Legends of Surgery

By Tyler Rouse

What's Legends of Surgery about?

This podcast takes an entertaining and informative approach to telling the stories of the people and events that make up the history of modern surgery.

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Legends of Surgery episodes:

02.26.2024
Episode 113 - Better know an instrument: Potts Scissors
In this episode, we'll meet the person behind the eponymously named scissors, the American pediatric surgeon Willis J. Potts. We'll cover his contributions to the development of surgery specifically for children, and in particular the operations on the heart that...
12.12.2023
Episode 112 - The Ongoing History of Surgery: The World's First Whole Eye Transplant
In this episode, we will cover the recent story of (possibly) the world's first whole eye transplant that occured in May of 2023, as well as the story of a possible previous attempt in 1969, and the aftermath that followed....
11.15.2023
Episode 111 - The Code of Hammurabi
In this episode, we will explore the history of a nearly 4 millenia old slab of rock which has inscribed on it some of the oldest recorded laws in history, including some that dictated payments for operations, and some severe...
02.03.2023
Episode 110 - The Loch Ness Monster and The Surgeon's Photo
In this episode, we will explore the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, as well as the surgeon behind a famous photograph of the beast, Robert Kenneth Wilson, a legend in his own right. And of course, we'll go on...
12.30.2022
Episode 109 - Was Jack the Ripper a surgeon?
In this episode, we will explore the question of the identity of the 19th century serial killer based in the London neighborhood of Whitechapel. Specifically, we will consider the evidence provided by some authors that the notorious killer was a...
10.11.2022
Episode 108 - The Michelangelo of Medicine: Frank Netter and the Atlas of Human Anatomy
In this episode, we will explore the famous 20th century medical illustrator Frank Netter and his magnum opus, the Atlas of Human Anatomy. While this work is his most famous, many people do not realize that Frank Netter was also...
08.01.2022
Episode 107 - "The Secret"
In this episode, we will meet the Chamberlen family, French Huguenots and barber surgeons/male midwives that practiced in England in the 16th and 17th centuries CE. They had a special instrument that could safely deliver babies in cases of obstruction,...
06.22.2022
Episode 106 - From toxin to cure: The story of Botox
Initially recognized as a poison in blood sausage by a German country doctor in the 19th century CE, botulinum toxin was isolated and purified during world war II by the American military. It was ophthalmogist Dr. Alan Scott who recognized...
05.04.2022
Episode 105 - Better know an instrument: the Yankauer suction tip
In this episode, we will cover Dr. Sidney Yankauer, a leader in the development of ENT as a surgical specialty, including the creation of his eponymously named instrument, as well as triumphs and tragedies over the course of his life.
01.10.2022
Episode 104 - Lamb's Blood, Monkey 'Glands', Pig Kidneys, and More: A Brief History of Xenotransplantation
In this episode, we will trace the history of attempts at transplanting cells, tissues, and organs from animals into humans. From world-famous surgeons to medical charlatans, all manner of people have tried, and all inevitably failed. However, with the rise...
11.05.2021
Episode 103 - The Story of the Spleen
In this episode, we return to a previous series, looking at the history of different organs in the body. The history of our understanding of the spleen, including its function, will be covered, as well as the development of surgery...
08.06.2021
Bonus Episode - The Curious Case of Scarpa's Head
In this bonus suture tale episode, we cover the life and works of the famous Italian surgeon and anatomist Antonio Scarpa. While many are familiar with him from the eponymously named fascia, his contributions to the science of medicine extend...
06.17.2021
Episode 102 - Hua T'o and Surgery in Ancient China
In this episode, we cover the legendary figure of Hua T'o, the best known (and one of the few) surgeons from Ancient China, as well as the state of surgical treatments at the time. The tale of his most famous...
05.21.2021
Episode 101 - Galen, Part 2: His Works
In this episode, we'll take a look at some of the contributions he made in surgery and anatomy, as well as some of the errors of his that were repeated for centuries before being disproven. We'll also have a look...
04.30.2021
Episode 100 - Galen, Part 1: The Story of his Life
In the 100th episode of Legends of Surgery, we will explore the life of one of medicine and surgery's greatest influences: the Greek physician from Ancient Rome, Claudius Galen. The events of his life will be covered, as well as...
02.07.2021
Episode 99 - The History of Transgender Reassignment Surgery
In this episode, we'll cover the history of transgender medicine, with a focus on the development of the main surgical procedures in gender reassignment surgery, including vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, and metoidioplasty. A number of trailblazing surgeons and patients will be covered,...
01.12.2021
