If Claire Fraser could bring Outlander into 2020 – you can bet your Sassenach that Jamie, Claire, Brianna, Roger, Jemmy, Marsali, Fergus and all the Fraser’s Ridge residents would be wearing masks — probably with a shot of self-dispensing penicillin to boot. And the #WearADamnMask hashtag would be tattooed on Jamie’s butt. (What?! Claire has injected his bum for the sake of medicine and science, she’d do it again — and we see his bum enough that it’s a smart place for a PSA.) Claire would also figure out a way to wear a mask, whilst she throws back a whisky. Yes, whilst! Because “she’s a savage, classy, bougie, ratchet.” (Sing that, you know you want to).
Caitríona Balfe has played this doctor role to perfection for so long that she sometimes thinks, by her own admission, that she can perform quick and easy kidney surgery or an appendectomy. So if you see Balfe headed your way: Run.
From the moment we first meet Claire, a WW2 war nurse, she’s in med mode, donning a bloody apron while drinking a bottle of champagne to celebrate the end of WWII. And then she falls into a rock and accidentally time travels back 200 years to the middle of another war, where she is almost attacked by Blackjack Randall (an ancestor/doppleganger of her not-yet-born husband). Not the best luck. But there she meets a bunch of Highlanders and one with a dislocated shoulder. Hello, James Fraser.
As a WW2 nurse to 1700s healer to 1960s surgeon who goes back to the 1700s, her challenge is to use 20th century medicine with 18th century items. Spoiler alert: herbs and bitter cascara. No matter what century she’s in, Claire will try to save you, and it will be extremely painful, since whisky was the preferred anesthetic in the 18th century. Claire can do it all. The only thing she can’t do it seems is cook. (Insert Jamie eating a PB&J sandwich with a fork and knife here). But if Claire puts on her headband, watch out. She did not come here to play.
And who has she saved the most? Jamie Fraser. She’s been his on call doctor since the second he met her. And what else makes Claire a health icon? Sex. Sex is good for your health! It is! And Jamie and Claire have a lot of it. She’s taught Jamie a lot about science and sex and made science sexy. Like his very own personal sex scientist. She once showed Jamie his own sperm under a microscope. Ahh, she’s not a regular wife, she’s a superhot, nerdy wife. So here we go, here are all of Claire Fraser’s best medical moments in 200 years.
The original version of this article was published July 29, 2020.
Obviously, there are spoilers for Starz Outlander ahead. If You don’t want to be spoiled, check out the books by Diana Gabaldon or get started on the series:
Dr. Sassenach & the Dislocated Shoulder – “Sassenach” (S1, E1)
So how did Claire win Jamie’s heart? Painfully. By jamming his shoulder back into its socket. Hot. Sockets have never been so sexy. Basically a 1700s sext. She also went up against seven highlanders with swords to get them not to break Jamie’s arm. And then when she finished, she yelled at them to give her one of their belts so she could make a sling. They were perplexed, intrigued, and in Jamie’s case, completely taken.
Jamie Falls Off a Horse – Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ – “Sassenach” (S1, E1)
Jamie gets shot on his bad shoulder, but doesn’t tell Claire. Claire screams, “Stop. Help, he’s going over,” as Jamie falls off their horse. Claire rushes to him, and that’s when Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ was born. No, it wasn’t Christmas. Claire screamed her signature line. Let’s call it, Clairemas. Claire screamed for them to give her alcohol. No, she didn’t need a drink — actually, she probably did. She discovers Jamie’s gunshot wound, swears like a sailor and pours alcohol on it, which wakes him. And all the Highlanders were equal parts scared and turned on. Especially Jamie. His heart-eyes never stopped from the moment he regained consciousness in those woods and heard Claire yelling at him. Her bedside manner here is very unique. After swearing some more, she ties Jamie’s bandage on and tells him if he moves, she will throttle him. Very effective. He did not move. He just smiled. “Once Smitten, Twice Shot,” a short story about James Fraser. “Does it hurt?” Claire asks him. “Aye.” “Good,” she replies. But then she extends her hand to him to help him up. Me thinks she’s not that mad at him after all.
