"Call the Midwife' Recap: Series 5 Episode 8

If you thought the series five finale of Call the Midwife was going to be a run of the mill episode, by now you know you were sadly mistaken. Sure, we start with Dr. Turner bemoaning the restrictive regulations placed on his beloved contraceptive pill and are introduced to yet another instance of passion turned to quickie marriage in the form of Mitchell Anselm and his Australian fiancée Noelle who is making her way to England in hope of marrying before their love child arrives.

However, it is soon revealed that this installment’s traumatic events will shake the lives of the Poplar community for two big reasons.

The Truth Comes Out About Thalidomide – Patrick receives an official letter informing him that Distival (the licensed name of thalidomide in the UK) is being withdrawn with immediate effect due to its suspected connection to severe birth defects. Dr. Turner is rattled by this news as he has prescribed this medication to dozens, perhaps scores, of patients. Shelagh finds an editorial article in The Lancet on the subject which states only that is there is a “possible association” to infant deformities and that no cases have been reported in the UK.