What makes a disease? And who gets to decide? Producer Cam Steele brings us a story that spans migrating uteruses in ancient Egypt, a disease that makes slaves want to run away in the antebellum south, and the accidental discovery of an erection pill while trying to treat heart disease. Join us in our journey to disassemble the concept of disease in Episode 24 of Bedside Rounds, a tiny podcast about fascinating stories in clinical medicine!

Sources:

• Bynum B. Discarded Diagnoses. The Lancet. Volume 356, No. 9241, p1615, 4 November 2000.
• Conrad P. The Medicalization of Society: On the Transformation of Human Conditions into Treatable Disorders.
• Drescher J. Out of DSM: Depathologizing Homosexuality. Behav Sci (Basel). 2015 Dec; 5(4): 565–575.
• Robison J. Look Me in the Eye: A Brief History of Nosology. Retrieved from: http://jerobison.blogspot.com/p/a-brief-history-of-nosology.html
• Shorter E. The history of nosology and the rise of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015 Mar; 17(1): 59–67.
• Tasca C, et al. Women And Hysteria In The History Of Mental Health. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2012; 8: 110–119.

Music credits:

• Sad Marimba Planet by Lee Rosevere
• Pookatori and Friends by Kevin MacLeod