm Post subject: The Lost Heartbeat S01 E17

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YouTube has a number of episodes from this great show, and the picture quality suggests that they're from the restored DVDs sold by Shout Factory.

Science Fiction Theatre - The Lost Heartbeat S01 E17

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2022 8:14 pm Post subject:

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From IMDB: A young doctor who's been experimenting with heart surgery is visited by his former teacher.

Elderly Dr. Crane's time is short due to his bad ticker. Armed with a newly-developed miniature battery, he hopes to convince the surgeon to use the power source to run an artificial heart he wants implanted in his chest.
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This is a perfect example of why I love this series. It allows me to enjoy the predictions made by science fiction stories to the reality of the 21st Century. Cool

Here's what I mean.

Truman Bradley's opening science demonstration sells us completely on the value of solar energy.

Then this story begins with a young medical research scientist (Zachary Scott) being visited by his elderly mentor (Walter Kingsford), who says he wants to be the first recipient of the artificial heart the young doctor has developed.

The young doctor says it can't be done because the artificial heart needs a power source before it can be implanted into a patient.

However, the elderly doctor demonstrates the solar cell he has invented, which can be used to power medical implants — like the device he used in a mental patient who was criminally insane. The small device the doctor implanted has restored the man's normal brain activity and cured is violent tendencies.

In this story's dramatic climax we see Zachary Scott in the operating room, replacing Walter Kingsford heart — which has to be done in 45 seconds to prevent the patient from dying!

Trueman Bradley's closing remarks promise us that artificial hearts will someday become a reality. And he's absolutely right! There have now been more than 1,700 implants of the Total Artificial Heart!

Gentlemen . . . we're living in the FUTURE! Shocked

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

scotpens · Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2022 10:05 pm Post subject:

Bud Brewster · Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2022 1:54 pm Post subject:

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The episode is only 25 minutes long, so they had to hurry. Laughing

Seriously, though, I think it was mostly just a device to add tension and drama.

However, when you watch the episode you'll learn that the old scientist was a very bad risk for a heart replacement because of his poor health. So I think the idea was supposed to be that anything that added to the risk involved in the surgery might be too much for him.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)