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Title

Absolute Zero

Plot

A young woman returns to her home town only to miss her mother's funeral by just a few hours. She is most disturbed when she finds out her mother's grave has been robbed. She and a young doctor set out to find out who and why.

Episode

0542

Air Dates

  • First Run - October 28, 1976
  • Repeat - February 5, 1977

Actors

Writer

Listen

Rating

84
72     12


7 Responses to Episode 0542

This was an excellent episode. The creep factor was turned up high from beginning to end. The only downside is that the story is not a totally original. As I listened, I did know what was going to happen. EG was right on the mark as usual.

Vinny Viola

Some real howlers in this one. Dr. Ferguson makes the following speech: "I examined the woman who had no pulse, who had ceased to aspirate, who reacted to no reflex test and who on thorough osculation had not the slightest sign of a heartbeat." To aspirate is to draw fluid by suction from a vessel or cavity. How does anyone cease to aspirate? I assume he meant she had ceased to breathe, or respire. Osculation is the act of kissing. I assume he meant auscultation, which is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. Ian Martin should have had a medical professional vet his script. It made me laugh out loud. Killed the dramatic mood there.

Jerry Dodson

Jerry, after working as an EMT for 7 years I can tell you that we used the term "aspirate" to signify the breathing of the patient. It is used in the medical world for the same purpose. I don't ever remember the term "auscultation" being used either in the field or in the er. Just an FYI. This is a good story to listen to late at night with a good thunder storm and no lights.

Randy McLeod

Winner winner, chicken dinner. Really enjoyed this one. Though I strongly suspected the ending, things aren't always as they appear to be when it comes to RMT.

Pamela

Jerry aspirate does mean to draw liquid through a tube, but according to my Websters Dictionary, a second meaning of aspirate is to pronounce the consonant 'h' silently at the end of the word such as English, or the sound of breathing in while making a sound similar to the Greek consonant 'h'. I am not sure what that sound is but it involves breathing in. However you are correct, osculation only means the act of kissing, or a kiss. Auscultation means listening to the sound of an organ such as lungs or the heart with a stethoscope. But then how do we know that wasn't originally in script since both words sound the same unless the actor's pronunciation was faulty? I'd have to listen to the episode again.

D.C. Klinkensmit

Good fun listening!

Maureen Maher

Recently read an late 1970s novel with much the same plot

Tom


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