Eames and Goren discover that, in the lawsuit that Gwen's parents had filed against her mother's OB/GYN, the original amount awarded to Gwen was $3 million. Since syndication, this episode has been shown on various networks (including ION Television [WPXNH]). In the rebroadcasts of this episode, it can be noted that the award amount has been changed to $5 million. Eames' voice has also been dubbed over to reflect this change, but the viewer can still read her lips saying, "Three million, in trust to Gwen."
A medical examiner is an M.D. (Medical Doctor) which means they do have the privilege to prescribe medications, just like any other doctor, assuming of course their medical license is up to date and valid; though they typically have no need to write prescriptions. However in order to prescribe a controlled substance a practitioner must also be registered with the DEA, complete a training course on the use and prescribing of controlled substances and be issued a permit to prescribe them. As the training course is expensive, typically a few thousand dollars, and the permit costs about $700 to apply for and must be renewed every three years, which carries a $700 renewal fee, most medical examiners do not bother getting a DEA controlled substance permit because it is something they wouldn't need to use and it is expensive.
DES is short for diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic nonsteroidal form of estrogen that was widely used between 1940 and 1971 to prevent birth defects and miscarriages in pregnant women with a personal or family history of them. It was also used as a form of hormone therapy to treat symptoms of menopause, estrogen deficiency and breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Several studies published in 1971 showed that the use of DES in pregnant women not only did little to reduce the likelihood of birth defects and miscarriage it also caused clear-cell carcinoma, a rare vaginal tumor, in girls who had been exposed to this medication in the womb. As a result DES was moved to pregnancy category X, indicating it should not be used during pregnancy due to a high risk of birth defects. Another study in 2011 linked DES use as causing a number of other serious issues including: infertility, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, preeclampsia, preterm birth, stillbirth, infant death, menopause prior to age 45, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and vaginal cancer. Since then the use of DES has been limited to treating prostate cancer and certain types of breast cancer that do not respond to other treatments.
The episode title refers to the personal growth of certain key characters as well as the status of the cancerous cells within the young girl.