Something Call the Midwife has never done is shy away from the realities of the past. During the second hour of Season 15, we picked up with a fear of rabies spreading around Poplar.
The disease is now pretty well-known, with comments about it made in the news on a regular basis. These comments often involve bats and dogs, so it’s not surprising that the midwives of Nonnatus House quickly act when it looks like a dog has rabies.
In the end, the dog has actually died from ingesting rat poison, but the word spread fast. While there was an actual rabies event by the end of the episode, the focus on the fear of the people of Poplar is the part that’s based on truth.
Britain Did Go Through a Rabies Scare
It turns out that during the 1970s, there was a real scare about rabies spreading across the country. As people say on Call the Midwife Season 15 Episode 2, this was a disease that was only heard about across mainland Europe. Eventually, everything would spread, and rabies found its way onto British shores.
With people not really understanding it, it wasn’t that surprising to see such a panic. The symptoms were alarming, whether it was the idea of paralysis or that fear of water while being excessively thirsty, and the idea that it would lead to death was terrifying.
We see that fear in Joel, as he realizes that there’s a chance he was bitten while traveling and may have contracted rabies. That fear becomes realized when he is unable to move the day after watching a documentary, and then the disease progresses quickly.
One of the most terrifying elements, even today, is knowing that there isn’t a real cure. While there is an option if symptoms haven’t appeared yet, once those symptoms start, there is no way to reverse rabies and save people. It’s why animals are given the rabies vaccine, as it’s so much harder to know if they have been bitten or scratched by something infected.
Call the Midwife Continues to Prove Why It Remains Popular
One of the brilliant things about this episode is that it proves why people love it. The show has a way to give us the realities of history, even if we don’t like them. It’s not the first time the show has brought something scary up from history, with this same episode looking into the fear of death during childbirth and the introduction of the epidural.
Earlier in the series, we’ve seen mentions of the side effects of measles, the fight against TB and smallpox, and the Thalidomide Crisis. In fact, the latter was just mentioned once more on the Call the Midwife Season 15 premiere, with the note that there will probably be nothing to help severe morning sickness after the Thalidomide Crisis.
This is a story that younger generations can watch with the older, learning from real experiences after the storylines play out. There are many who watch with parents and grandparents, opening the door for more conversation about the topic and the way medicine has changed in such a short period of time. Mixed with entertaining but also empathetic storytelling, Call the Midwife finds a balance for viewers.
Call the Midwife airs on Sundays at 8/7c on PBS and streams on PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video and on PBS Passport.
