Call the Midwife

Season 6

1. The poem which Phyllis recites in order to comfort Delia is entitled "It's True", and was written by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. The choice of a García Lorca poem in relation to Patsy and Delia is appropriate, given that García Lorca, living under the totalitarian regime of General Francisco Franco, could not be open about his homosexuality. García Lorca was arrested and executed by Franco's forces in 1936, and his homosexuality, along with his criticism of Franco's government, has been suggested as one of the reasons he was killed.

1. This episode takes place in October 1962 during the 13 days that became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was very much real to the people of Great Britain and Europe as it was in the United States. Some of the stars of the such as Jenny Agutter were children at the time and lived through the crisis.

1. The thalidomide scandal, which resulted in approximately 10,000 babies being born with birth defects (half of whom died) and untold numbers of miscarriages, could have been significantly worse had it not been for Frances Oldham Kelsey. Kelsey, a physician and pharmacologist, began work at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1960, when one of her first cases was reviewing the application for thalidomide. Although the drug had already been approved in 20 countries, including her home country of Canada, Kelsey rejected the application six times over concerns for its safety. The drug's manufacturer, Grünenthal GmbH, submitted no proof of its effectiveness or safety, which the FDA did not require at the time. When the drug was exposed in 1962 for causing horrific birth defects, Kelsey was hailed as a heroine for preventing a national tragedy by refusing to allow thalidomide on the U.S. market. After Kelsey revealed the pressure she had been under, the American public was outraged to learn that drugs could get FDA approval so easily. On October 10, 1962, Congress passed a law requiring drug manufacturers to provide proof of the effectiveness and safety of their drugs before receiving FDA approval. That same year, Kelsey received the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service from President John F. Kennedy.

1. The song which Patrick and Shelagh sing to each other is "Secret Love", which was originally performed by Doris Day in the classic musical Calamity Jane (1953).