Bandages – “Castle Leoch” (S1, E2)
This was the exact moment where Jamie falls for Claire, as he tells her later in Episode 12, “Layllybroch.” And what was she doing? She was changing his bandages. This is also when she sees his back scars for the first time and learns Blackjack Randall was responsible. Jamie tells her, “You are a kind woman, with a good touch.” Yes, sir. Now that’s a great pick up line James Alexander Malcolm McYeah: Gurl, I’m gonna win you over. And even though Claire didn’t admit it then, she kind of fell for him too. Or at least she fell into his arms after she finished bandaging and creating a sling for him. For Jamie it was love at first sight, for Claire love at first scar.
Claire’s Medical Hat Trick – “The Way Out” (S3, E3)
For her first trick, Claire gives Colum a bum massage. He suffers from Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome (years before the 19th century artist the genetic disease is named after was born) and thinks he’s getting a regular leg massage, but Claire tells him massaging his tailbone would be more effective. So Colum moons her. He does! But she rolls with it, as Claire does. She’s a professional.
Later, cut to tipsy Claire in the Great Hall. Jamie doesn’t want her to be walking around drunk at the castle for her own safety. So he tells her his bandages need changing. Drunk Beauchamp decides to check his bullet wound and they basically have eye sex. Even when she’s wasted, she cares about Jamie’s health. Claire and Jamie also free a boy who had his ear nailed to a post. So she basically saved his ear. You ear what I’m saying?
Claire Saves a Child & Pisses off a Priest – “The Way Out” (S1, E3)
Claire discovers two children in town ate a poisonous leaf. One dies, and the other is on his deathbed. Claire says she can give him something to counteract the poison. Father Bane screams, “Blasphemy!” at Claire and says he’s the captain now. Wow, the patriarchy was alive and kicking even back then. Then Father Bane says, “I will not be ordered about by a woman.” Insert all the shade gif reactions here. Claire flexes her med muscles at the expense of Father Bane’s ego and it’s delightful. He’s really the Bane of her existence, but she swiftly outsmarts him.
Claire Teaches Jamie the Perks of Marriage – “The Wedding” (S1, E7)
Jamie’s a virgin. He needed guidance and Claire was a healer, which is basically an almost doctor. And sex is healing. So she’s a sex doctor, and this counts in our collection of her vast medical knowledge and things she’s done in the name of science. She taught Jamie how to sex and talked him through it. Now granted she was really the one who benefitted the most from this, but listen, she fell back in time 200 years from war to another. She deserved this gift. She was a good teacher, he was a good student, once he learned they weren’t doing it the “back way like the horses” (though… I’m going to guess they revisited that position later in their marriage).
Claire Will Shank You – “Both Sides Now” (S1, E8)
So Claire wasn’t a surgeon yet, but she got a great anatomy lesson when Angus taught her how to murder-protect herself with a small tiny knife. He gave her a fun tip that if you slip the blade through someone’s ribs, “Boom, dead, the sound of their heart….” (Sing it). Which sadly Claire had to put to use when some Red Coat deserters interrupted her and Jamie mid-coitus —and then one of them tried to rape her. Claire will shiv you, that’s just the type of doctor she is. Before she was even a doctor.
Claire Sews Jamie Up – “By the Pricking of My Thumbs” (S1, E10)
When the Duke of Sandringham whips into town with his big-ass wig and attitude to boot, and makes it seem like he can help get a pardon for Jamie, Claire’s suspicious of his motives. When he asks Jamie to be his second in a duel, Claire’s like, “This small, wigged man is no good.” Plus, she knows from her boring history lessons with Frank that Sandringham and Blackjack Randall are buds. (Hard to imagine Blackjack Randall having any friends! Can you picture that hang out today? BJR turns on Rihanna’s “S&M,” “This is one of my favorite songs.” And then you die. Because that’s how most of his interactions end). Jamie gets pierced in his abdomen with a sword in the duel. Ow. And of course, his wife sews him up. Is she happy about it? No siree, Sandringham. In fact, Jamie says, “You’re not usually a closed-mouth woman Claire.” This is true. Claire pulls the needle through his skin with purpose and Jamie winces, “Well, silent anger can be very effective.” Indeed, it can.
