Episodes

  • Scurvy: The Lost Cure
    Aug 9 2023

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    When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Unless you're out at sea, in which case, you'll want to conserve resources and avoid the pirate's curse. Why? Listen to find out.

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    19 mins
  • Mafutsusan: Hanaoka's Magic Elixir
    Aug 9 2023

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    To make the perfect cocktail, you have to get the ratios just right. Doctor Hanaoka risked a handful of village dogs and even his wife's sight in search of that perfect proportion. In this episode, we travel to Japan to examine the true origins of general anesthesia.

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    27 mins
  • The Doctor's Plague: Semmelweis and the Hygiene Revolution
    Aug 9 2023

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    A haunted clinic in 1800’s Vienna? Sounds like the perfect setting for American Horror Story — and also our next episode. We discover why one clinic was deemed cursed and how a doctor died trying to uncover the secret.

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    20 mins
  • Vaccines: How the Milkmaid Cured Smallpox
    Aug 9 2023

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    One of the greatest diseases known to humans was no match for a Cow named Blossom… In this episode, we discuss how her disease protected people from a much worse fate all thanks to the unconventional wisdom of Dr. Edward Jenner.

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    22 mins
  • David Vetter: The Great Bubble Boy Experiment
    Aug 9 2023

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    What do Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, and Jake Gyllenhaal have in common? They all fictionalized the real life story of David Vetter, a little boy who was quarantined from the world. Literally.

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    25 mins
  • The Great Retch: The Discovery of Boerhaave Syndrome
    Aug 9 2023

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    1723 was a tough year for Baron John van Wassenaer. In this episode, we look at how a Dutch physician used basic medical principles to discover one of medicine’s more unusual and often dangerous conditions. Now, the disease bears his name.

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    18 mins
  • Canopy Lenses: Interview with Dr. Kenneth Hovland
    Aug 9 2023

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    To dive a little deeper into the world of cataracts and their treatment, we sat down with Dr. Kenneth Hovland, MD, a cataract surgeon who loves medical history.

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    22 mins
  • Canopy Lenses: The Discovery of the Artificial Intraocular Lens
    Aug 9 2023

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    Mayday! Mayday! This episode is more than meets the eye. When General Gordon Cleaver crash landed and met Dr. Harold Ridley, the world of eye surgery was forever changed.

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    20 mins