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3.1.8 Diseases.
** Was childhood disease common or uncommon in
the 40s and 50s?
Young adults today cannot really comprehend how much more common disease and
illness were, then, compared to today, and how much harder it was to get over sickness.
Antibiotics were not as available or as effective. Respiratory ailments were common and
exacerbated by smoggy conditions--Christchurch was smokey and smoggy in the winter from
too many coal fires. [London was the same. jp] I suffered from asthma on and on in the
winter, just wheezing away until I got sick, because there was nothing readily available
that would help. My hearing is under par because of all the earaches I had as a kid;
again, very common childhood experiences for the times. [maw] Childhood disease was very
much more a fact of life up into the 50s and even on into the 60s than it is today, and it
had an impact on public consciousness of health and well-being. Polio was the big scare
when I was small, and it affected the way people lived. Over the years, my immediate
family dealt with serious health problems and even death from birth defects, mumps,
meningitis, whooping cough, scarlet fever and measles and our experience was not
unrepresentative. The list would grow to include polio and respiratory diseases if I were
to include cousins. Children's health and fitness were very much on the public's mind
throughout the period between WW II and Vietnam. [jp]
** What caused the long scar on Pauline's leg?
Pauline said she suffered from osteomyelitis as a young child, and was confined to
bed for an extended period. She said "it turns your bones to chalk." The Concise
Oxford Dictionary says it is an inflammation of the bone marrow. Explaining the scar, she
said "it took them two years to drain all the muck out." Possibly she also
suffered from secondary infections. In "Heavenly Creatures" Pauline limped when
she ran, and she was excused from PhysEd (gym). Juliet commented about Pauline's scar:
"That's so impressive!"
** Was Pauline's illness really that serious?
Yes. In real life, Pauline came close to death. It was also extremely painful for
her over many years, and Pauline still had pain associated with her leg throughout the
period covered in the film. Medlicott determined that her illness and the pain associated
with it and her lengthy treatment were Pauline's earliest clear memories (see 7.8.1).
There is no doubt that this experience was traumatic for her family, and for her parents
especially, so "Heavenly Creatures" presented the information correctly, though
in a slightly flippant manner. Pauline wasn't exaggerating, although we may have been
tempted to dismiss her tale as being a little self-indulgent.
** Where were Juliet's scars?
Juliet said she has scars on her lungs from unspecified respiratory illnesses she
contracted as a young child. Juliet was excused from PhysEd (gym) because of bad
respiration.
** Were Juliet's illnesses really that serious?
Yes. Although we may be tempted to dismiss Juliet's childhood illnesses as ploys
for attention, and Jackson puts a few clues and indications to that effect in
"Heavenly Creatures," in real life Juliet was a very sickly young child and she
almost died at the age of six. In fact, the real Juliet's medical history was more
involved than was shown in "Heavenly Creatures."
** What did Juliet tell Pauline her mother had
promised?
After discussing their diseases in the schoolyard, she said: "Mummy promises
they'll never leave me again."
** What did Juliet have to say about their
diseases?
"All the best people have bad chests and bone diseases. It's all frightfully
romantic!"
** How would Juliet's illness have been viewed in
the arts?
Juliet was right on the money: her illnesses were, quite literally, very Romantic.
Literary figures from the classical romantic period often suffered vague, consumptive
illnesses that made them waste away and become closer to death, more aethereal, more
spiritual and more alluring. For examples, see Shelley's "Frankenstein,"
Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," Poe's stories and poetry, especially his sublime,
alliterative "Annabel Lee," Collins' "The Woman in White," or Stoker's
"Dracula." Or, for that matter, some of Anne Perry's Victorian crime novels (see
7.11). There are connections between Juliet's diseases and the music used in the film, too
(see 3.1.19). Romantic, tragic illness figures prominently in the operas "La
Boheme" and "La Traviata."
** How would Pauline's illness have been viewed
in the arts?
Traditionally, Pauline's illness would have been a darker reference, because
physical handicap or deformity was often reserved as a symbol of evil, or it was viewed as
a 'punishment' meted out on those who had sinned, or it could be a manifestation of a
hidden spiritual defect. More rarely, deformity could be an unjust burden, the selfless
bearing of which resulting in spiritual elevation. Examples are rife throughout classical
literature: Shakespeare was particularly fond of this device and "Richard III"
springs to mind as a prominent example of deformity linked to evil, with Wilde's "The
Picture of Dorian Gray" and Stevenson's "Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde." Melville's
Ahab in "Moby Dick," Hugo's Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
and Shelley's monster in "Frankenstein" are examples of more spiritually complex
deformities.
** What disease did Juliet contract?
Juliet was diagnosed with the most 'romantic' disease of all, 'Consumption.'
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious bacterial disease characterized by the formation of
tubercles, especially in the lungs. Tubercles are small, rounded swellings on the body or
in organs. TB is highly contagious, capable of being spread by coughing or even breathing,
especially in the confined quarters of schools or prisons, two 'public' institutions
traditionally sensitive to the disease. Both institutions are relevant to this story, of
course. Sufferers are quarantined while they undergo treatment, often in specialized TB
sanatoria. Patients are normally released when they are no longer infectious (no live
bacteria in sputum cultures) or, more conservatively, once they have returned to good
health, i.e. once they have been 'cured.' In real life, Juliet was released before being
declared medically 'cured.'