Claire Delivers Jenny’s Baby – “The Watch” (S1, E13)
When Jamie’s sister, Jenny goes into labor, she’s lucky her sister-in-law, who she had just called a “trollop” a few days before, is there to help. Claire figures out Jenny’s baby is breech (which means the baby got a little turned around and was trying to come out booty first). Thankfully, she helps deliver her niece safely. Call her OB, Wan Kenobi. Get it? Because she’s got OBGYN skills? Jenny was pretty thankful for her trollop sister-in-law then. This photo is the exact moment Jenny calls Claire a “trollop.” Claire is displeased.
Claire’s Prison Break Attempt – “Wentworth Prison” (S1, E15)
Claire slips into Wentworth prison and finds Jamie in a cell beaten and barely able to move. She sees his broken hand and breaks him out of his shackles and is in full superhero doctor mode, but Blackjack Randall returns to the cell. And things go from bad to worse. To save Claire, Jamie agrees to let Randall have him. To make sure Jamie honors their agreement and doesn’t go anywhere, Randall nails his hand to the table, while Claire watches. This sets up Claire’s biggest most iconic medical moment of the first season.
Claire Saves Jamie’s Hand – “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” (S1, E16)
This might be the greatest act of love ever performed by a not-yet-official doctor. Jamie’s rescued by Claire and the Highlanders, after being brutally tortured and sexually assaulted by Blackjack Randall. He is broken in every way. Honestly, a very tough episode to watch. Claire performs what is essentially a reconstructive surgery to save his hand. Jamie tells her he doesn’t care what happens to him and almost downs the whole bottle of the laudanum (the 18th century’s answer to a sedative). We see Claire transform from a devastated wife to a stone cold doctor with a sewing kit. She resets the bones in his hand, sews them up and fashions a splint out of twigs. She also had a helpful medical monk assistant with a curious hairstyle.
Claire Saves Jamie’s Mind – “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” (S1, E16)
Claire and Jamie are not wrestling. Claire decides to use some unconventional methods to shake Jamie out of his suicidal stupor. She whips up some lavender oil to get Jamie to talk about what happened with Blackjack Randall. And it works. But it’s heartbreaking and stressful to watch.
Claire Drinks Urine – “Useful Occupations & Deception” (S2, E3)
In France, Claire has a lot of nice dresses, but she’s bored AF. She doesn’t like just sitting there and looking pretty. She prefers looking pretty while drinking urine. What’s that now? Claire heads over to the local hospital to volunteer. Mother Hildegard is the head med over there, who doubts Claire’s abilities at first. But when Claire tastes the urine of a patient and figures out they have diabetes, she wins over Mother Hildegard.
Later, Claire and Jamie get in a fight about it. He doesn’t like that she’s near sick people when she’s pregnant. “I was helping people, yes that makes me feel good, gives my day meaning.” You tell him Claire. Like most of their fights, Claire was right and Jamie came around. Claire learns how a dog can smell infections when humans can’t. And with the help of her cute little med pup, she pulls a piece of metal out of a man’s leg. It looks very painful and very disgusting and Claire is in heaven.
Claire Treats a Lot of Bites – “La Dame Blanche” (S2, E4)
Jamie comes home from the brothel ready to roll and leaps on top of Claire in bed. She’s super excited because they hadn’t been intimate since his attack. But then, Claire spots bite marks on his thighs. She wasn’t a doctor yet, but she knew anatomy well enough to know that wasn’t cool. And they get in a big fight. Huge. Jamie tries to explain. Badly. In fact, he tells Claire she wouldn’t know what “soixante-neuf” means. Lol. “It means 69,” Claire spits. Your wife speaks French, bro, or rather mon frere. (I speak 7 words of French, not to brag or anything). Later, Claire goes to Jamie and they reconnect. Jamie’s back in the saddle. Or back in the sack is more accurate. He’s having sex with his wife again. As they’re lying there all happy and post-coital, a sad little drunk monkey-bitten Prince falls from the ceiling. Post-coital. (Honestly, the amount of times I’ve had to write coital or coitus for an Outlander article in 2020, can’t be matched). But coitus is good for you, and this is a health article so… fine. Coit on. Claire tends to the prince’s bitten hand. She and Jamie share a much needed drink after the monkey bitten prince heads out.
Note: Claire was still from the generation that didn’t know downing whisky during pregnancy is not a great idea! (Plus if she did know, not sure she would have cared, she loves four things the most: Jamie, their daughter, whisky and her microscope).
