Doctoring the Truth

Ep 10-Of Mice, Monkeys and Murder: The Mysterious Death of Dr. Mary Sherman (Part 1)


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The year is 1964, and a brilliant cancer researcher has just been found dead in her New Orleans apartment. The circumstances are bizarre—her right arm completely missing, her torso severely burned, yet the official cause of death is listed as stab wounds. Welcome to the perplexing case of Dr. Mary Sherman.

As we dig into this medical mystery, we uncover a trailblazing woman who shattered glass ceilings in orthopedic surgery and cancer research decades before the feminist movement took hold. Dr. Sherman wasn't just any physician—she chaired prestigious committees, published groundbreaking research, and earned international recognition for her work with radiation and bone cancer. So why would someone want her dead? And why were so many powerful people nervously checking on the investigation's progress?

The threads of this case lead us down unexpected paths: secret cancer research potentially linked to biological weapons development, contaminated polio vaccines, anti-Castro operations, and even possible connections to Lee Harvey Oswald and the Kennedy assassination. We examine a cast of bizarre characters, including David Ferrie—a man with CIA ties, an unfortunate orange wig, and no medical credentials—who somehow became involved with Dr. Sherman's work.

Part detective story, part medical history, this episode explores the dark intersection where cutting-edge science met Cold War espionage in 1960s America. The burns on Dr. Sherman's body suggest exposure to high-voltage radiation, pointing to a laboratory accident rather than a simple homicide. Was her death the result of secret experiments gone wrong? Was she silenced to protect classified research? The case remains officially unsolved, but the evidence suggests something far more complex than a random murder.

Listen as we reconstruct the life and mysterious death of this remarkable doctor, whose brilliance may have led her into dangerous territory. The story continues next week in Part Two, where we'll explore even deeper connections between medicine, politics, and one of America's most notorious moments in history.

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Doctoring the TruthBy Jenne Tunnell and Amanda House