Curious Medicine

This episode discusses doctor – patient communication since ancient times. Common historical practices (even into the 20thcentury) may astound you!

Topics discussed include: physicians’ dress and decorum; Hippocrates, the exemplar for physician behavior; Hippocratic Oath and Hippocratic Corpus; Galen’s views on doctor – patient relations; creation of American Medical Association Code of Ethics in 1847; lying to patients vs withholding the truth from patients regarding diagnoses and prognosis; and current recommendations for effective doctor – patient communication.

THIS EPISODE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN!

Christi is joined by Mindy on this episode and the two enjoy a frank discussion about hysteria in the Victorian era, a fake condition for which 75% of women sought treatment. Listen in to find out exactly why!

Topics discussed include: causes; wandering womb theory; the exhaustive list of symptoms; treatments which included leeches (yes, leeches), aromatherapy, marriage (yes, marriage), sexual intercourse, abstinence, hydrotherapy, and pelvic massage; things that made us go hmmmmm!

Learn why this fake disease was the catalyst for the invention of vibrators.

THIS EPISODE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.

Listen as Christi and Brian discuss spermatorrhea. What it was in the Victoria era, what it is now and the reason there’s a difference! Brian takes us on a historical journey of self-love (or self-abuse, you decide) and how semen has been regarded across time.

Topics discussed include: How the church (and medicine) turned its back on masturbation, “the great enemy of the church”; how love letters, featherbeds, soft trousers and foreskin (yes, foreskin) contributed to this widespread condition; and unfathomable treatments.

Men, this episode will have you squirming in your seats and leave you feeling lucky that you’re living in the 21st century!

THIS EPISODE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.

On this episode, Christi and Brian talk about lithotomy, a procedure for the removal of bladder stones.

Topics discussed include: lithotomy position; how a lack of clean water and personal hygiene contributed to the formation of bladder stones; transurethral injections; various surgical methods for stone removal; various non-surgical methods to treat bladder stones; traveling lithotomists; and various instrumentation designed throughout the years for safer extraction of bladder stones.

Also told are a few stories of individuals so desperate for relief, they removed their own bladder stones!

Eye problems are no joke!

Join Christi and Brian as they take a look back in time at the evolution of cataract treatment.

Topics discussed include: description of cataracts; oculists; graphic description of couching; graphic description of Sushruta’s cataract extraction technique; and ancient post-procedure care and discharge instructions after cataract treatment.

Listen now to learn how WWII pilots helped shape modern day lens replacement!

THIS EPISODE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.

This episode is about hemorrhoids, one of the most written about medical conditions in history.

Topics discussed include: causes; symptoms; complications; socio-culture effects; descriptive treatments; and the Squatty Potty.

Warning, a portion of this episode deals with sexual assault in ancient times. THIS EPISODE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.

Rhinoplasty dates as far back as 600 BC.

While surgical techniques are discussed in this episode, much of this one details the many fascinating and unexpected reasons a person might need rhinoplasty across time.

Take a listen as Christi and Brian discuss trepanation, the oldest surgical procedure known to man which dates back to 10,000 BC!

Topics discussed include: indications such as headaches, trauma, infections, epilepsy and creating a portal for spirits; incomplete trepanations; ancient apprenticeships; techniques and necessary tools of the trade.

Hosts also discuss the modern-day act of self-trepanning.

This episode is about patent medicines and the heyday of these non-prescription drug sales in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Topics discussed include: correlation between sickness and spirituality; how Americans ruined snake oil; the unbelievable addictive ingredients contained within; nostrum sellers; the awkward yet effective ways of advertising; how women, the lack of trust in doctors and urban living contributed to increasing popularity of these drugs; and the evolution of drug laws.

Christi and Brian also talk about their favorite examples of patent medicines.

In this episode, Christi and Brian discuss physician compensation across time.

Topics discussed include: Code of Hammurabi; how a person’s social standing determined a physician’s fees; sliding fee scales; penalties for bad outcomes; the early days of referrals and consultations; physician price fixing in the 19th century; financial disclosures of doctors from the 19th century; and the steady decline of physicians’ wealth.