"Permanence of Change" is the twenty-third episode of season 3 of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
Reverend Johnson collapses in school while teaching his class because of his wisdom tooth. Dr. Mike has to take over the class. Brian finds a new friend in Mary Ann Daggett and finds they share similar experiences-both their mothers have died. On request from her class, Dr. Mike tells everyone about Charles Darwin's theories and evolution. Brian tells Dr. Mike about the spots he sees on Mary Ann's legs and the fact that her guardian yelled at her. When Dr. Mike confronts Mr. Daggett about Mary Ann, he refuses to listen and just gives excuses. No one in the town wants Dr. Mike to teach the children Darwin's theories, and Reverend Johnson asks Dr. Mike not to teach Darwin's theories in class anymore. When Dr. Mike and Brian go to Daggett's farm, he tries to lie to her but Brian finds Mary Ann unconscious with rats biting her bleeding legs. After taking her back to the clinic, before she complete the treatment, Daggett again demands Mary Ann and Dr. Mike wires the U.S. Marshal. The Marshal refuses to come and Sully goes to Daggett's and tells him if anything happens to her he'll have to answer to him. Later, it is something Brian says, that "children are animals too" after Sully mentions that animals have rights. With no child protection laws, and influenced by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, Dr. Mike has a girl removed from her "guardian" by taking the man to court in the town council and trying him for child abuse. Daggett tries to interrupt, but Jake tells him he'll get his chance and Hank tells him to sit down and shut up. Mary Ann goes to stay with Becky's parents.
This episode provides examples of:
- Artistic License – Biology: The reverend questions the usefulness of the theory of evolution because, according to him, it justifies the idea that some living beings harm others, without Michaela being able to retort. This means either that the theory, in this TV series, is as fictitious as the universe in which it stands, or neither the reverend nor Michaela has really read the book. The theory of evolution actually never talked about the strongest subject surviving by eating or killing the weakest, but the fittest subject will have more offspring and therefore, in the next generation, there will be more subjects similar to him.
- Abusive Parents: Mr. Daggett is tried for child abuse.
- Collapsed Mid-Speech: Reverend Johnson collapses while teaching his class.
- Ripped from the Headlines: The case of child abuse is based on (a common misunderstanding of) the case of Mary Ellen Wilson
. - Very Loosely Based on a True Story: While the head of the ASPCA assisted with the Mary Ellen Wilson abuse case, her abuser was convicted of assault and battery, not cruelty to animals.
- Very Special Episode: A two-fer covering both Child Abuse and Evolution vs Creationism.
