Season one, episode one of M.A.S.H. aired on September 17th, 1972. In those days, men were polite to women, asking for their permission and being more respectful than they’ve ever been. TV shows nowadays show the cat-calling that has evolved over the years, along with exposing the rape culture (like in Thirteen Reasons Why). Women were more supportive of their husbands because they were stay at home wives while their husbands and sons went off to war.

However, in the 70s, there was repercussions from the wars that has happened. While the main character was narrating his letter (to his friend in jail, Max) he said that he was off to get a job at a hospital in town. While he was there, he saw vets from the Spanish-American war, Civil War, World War One, Wold War Two, and Korea. No mention of Vietnam, but it was for the viewers to figure out on their own. Anyways, he says that war goes on everyday of their lives because of their ailments from those wars (example: PTSD and others) but they keep on living anyways. The doctor knows how war works because he’s been there and has experienced it in the medical tent.

One thing in the episode that really stood out was a conversation between a young serviceman and the doctor. Doctor (to the young man): “Korea?” Young man: “Yeah, how’d you know?” Doctor: “You look too young to vote, had to be Korea.” It was later found out that the young man was stationed in a particularly horrible area. For every five that came down, one went up. Assuming that means that five American lives were lost for every one Korean life lost. That area was known as Hill 432, because “Hell” was already taken.

Compared to “back in the day” to now, people weren’t open in talking about their experiences and weren’t open to getting help for their problems. For instance, when the doctor got the job as Chief of Surgery, he ran into an old friend from the Army. The old friend had lost his teeth and one of his lungs due to mustard gas during the war and lives at the hospital now. Even today, our veterans don’t have jobs to come back to if they get drafted.

Another difference to today’s age is that the hospital was given free cigarettes from cigarette companies to help boost patient’s moral. It is illegal to smoke out in public, on public transportation and in hospitals. When the doctor was appointed Chief of Surgery, it was said that he would make $12,000 per year. Compared to what is seen in Grey’s Anatomy, almost all of the well-off surgeons have huge houses and can afford very expensive things (and humongous houses as seen in the picture below). But in M.A.S.H. he would have to live on the hospital grounds with his wife.