** What is the treatment for TB?
The classical treatment for TB involves isolation, treatment of symptoms and
general attention to improving overall health and well-being through diet and mild
exercise. And, of course, a course of drugs to combat the bacterial infection. The
classical drug treatment involves three drugs: isoniazid (classed as an inhibitor of cell
function), streptomycin (an antibiotic) and rifampin. All drugs are still in very common
use and are prescribed widely for TB and for many other diseases. Cautions or side effects
listed for isoniazid are mostly concerned with depression of liver function. In real life,
Juliet's TB was treated with the drugs isoniazid and streptomycin, according to Medlicott
(see 7.8.1) and the treatment continued after Juliet's release from the sanatorium. Also,
according to Medlicott, there was no evidence that these drugs had adverse psychological
effects on Juliet. Neither drug has been removed from use since that time. In her recent
statements to the press, Anne Perry insists that she was treated with an experimental
drug, since removed from use, which affected her judgement (see 4.9).
** What are the lingering effects and
consequences of TB?
A TB infection often results in the formation of scar tissue in the lungs, which
shows up as shadowing (denser tissue) in chest X-rays. Lung capacity is often diminished
permanently and patients can weaken and waste away. A 'positive' TB skin test shows the
presence of antibodies for the TB bacterium, meaning the person has been exposed to the
bacterium, although they may never have contracted the disease. Many countries restrict
the entry of people who exhibit positive TB skin tests or X-rays, and most forbid the
entry of people with active TB. Juliet's health could have affected her immediate travel
plans.
** What were Juliet's fears related to her
diseases?
A recurring theme in Juliet's life was her parents sending her away from them
"for the good of her health." She saw this as an excuse to get rid of her, and
she feared this rejection and abandonment by them more than she feared disease. In real
life, this rejection of Juliet by her parents, under the guise of concerns over Juliet's
ill health, was considerably more systematic and extensive than was portrayed in the film
(see 7.3). In real life, it was probably a very real factor in defining the course of
events and every bit as important, if not moreso, than was depicted in "Heavenly
Creatures."
** Who said "for the good of your
health?"
Juliet first said the phrase to Pauline when she described her childhood illness in
the schoolyard. Hilda Hulme told Juliet her confinement in the sanatorium was for the good
of her health, darling, before she and Dr Hulme left for England. Juliet made a little
cough. Honora Rieper mentioned to Juliet at the end of the first visit that Juliet's stay
in hospital was for the good of her health. Juliet flew off the handle a little, shocking
Honora with the intensity of her anger. Finally, Hilda had her little bedside chat with
Juliet after the subject of divorce had been broached. "You're not ... going ... to
England, darling." At that point, Dr Hulme interjected with the final "It's for
the good of your health." Juliet screamed.
** Where was Juliet sent "for the good of
her health?"
According to Juliet, to the Bahamas (a British possession off the Atlantic coast of
Florida) during World War II, and to "the Bay of bloody Islands." She said the
Bahamas were "bloody awful!" Most people would probably view them as an idyllic
tropical paradise. The Bay of Islands is a similar environment, in many ways, and it is a
site with great historical significance to New Zealanders, one reason why Honora looked so
taken aback at Juliet's comment. It is located near the northern tip of the North Island,
on the east coast, around 35 deg N, 174 deg E. You can go on a virtual tour of the Bay of
Islands at:
http://nz.com/NZ/NZTour/BayofIslands/
This 'exile' to the Bahamas is true, though Juliet was eight at the time, not five, and it happened after WW II. And, in real life, as a child, Juliet was also sent several other places, away from her family, "for the good of her health."
** Did Juliet use her illnesses for attention?
Yes, though not all that successfully, judging by her parents' responses. In the
sanatorium, where her parents are trying to convince Juliet she might actually enjoy a
spell in there ("It's very tranquil...") Juliet makes a few well-timed little
coughs to act as pleas and exclamation marks. They fall on deaf ears.
** What did Hilda say to Juliet before leaving
for England?
Hilda made two important statements. First, she said, almost in passing, that she
would speak to the Matron to make sure "she takes extra special care of you."
This line was exchoed later by Juliet in a very poignant and telling line, when Pauline
and Honora came to visit. Juliet informed them proudly that the Matron had shown Juliet
the Matron's 'special stitch' and "I'm her favourite." We are led to believe
that the Matron's lavishing attention on Juliet is simply the result of her following the
orders of an important patron. Juliet seems to have been completely deceived, rather
naively--she is that starved for adult affection. Hilda's second statement is actually a
reference to an extremely poignant and tragic event that occurred in real life. She said
to Juliet (and wasn't Diana Kent's delivery wonderful?) "We can always ... cancel ...
our arrangements, if that's what you want." A tearful Juliet simply shook her head.
She had been offered the opportunity to stop her parents from abandoning her and she
passed it up in an act of noble self-sacrifice, exactly as she had been maneuvered into
doing. How could she complain when she herself had sent them away? In real life, there was
a similar scene played out not by Hilda but by Dr Hulme and Juliet in Paparua Prison soon
after Juliet's arrest. See 7.3.
** Did Pauline use her illness for attention?
No, she didn't. In fact, she seemed to resent any attention given her because of
her handicap. At Christmas, 1953, her mother asks her if she has pain, and Pauline brushes
her mother off with a shake of her head.