War Nurse Returns – “Prestonpans” (S2, E10)
When Rupert is slashed by a sword during the Prestonpans battle, Claire sews up what can only be described as the biggest cut ever. Jamie and Murtagh return victorious. They’ve won the battle! Side note: Jamie and Claire make out at the funniest times. Now I know they’re happy to see each other, we’re happy that they’re happy seeing each other. But it’s a war kids, hang tight on the make out.
Claire also can spot a potential kidney problem just by looking at your shirt. Especially if your shirt has a large hoof print on it. She hands Jamie a beaker to pee in to check for blood in his urine. Again, not a regular wife. Then Angus falls over and sadly dies in Claire’s arms. Which was pretty much the way Angus probably would have chosen to die, since he spent most episodes asking Claire to kiss him goodbye.
Claire Becomes an Optometrist- “Vengeance is Mine” (S2, E11)
Rupert gets shot in the eye. And Claire has to use her teeny weeny knife to cut his eye out. And there was no magical laudanum. So we hear Rupert scream during Claire’s eye-opening surgery. (Too soon, right?). It’s all fun and games, ’til Rupert loses an eye. (Still too soon, sorry). If Rupert could sing any song to thank her, he might sing, “I can see Clairely now, the rain is gone.” Clairaoke is fun game, try it. The biggest surgery goes to Murtagh, who beheads Sandringham with an ax. It’s bloody murder. Seriously, very bloody. And he presents the head to Claire, who is both proud and horrified.
Claire will Smoke You Out (Murder) – “The Hail Mary” (S2, E12)
That damn Randall fam. They won’t go away. Alex Randall is the nice baby brother of Blackjack, who doesn’t torture people and is the father of Mary’s baby. Which means he’s Frank’s great, great something. (That family tree is very difficult to navigate). So Claire treats Alex, who’s dying from tuberculosis. She gets some herbs and smokes them into Alex’s mouth so he can breathe. She also tells Blackjack to marry Mary. Claire only cares because Frank is born blah, blah, blah, but I’m on board with this plan because again, if Frank isn’t born, Claire and Jamie would never have met. She also gives Colum some yellow jasmine, so he can painlessly die. So yes, that is correct, Claire makes two people feel better, but they die. Can’t win ‘em all!
Claire Returns as a Surgeon – “A. Malcolm” (S3, E6)
Claire doesn’t do anything super medical but more biological. This episode is all about sexual healing for the doctor and her husband, who make up for their 20-year separation. But again, sex is super healthy, and she and Jamie are very healthy in this episode. 3 times it seems. Round of applause. This sets up Claire’s next medical moment, where someone attacks her and tries to sexually assault her. I know, Claire Fraser, back five whole minutes and attacked.
Oops, Claire Did It Again – “La Crème De Menthe” (S3, E7)
So Claire is sort of the hero and the villain in this case. And the victim. Mainly the victim, who had to turn into the villain and then the hero. Stay with me. So this guy’s attacking her. She defends herself, he falls backward and hits his head. Seems dead. Jamie bursts in and sees the dead dude. Dead dude groans, and Claire rushes to help him. Why Claire?! YOU ARE TOO NICE. Jamie is like, “Clairrrrre (rolling those Scottish Rs), let him die.” But Claire has come back with a whole new Hippocratic oath. (I’m Team Jamie. You can let him die Claire!) But no, she decides to drill into his head. Such a surgeon, gurl. He dies.
Claire Saves Jamie then Stabs Him in the Arse – “First Wife” (S3, E8)
Who’s handy to have around when your dead wife returns, and your unstable sort-of-second wife angrily shot you when she’s aiming for your first wife? (Ahem, only wife. Sorry Laoghaire — your marriage wasn’t legal, Ned said so). Your back-from-the-dead surgeon wife, that’s who.
But she’s pretty pissed at you, so this surgery isn’t going to be pain-free. Which is why Jamie downs a bottle of whisky and Claire removes six bullets from his arm.
When Jamie’s running a fever, she whips out her handy dandy portable penny pack. As in penicillin. That’s right, she came back packin’ penicillin. And guess whose bum gets to enjoy it first? James Alexander Malcolm McKenzie Fraser’s, that’s whose. And yes that is delight you see in Claire as she gives Jamie the shot. Because she was still pissed at Jamie for marrying the woman who tried to kill her, while they were on their small 20-year break. (Still unfair, will always be).
