Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940) on Netflix

Young Dr. Kildare tries to help an unlucky brain surgeon and his seemingly insane patient.

Young Dr. Kildare is still being trained at General Hospital by old, crusty Dr. Gillespie. This time, he tries to rehabilitate Gregory Lane, a brain surgeon depressed over losing too many patients (and incidentally Kildare's romantic rival for nurse Mary Lamont). Lane's losing streak takes a new turn when one of his patients survives...but seems to be insane. Or is the man's strange obsession with Friday the clue to a mystery? To find out, Kildare must take a terrible risk.

—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Dr. James Kildare deals with the case of a man who is losing his sight due to a tumor. Kildare assists at the operation performed by Dr. Greg Lane, a very good surgeon who has had an unusually high number of patients die. Kildare is certain that it's just a run of bad luck and Lane is not to be blamed. As for the tumor patient, the operation at first seems successful but when he awakes from the anesthesia, he is clearly suffering from a mental disturbance. He decides to try insulin shock therapy. Kildare is also facing challenges in his private life. Nurse Mary Lamont is clearly in love with him but he feels that he can't commit to a relationship given that he only earns $20 a month. When he is offered a high-paying position at a prestigious medical institute, he turns it down deciding to stay with Dr. Gillespie and hone his skills as a diagnostician.

—garykmcd