Episode 98 - A Knot of Suture Tales
In this episode, we're going to do something a bit different. I've taken a number of shorter but very interesting topics, either that I've come across on my own or have been suggested by listeners, and turned 5 of them...
12.31.2020
Bonus Episode - The Bizarre History of Bezoars
In this bonus episode, we cover the long and strange history of the bezoar, a stone that forms in the stomachs of some animals (including humans!) We will go back to the earliest recordings of bezoars in medicine, their use...
11.25.2020
Episode 97 - The History of Blood Transfusions
In this episode, we explore the origins of our understanding of blood and its function, going all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome. We'll discuss the humeral system championed by Galen, and how these concepts were finally corrected...
10.16.2020
Episode 96 - The History of the Esophagectomy
This episode was written by a guest contributor, Harvard student Simar Bajaj. In it, we cover some of the anatomy and function of the esophagus, before tracing the history of the earliest attempts at operating on the esophagus (in ancient...
09.09.2020
Episode 95 - Non Per Os: The Tale of TPN
In this episode, we will cover the story of providing fluids and nutrients intravenously, leading up to Dr. Stanley Dudrick and the development of TPN (total parenteral nutrition), including the first patients to receive this groundbreaking therapy. As usual, we will...
08.03.2020
Episode 94 - Guy de Chauliac and the Black Death
The subject for this episode, written and narrated by Dr. David Sigmon, is the great medieval surgeon Guy de Chauliac. His life and works are covered, including the 'Chirurgia Magna', or 'Great Writings on Surgery', but the main focus is...
07.30.2020
Episode 93 - The Story of the Mitral Valve
This episode was written by a guest contributor, Simar Bajaj, a student of the History of Science at Harvard University. In it, we cover the story of the mitral valve, from its earliest descriptions, to the discovery of its function...
07.07.2020
Episode 92 - A Cool Tale about Induced Hypothermia
This episode was written by a guest contributor, Dr. David Warmflash, and covers the history of the use of induced hypothermia in surgery, from its earliest days in Ancient Egypt, through Napoleon-era France, and to the early days of cardiac...
06.08.2020
Episode 91 - Guillaume Dupuytren: The Brigand of the Hotel Dieu
In this episode, we'll cover the brilliant but difficult character of Guillaume Dupuytren, and of course the disease which bears his name. In addition to his life, we'll take a deep dive into the history of Dupuytren's disease, also known...
05.18.2020
Episode 90 - Alexander Thomas Augusta, a story of courage
In this episode, host Dr. David Sigmon tells the inspirational true story of Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta, the first African American surgeon in the Northern Army during the American Civil War, the first African American professor of medicine in the...
04.16.2020
Episode 89 - Neurosurgeon Dr. Walter Dandy
In this episode, we cover the contributions to neurosurgery by Dr. Walter Dandy, including an in depth look at the ventricular system of the brain. We'll also discuss missing skulls, Roman aqueducts, and the origin of the baseball helmet, and...
02.26.2020
Episode 88 - The History of the Parathyroid Gland
In this episode, we will trace the history of the parathyroid gland, from its identification, to the determination of its function, the understanding of hyperparathyroidism, and of course, the surgical removal of abnormal glands! Along the way we'll meet a...
02.09.2020
Episode 87 - Drs. DeBakey and Cooley, Part 2: Feud and Reconciliation
In this 2nd part of a 2-part series on the world-famous cardiac surgeons Drs. DeBakey and Cooley, we cover their life's work, their feud, and eventual reconciliation. In addition, the history of artificial hearts is covered, as well as other...
01.11.2020
Episode 86 - Dr. Nikolay Pirogov - Founder of Field Surgery
In this episode, Dr. David Sigmon tells us the tale of the Russian surgeon Dr. Pirogov, detailing his early life, including family tragedies that would shape him, his medical and surgical training, as well as his numerous contributions to surgery....
12.11.2019
Episode 85 - Drs. DeBakey and Cooley, Part 1: Origin stories
In this episode, we cover the early lives and career beginnings of the famous cardiovascular surgeons Drs. Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley, up to their joining Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Of course, we will take a...
11.15.2019
Episode 84 - The Secret Identity of Dr. James Barry
This is another episode provided by Dr. David Sigmon! He covers the history of a surgeon who had a successful, but not necessarily legendary, surgical career. So why are we covering Dr. Barry? Because of an astounding secret that was...
11.01.2019
Episode 83 - Halloween Edition: Shiro Ishii and the infamous Unit 731
In this episode, new host and collaborator for the show, Dr. David Sigmon, tells the horrifying tale of the Japanese surgeon Dr. Shiro Ishii and Japan's infamous Unit 731. While his acts were terrible, they were not only tolerated but...
10.16.2019
