Ep 22. Preventive Medicine

In the M*A*S*H season 7 episode 22, titled Preventive Medicine, the audience is taken on a journey with the 4077th as they attempt to reduce the number of casualties caused by landmines in the surrounding area. The episode opens with Colonel Potter announcing a new initiative to promote safety and prevent injuries by conducting preventive medicine sessions for the staff. While most of the staff is hesitant, Hawkeye takes the opportunity to launch his own initiatives and ideas to limit casualties.

After a particularly gruesome case where a soldier steps on a landmine and loses his leg, Hawkeye becomes obsessed with preventing more cases like that. He launches his own preventive medicine campaign, requiring everyone to carry a metal detector and go on sweeps looking for landmines in the nearby area. This causes tension and disagreement among the staff, with some believing that it would be safer to wait for the military to conduct their own sweeps.

As the sweeps begin, the staff quickly becomes disheartened due to the ineffectiveness of the metal detectors and the tediousness of the task. However, Hawkeye remains adamant that their efforts will pay off in the long run. Meanwhile, Father Mulcahy vents his frustrations with Hawkeye and his campaign to Colonel Potter, leading to an argument between the two friends.

As the tension between Hawkeye and the staff reaches its peak, they discover an unexploded landmine underground, which they try to diffuse using Hawkeye's own unique tactics. The tension boils over into a physical altercation between Hawkeye and BJ when Hawk refuses to stop until the mine is removed. In the end, the mine is successfully diffused, but at a cost. The unit realizes the toll it takes on them to carry on the preventive work and that it is a way for them to cope with their losses.

Overall, Preventive Medicine is a poignant and moving episode that showcases the complexity of the situation the 4077th is in, with the constant threat of injury and death hovering over them. The episode also highlights the lengths the staff is willing to go to prevent even one more devastating injury or loss of life. The episode places heavy emphasis on the strain that the constant threat of injury takes on the unit and how they cope with it. By the end of the episode, the characters have grown and developed, and the audience is left feeling a mix of emotions that capture the essence of the tragic circumstances surrounding their lives.