Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 36 breakdown

Claire creates penicillin in Outlander Book 5, Chapter 36

Throughout The Fiery Cross, we’ve heard about the bits of food Claire has been leaving around. That food leads to something good in Outlander Book 5, Chapter 36.

Claire manages to create penicillin during the chapter. It’s not quite everything that she would have had in the 1960s, but it’s enough to help keep her patients a little safer than they would have been. That’s especially important in this chapter.

Claire needed the penicillin. The Beardsley twins need their tonsils removing, and there’s no way Claire would want to do that without some sort of medicine to keep them safe from infection. Now that she has the penicillin, she can get to work.

It’s an important chapter for a few reasons. We get to see Lizzy’s protectiveness and care for the boys, and it’s especially important to see Claire bring modern-day medicine to the past, even if it is only for people on the Ridge. Of course, it certainly has some foreshadowing of things to come.

As for the use on the show, this chapter was partly used. We got a chance to see Claire at work to treat the Beardsley twins, which was necessary for Claire’s continued need to treat patients on the Ridge.

Let’s dive into The Fiery Cross Chapter 36.