Episode 82 - Hugh Hampton Young and the Radical Prostatectomy
Despite the title, this episode is about far more than just the first prostatectomy performed for cancer treatment. The life of American urologist Dr. Hugh Hampton Young is covered, as well as a little part of the history of prostate...
09.18.2019
Bonus Episode 4 - A History of the Adrenal Glands
In this bonus episode, we welcome a new member to the Legends of Surgery team, Dr. David Simon, a general surgery resident at the University of Chicago currently researching surgical education at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote this episode,...
08.13.2019
Episode 81 - Vesalius and the Birth of Modern Anatomy
In this episode, we cover one of the most influential books in the history of surgery, the 'De Humane Corporis Fabrica', and its author, Andreas Vesalius. In doing so, we'll also explore the outsized influence of the ancient Roman physician...
07.09.2019
Episode 80 - Ambroise Pare, Renaissance Surgeon
In this episode, we will explore the life and impact of French surgeon Ambroise Pare, who has been described as "one of the most luminous figures in the dark period of the late sixteenth century in France". A true Renaissance...
05.15.2019
Episode 79 - Cracking the Chest: The Brief History of Resuscitative Thoracotomy
There are few surgical interventions more dramatic than the thoracotomy - a desperate last-ditch effort to save a failing heart by manual compression. The history of the procedure is a fascinating one, dating back to the 19th century. This became...
03.23.2019
Episode 78 - Christiaan Barnard: The Surgeon Who Dared and Interview with Dr. David K. C. Cooper
This episode is a bit different than previous, in that the first part is a review of the life and work of the famous cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard, who performed the world's first human heart transplant. The second part is...
02.18.2019
Episode 77 - Frederick Salmon and the Founding of the St. Mark's Fistula Hospital
In this episode, we'll cover the life of English surgeon Frederick Salmon, his clashes with the medical establishment at the time, and his creation of a fistula hospital that eventually became St. Mark's Hospital. Of course, we will get into...
01.14.2019
Episode 76 - the Bier Block
In this episode, we will cover the German surgeon August Bier, and his creation of both spinal anesthesia, and the eponymously named Bier block, used commonly today for regional anesthesia. We'll also cover some less well known aspects of his...
12.11.2018
Episode 75 - Percivall Pott and the Chimney Sweep's Cancer
In this episode, we'll cover the life of the 18th century English surgeon, Percivall Pott. This includes some of the numerous disorders named after him, and covers the first description of an association between an occupational exposure and cancer, which...
11.19.2018
Episode 74 - "Time me, gentlemen": The Legend of Robert Liston
In this episode, we explore the history of Robert Liston, considered "the fastest knife in the west end" of London, in an era before anesthesia. He was also famous for an operation with a 300% mortality rate, and for performing...
11.01.2018
Episode 73 - The History of the Lobotomy
In this episode, we'll cover the strange and sometimes disturbing history of psychosurgery, and in particular, the frontal lobotomy. We'll meet the Nobel Prize winning Egas Moniz as well as the physician and self-promoter Walter Freeman. And as a special...
10.08.2018
Episode 72 - The History of Clubfoot
In this episode, we will follow the history of the treatment of clubfoot, from antiquity, through the Renaissance and into modern surgery. Interestingly, the thinking has swung from conservative treatment, through a number of mechanical solutions, through surgical solutions, and...
09.25.2018
Episode 71 - The History of Surgical Technologists
In this episode, we will take a look at some of the unsung heroes of the operating room, going back to some of the earliest surgeries. We'll meet some of the interesting roles that developed, including Handlers, Dressers and Surgical...
09.10.2018
Episode 70 - The History of Inguinal Hernias
In this episode, we will follow the history of the repair of inguinal hernias from ancient times, through the age of dissection, to the Renaissance where we will meet the surgeons that influenced our understanding of the anatomy and pathology...
08.03.2018
Episode 69 - Sir Astley Cooper
In this episode, we explore the life of the English surgeon, Sir Astley Cooper, as well as some of his most notable accomplishments. Along the way, we'll cover the infamous story of his nephew, Bransby Cooper, which intersects the beginnings...
06.11.2018
Episode 68 - The History of Surgery in Japan
In this episode, we will explore the introduction of Western style surgery into feudal Japan, during the period of isolation, that lasted from 1639 to 1853. During this time, only a few of the European powers had access to Japan,...
05.30.2018
Episode 67 - The History of Lithotomy
Patients are often placed in the 'lithotomy' position. But where did this come from? We'll cover the history of the surgical procedure for bladder stones, known as lithotomy, which dates back from the earliest records of surgery right up to...