Typhoid Claire – “Heaven and Earth” (S3, E10)
Claire gets kidnapped by a ship that is a typhoid nightmare at sea. But she puts on her iconic headband and gets that ship in order. She even makes a friend who helps her try and contain it, but then he dies too. What a sad ship. Claire realizes her only way to escape is to jump into the ocean. Not the best plan, but Claire and Jamie don’t like to be separated, so this is very in character for them. I personally would have been scared of sharks and death.
A Shot of Penicillin, Turtle Soup & Sex-Ed on a Ship – “Unchartered” (S3, E11)
Before her wedding, Marsali asks Claire how she cannot get pregnant. Claire tells her, but as we’ve seen, that sex talk did not work. Back on the ship, Jamie tends to a wounded Claire. He realizes she has a fever, so he grabs her penicillin and she tells him to go for it. But he can’t, so she has to give herself the shot, and after some drunken turtle soup, she feels no pain. She obviously scared Jamie so much in season 1, during their sex-knife-negotiation, where he promised never to raise his hand to her again, and she made him say it twice whilst having sex with him with a knife to his throat. Man, she was a naked surgeon even back then, so good with the knife and the multi-tasking. Hopped up on penicillin and soup, Claire tells Jamie to “bolt the door,” and they um, well they “bolt the door” and really focus on their health. Standing up.
Claire is an Amateur Therapist – also Measles – “Blood of My Blood” (S4, E6)
Lord John Grey found love in a hopeless place. That’s right prison, when he laid eyes on James Fraser again. Fast forward to the future, Jamie’s wife is back, and LJG decides to visit the Frasers with his son, who’s really Jamie’s son! LDG gets to play chess with his true love JAMMF, but then he gets a bad case of measles! And who’s his only chance at survival, his arch romantic rival Dr. Claire! What do you do when your patient wants to sweetly make love to your husband? You give him a cold compress, apply acupressure, sit by his bedside the whole night, and listen to him ramble on in a fever induced Jamie dream. And then when he’s all better, you tell him he deserves love too. Dr. Claire, supporting gay rights in the 1700s.
Is That Hernia or Are You Happy to See Claire? – “Wilmington” (S4, Ep. 8)
This episode includes one of the best medical Claire moments of the series, and may be why Balfe thinks she can perform surgery. Truthfully, if I needed surgery and had literally no other option, I would let her operate. I mean, no other option at all.
So Claire performs hernia surgery at the theater. She also meets George Washington that night. Normal night for Claire, nbd. Save a life, talk to George Washington. Make an awkward joke about his cherry tree, that there’s no way you should know! Gov. Tryon screams, “Find the surgeon!” Claire is like, “Hi, that’s me.” Another surgeon arrives and yells at Claire that the patient just needed, “Tobacco smoke up through the rear.” Because that’s how hernia was treated back then! Too many jokes. I can’t. But Claire’s already won over Tryon, who tells Dr. Butt Smoke, “No need of you, the lady has it in hand.” Yeah she does! Tryon says, “I see now why your husband says he cannot live without you.” Look at him, Tryon to be a nice guy.
Claire gives Brianna a Choice – “Birds and the Bees” (S4, E9) & “The Deep Heart’s Core” (S4, E10)
When Brianna tells Claire she’s pregnant, Claire tries to retroactively give her a sex talk about protection that doesn’t go well. “I didn’t think I’d need condoms when time traveling Mom!” Valid point. Bree then tells Claire she was raped and doesn’t know who the father is. And what does Claire do after consoling her? She tells her she has options. Specifically, that abortion is an option. And if Bree chooses it, Claire would perform it. Brianna decides against it, but the important part was Claire gave her daughter the choice to have autonomy over her own body. Ahhh women’s rights…. Sexy in any century. Best mom ever.
Claire Delivers Bree’s Baby, Oh Wait No – “Man of Worth” (S4, E13)
The main doctor moment we missed in Season four, was Claire delivering Brianna’s baby. So this is for what should have been. She and Jamie were on the road back from rescuing Roger. In a show about time-travel, they could have sped up their return, because the moment of Jamie and Claire’s daughter giving birth should have been something they both got to see and the audience. Outlander book readers confirmed that the TV audience was robbed of this exact powerful Claire, Jamie and Brianna scene.
