Medic, Vol. 5 (1954) On DVD

When it ran in network TV's prime time in 1954, "Medic" was a television milestone. A pioneering, innovative and often controversial show, known for its realistic and honest portrayal of the medical profession, it featured well documented case histories "dedicated to the profession of medicine and to the men and women who labor in its cause." The four "Medic" episodes here, each one introduced by the stern yet friendly face of Doctor Konrad Styner (Richard Boone), are representative of the well-researched style that helped lead the way for so many of today's doctor and hospital-based programs.

I Climb The Stairs: A 19 year-old girl collapses on the grand stairway of the opera house and is diagnosed with a blocked heart valve.

With This Ring: A pregnant girl, who has had no pre-natal care, arrives at the hospital in the throes of labor and Dr. Styner must battle to save her and her unborn child.

And There Was Darkness - Part 1: A woman is driven by mental illness to murder her new baby. When she nearly succeeds, her family, terrified by the social stigma attached to psychiatry, reluctantly allow her to be institutionalized.

And There Was Darkness - Part 2: Gradually, mental health professionals work to cure the psychosis that caused a young mother to attempt to kill her newborn child.