This month we are talking about (unfortunately) a topical subject. We start out by going over the early history of abortion, specifically what methods were used in antiquity up until the Middle Ages as well as its legal status/ social acceptance. Mia then takes over and discusses the legality of abortion in the modern era, and then shifts focus to Roe v Wade (what it is, its importance and current perspectives). We then discuss abortion access in the United States and Poland. 

P.S. Joseph Stalin makes a surprise appearance.

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Magic mushrooms! What are they and what do they do to the body? We talk about this, as well as their history of use, modern use and finally, the piece de resistance: a clinical study on their therapeutic use against treatment resistant depression (TRD) published in November. LeechFest Early Access Feed

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This month we tackle the topic of plastic surgery:we talk about where and how rhinoplasties developed, how the original flap method changed through time, as well as how military conflict led to plastic surgery becoming an established subfield of medicine. We also manage to talk trans healthcare in the form of Michael Dillon - a trans man whose beard and accomplishments impress us to this day.

Image: Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery and Nicholas Henri Jacob, ‘Iconografia d'anatomia chirurgica e di medicina operatoria,’ Florence, 1841.

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In this episode we tackle the topic of discrimination in healthcare. Specifically, we talk about how healthcare has been inaccessible to people of colour and women and also about how that history of inaccessibility has created an environment where those groups are not represented in the healthcare industry nor get appropriate healthcare. We mention the Flexner report, lack of diversity in research, and the act of psychologizing pain and illness, as well as a small sprinkle of queer history in the form of James Barry.

Credit: Edel Rodriguez

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It's our first Halloween special! How could we not do a special episode to commemorate what is arguably the world's best holiday? In this episode Mia tells us about the history of body snatching and how it became a profitable business for two very savvy entrepreneurs in Scotland in 1828. We also touch on the various ways in which 19th century people would protect their relatives' bodies from body snatchers as well as discuss the practice of body snatching now. Mia even manages to explain who the heck the anti-Pope was and all the confusion that came out of having multiple guys claiming to be the Pope. In the second half of the episode, Raluca reads 'The Russian Sleep Experiment' and 'Ella' to get everyone in the Halloween spirit. Enjoy!! LeechFest Early Access Feed

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This month's episode is about mass psychogenic illness, more commonly known as mass hysteria. We primarily focus on 2 examples from history, specifically the Dancing Plague as well as some instances of hysteria in religious institutions in the 16th century. We also cover a few modern examples just to show that this phenomenon can still happen and that it can take rather mild forms, so it doesn't always look like the 'typical' dramatic mass hysteria event.

The image is a portrait of a 16th-century nun in Poland, by Jadwiga Radomyski.

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In this episode we talk about the ridiculous history behind the discovery and popularization of LSD, (briefly) about how it works as well as its applications in clinical settings. LeechFest Early Access Feed

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In this episode we talk about the Chernobyl catastrophe, specifically what went wrong and how the resulting radioactivity affected the surrounding area. We take up the short-term and long-term health consequences and we even talk about the seemingly thriving animal populations in the present. Are they really as healthy and happy as is often pointed out? Are the boar LIVING, or are they just...living? LeechFest Early Access Feed

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In this episode discuss the (unfortunate) origins of space medicine. We also discuss the differences between a space environment and the Earth environment, as well as the effects these differences have on the human body. We also talk about the measures astronauts have to take in order to minimize damage on the body. Lastly, we talk about what's keeping us from exploring the deep space and also the contributions space medicine has had on earth medicine.

The image represents the first astronaut class introduced by NASA on April 9, 1959. Front row, left to right: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John H. Glenn, Jr., and M. Scott Carpenter; back row, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. Source is The Mercury 7.

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This month we tackle to topic of neurodiversity throughout history, focusing on autism. We start out by looking at how the term came to be and at how the etiology autism changed through time, and later we dive into some interesting myths connected to autism. Changelings, for example, were a major element of European folklore, and were believed to be non-humans/ fairies which were switched out for healthy babies, and which could be identified by their 'atypical' behavior or appearance. Aliens, and Indigo Children are other examples of tropes used in connection with autism. Lastly, we look at a non-Western approach to neurodiversity and discuss the (over?)medicalization of neurodiversity in the West.

The image represents the devil stealing a baby, and it is a detail of "The legend of St. Stephen" by Martino di Bartolomeo, courtesy of Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main.

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