Claire Recruits a Med Student & Bakes Bread – “Between Two Fires” (S5, E2)
Alternate title: Claire scares Marsali with a dead body. How do you convince someone to enroll in your new covert med school? Show them an autopsied cadaver and then cover their mouths when they try and scream! That’s how Marsali and Claire’s med brains clicked. With Brianna’s help, Claire also writes up medical advice for the Ridge under the pseudonym, Dr. Rawlings, who’s the man whose name is on her microscope. It’s filled with advice like don’t blood let and tips to teach all the ladies how not to get pregnant.
Claire also decides to make a lot of bread. At first Brianna and Jamie were like, “Why so much bread, Ma?” Claire’s Carbs has a nice ring to it. She was just trying to make penicillin – DIY Penicillin. If Claire had done this in season 2, in France, she could have opened a bakery, Le Petite Penicillin Patisserie. Ammirite? Fine, I’ll stop speaking French.
Claire Delivers a Baby in a Scary Cabin with Goats – “Free Will” & “The Company We Keep” (S5, E3 & E4)
This is a creepy episode but also weirdly one of my favorites of the season. Claire and Jamie go to the Beardsley cabin, a weird house of horrors. They find goats, a super unfriendly, pregnant woman, and an almost dead man. Of course, the woman’s water breaks and Claire delivers the “wee bairn,” with Jamie’s assistance. Claire also attends to the dead-ish man, who has sores with maggots. Maggots man. Blech. Claire and Jamie spend the night on the floor with that half dead maggot body above them. #Romance.
Claire Discovers Penicillin! – “Perpetual Adoration” (S5, Ep5)
After months of bread making, Claire’s penicillin baguette is finally ready! Seriously, who figured out that it comes from moldy bread?! A genius, that’s who. She and Marsali hug and scream, “Eureka!” and Marsali has no idea what it means. This episode is a double whammy for Dr. Fraser Rawlings. She also performs a tonsillectomy on one of the Beardsley twins. The best part is Lizzy as Claire’s second assistant. She’s equal parts disgusted and turned on by whichever Beardsley twin that was. This episode also gives a glimpse of Claire as a surgeon in the 60s, where she loses a patient because of a penicillin allergy. Definitely thought that tonsil-less Beardsley wasn’t going to make it.
Claire Performs a Tracheostomy in a Field – “Famous Last Words” (S5, E8)
So Roger is hanged from a tree. Not a great day for Roger, but luckily, he was found in time for his mother-in-law to save him with a field-side tracheostomy. Okay, I had to do some real Claire-level research here. That operation was not just a tracheostomy; it was a different form of a tracheostomy. That’s it. That’s as deep as my research went. Who knew, there’s an “s” in tracheostomy?
(Health Editor’s Note: It was a cricothyrotomy, which is an incision made to improve airflow after trauma/an obstruction (and sort of the last resort field medicine decision that’s a bit quicker than a tracheostomy). You can read more about it at Outlander Anatomy — a beautifully nerdy and educational Outlander blog.)
Claire Brings Jamie Back to Life – “Monsters and Heroes” (S5, E9)
Jamie gets bit. Bit bad. By a snake. And things are not looking good for James. Especially because Claire’s penicillin syringe is gonzo like the wind. She makes him some penicillin soup. (Different than turtle soup. But let’s just say soup is an aphrodisiac for Jamie and Claire. Like any kind of soup, apparently). In order to try and save Jamie’s leg, Claire gets maggots to eat the dead flesh — which is a real thing that maggots are good at and backed by science!
But maggots again. Man this show and maggots. Why?
Later, Claire tries an unconventional, risky method to bring Jamie to back to life. Naked. As in skin to skin. When Jamie’s heart stops, Claire’s out of options. Plus, he asked her to touch him before he closed his eyes. And those two are nothing but respectful of each other’s desires and bodies, so why not! So she lies on top of him naked and then touches his Malcolm MacKenzie as requested. Jamie opens his eyes and inhales. Phew. Thank god she didn’t blow it. (What? I meant the task at hand. Sheesh). If there’s one thing we have learned about Claire, we always knew Jamie was in good hands. Then Claire and Jamie lie there looking like a god damn painting at the Louvre.
