12 Monkeys Scene 7 Summary

  • Cole's recurring dream, um, recurs. We see a few extra glimpses—but not much.
  • He wakes up in the mental hospital. Goines joins Cole to give him a lecture on how crazy is simply not being a part of majority rule.
  • He cites the example of Ignaz Semmelweis as proof.
  • Brain Snack: Semmelweis didn't come up with a working germ theory as Goines suggests. However, he did pioneer the idea that doctors should wash their hands and sterilize their instruments between jobs. You know, like don't operate on a patient immediately after an autopsy.
  • Although Semmelweis was right, he also wasn't very popular, so no one took his idea seriously and countless people died as a result.
  • Fun fact to spice up to your brain snack: Semmelweis died of an infection after being committed to a mental institution (source).
  • Goines suggests he can help Cole escape the mental hospital.
  • Cole wonders why Goines doesn't just go, but Goines says his father is coming for him soon so he's all taken care of.