Skin Deep (House)

House (TV series) episode
episode_name = Skin Deep
episode_no = HOU-213
airdate = February 20, 2006
writer = Russel Friend & Garret Lerner & David Shore (teleplay)
Russel Friend & Garret Lerner (story)
director = Jim Hayman
guest_star =


season = 2
diagnosis = Male pseudohermaphroditism
Testicular cancer

Skin Deep is the thirteenth episode of the second season of "House", which premiered on the FOX network on February 20, 2006. The episode aired in a special Monday night time slot.

This is the first episode in which we actually see the condition of House's right leg. He shows his leg to Cuddy, saying that he is in unbearable pain.

Plot

Dr. House treats a sexy teenage supermodel, Alex (Cameron Richardson), for heroin addiction and uncovers startling secrets about her. Meanwhile, Wilson hopes that House's increased leg pain indicates that his leg nerves are regenerating.

Before collapsing on the runway, Alex complains of nausea, experiences double vision and disorientation, and lashes out at a fellow model who tries to assist her. In the hospital, she begins to sweat profusely. The team assumes that she is suffering from heroin withdrawal, along with other hypotheses: juvenile multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's syndrome. To confirm what is wrong, the team treat Alex with opioid antagonist drugs and induce a coma in order to relieve the extreme pain of this treatment.

While in the coma, Alex suffers from some sort of cardiac complication and afterwards displays anterograde amnesia, or the inability to store new information in the long term memory. House is convinced that she is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder resulting from sexual abuse from her father. To find the cause of the complication, the team conducts a lumbar puncture which show protein levels in her cerebrospinal fluids. After being confronted by House, the father admits he had sexual intercourse with Alex "one time."

House orders a brain biopsy, which reveals no white matter disease, leading the team to start focusing on the grey matter. House suggests paraneoplastic syndrome, in which the body reacts against cancer by making antibodies against the tumor which accidentally attack the person's own body instead, causing symptoms such as weakness, memory loss and problems with coordination, as such matching Alex's symptoms to an extent. After taking IV immunoglobulin, which stops the antibodies, Alex stops twitching. As such, the team runs a series of tests, looking for a tumor, but finds none. The team is at a loss again.

House finds the correct diagnosis when he is treating a clinic patient, a man with excess estrogen having a sympathy pregnancy for his wife. After getting an MRI of Alex's pelvic area, he determines that Alex has male pseudohermaphroditism (specifically, androgen insensitivity syndrome, also known as testicular feminization syndrome), and the tumor is located in her testes which, due to the syndrome, had never come to drop. As the surgical removal of the tumor is set, a consult with a psychiatrist is scheduled as well, for Alex to cope with the discovery of the complicated nature of her sex. House is also noted saying "the ultimate woman...is a man"

Music

This is one of the few shows that features title music that is then played again at the show's closing. The song played is "Desire" by Ryan Adams.

External links

* [http://www.fox.com/house/ FOX.com-"House" official site]
* [http://televisionwithoutpity.com/show.cgi?show=151/ Television Without Pity-"House" recaps]
* [http://epguides.com/House/ House Episode Guide at epguides.com]
* [http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/house/100213/ TVGuide's Page: Full list of House Episodes]
* [http://www.housemd-guide.com/ House M.D. Guide]
*imdb title|0606039|Skin Deep
* [http://politedissent.com/archives/1124 Medical Reviews of House: Skin Deep]