Claire and Brianna Inject Jamie with a Weird Syringe – (S5, E9)
The morning after Claire and Jamie’s skin to skin to hand awakening, Jamie agrees to let Claire amputate his leg. She readies herself for surgery with a shaky hand. This is why you shouldn’t operate on loved ones. But when you’re the only surgeon in the century, you have no choice. Thankfully, Brianna saves the day and her dad’s leg, when she makes a syringe out of the snake’s tooth. Claire couldn’t be more relieved and proud.
Claire Treats a Prostitute for Back pain – “Mercy Shall Follow Me” (S5, E10)
Brianna and Claire get a new syringe made. Don’t mess with the Fraser women. They make syringes out of snakes. They will f— you up. Meaning, fill you up. With penicillin. But then Bree gets kidnapped by Bonnet at the beach. In an effort to save Bree, Claire helps a prostitute find balance. Not emotionally, she helped her find actual balance with a deck of cards no less.
Turns out the prostitute, Eppie, was a bit wobbly when she walked and, of course, Clairevoyant Claire Bear spotted it in a second. She even gave her money to get some new swanky historical orthopedic shoes that match her feet and legs made. As long as Eppie told her where Bree was. Which she did.
Claire Teaches Jamie about Sperm – “Journeycake” (S5, E11)
So Claire’s testing out her new microscope lens. Jamie saunters in and decides to take a look. He’s impressed with all the little “wee beasties” he sees. Claire informs him he’s looking at his own sperm. Super weird biology class, Claire. Jamie is shocked yet intrigued and does not know how she got them. She tells him, she “woke up in custody of them.” Finders keepers, eh Claire?
Boys, find yourself a girl who steals your sperm in the name of science. (No actually, don’t. Claire’s the only one who can pull this off).
Claire’s Med Student Graduates – “Never My Love” (S5, Ep12)
This episode is hard to watch because of Claire’s abduction and brutal assault. But there’s one moment that stands out, proving why Claire Fraser is the GOAT: She teaches smaller goats how to be goats. That smaller goat is Marsali. Claire taught Marsali well. When Claire can’t take the life of the man who raped her, Marsali loads up her syringe and basically says “Bye, you die.” And die he does.
So how do you graduate from Claire’s Med School with honors? Magna Claire Laude? You murder her rapist, with her new fancy syringe.
Claire Performs Tom’s Hand Surgery with no Anesthesia – (S6, E3)
When Tom Christie hurt his hand doing evil things, he went to Claire to heal him. She didn’t know what evil he was up to. She also discovered that he had a claw hand. Claire called it something known today as Dupuytren’s Contracture. She performed surgery on Tom, and offered him some of her special ether, which he declined. Then Jamie offered him some whisky, which he declined, telling Claire he preferred to read the Bible to fight the pain. To which Claire and Jamie share the best couple eye roll you will ever see. Claire healed Tom’s hand while Jamie read the Bible to him. You’re welcome Tom. That Claire, always so handy to have around. Eh right Jamie? See exhibit A.
Claire Almost Dies & Gets a Questionable Haircut – (S6, E6)
When a mysterious plague hits the Ridge, the resident doctor tries to find the root cause of it. Unfortunately, after helping treat many people, the good doctor went down herself, literally. She fainted in Jamie’s arms at a funeral, as one does. Thankfully, Claire pulled through. And how did the Ridge thank her? By giving her a haircut while she was sleeping. Well, Malva did. And then she lied about sleeping with Jamie when Claire woke up. “While You Were Sleeping, I Slept With Your Husband: The Malva Christie Story.” We all know Jamie would never. When Claire wakes up, she manages to slap Malva across the Ridge. So yes, Claire survived and thrived. Doctor healed thyself. Is there anything Claire can’t do?!
Claire’s Garden C-Section – (S6, E6)
When Claire heads to her garden for a bit of herbing, as she’s known to do, she finds Malva’s dead body. Hello, traumatic gardening experience. Seeing that the very pregnant Malva’s body was still warm, Claire decides to try and save the baby, by performing a c-section amongst the weeds, with her gardening knife. Sadly, the baby did not survive, and Claire will never garden again. But as always, she tried her best. Of course, finding Claire with a knife and two dead bodies, didn’t bode well for Claire bear. And the town turned on her. The town that she has healed for free with no co-pays for years, turned on her! Incredibly rude, Ridgers.
And that is five years worth of why Claire Fraser is one of the most epic health icons on television.
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