What's Legends of Surgery about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Legends of Surgery episodes:

Episode 113 - Better know an instrument: Potts Scissors

Episode 112 - The Ongoing History of Surgery: The World's First Whole Eye Transplant

Episode 111 - The Code of Hammurabi

Episode 110 - The Loch Ness Monster and The Surgeon's Photo

Episode 109 - Was Jack the Ripper a surgeon?

Episode 108 - The Michelangelo of Medicine: Frank Netter and the Atlas of Human Anatomy

Episode 107 - "The Secret"

Episode 106 - From toxin to cure: The story of Botox

Episode 105 - Better know an instrument: the Yankauer suction tip

Episode 104 - Lamb's Blood, Monkey 'Glands', Pig Kidneys, and More: A Brief History of Xenotransplantation

Episode 103 - The Story of the Spleen

Bonus Episode - The Curious Case of Scarpa's Head

Episode 102 - Hua T'o and Surgery in Ancient China

Episode 101 - Galen, Part 2: His Works

Episode 100 - Galen, Part 1: The Story of his Life

Episode 99 - The History of Transgender Reassignment Surgery

Episode 98 - A Knot of Suture Tales

Bonus Episode - The Bizarre History of Bezoars

Episode 97 - The History of Blood Transfusions

Episode 96 - The History of the Esophagectomy

Episode 95 - Non Per Os: The Tale of TPN

Episode 94 - Guy de Chauliac and the Black Death

Episode 93 - The Story of the Mitral Valve

Episode 92 - A Cool Tale about Induced Hypothermia

Episode 91 - Guillaume Dupuytren: The Brigand of the Hotel Dieu

Episode 90 - Alexander Thomas Augusta, a story of courage

Episode 89 - Neurosurgeon Dr. Walter Dandy

Episode 88 - The History of the Parathyroid Gland

Episode 87 - Drs. DeBakey and Cooley, Part 2: Feud and Reconciliation

Episode 86 - Dr. Nikolay Pirogov - Founder of Field Surgery

Episode 85 - Drs. DeBakey and Cooley, Part 1: Origin stories

Episode 84 - The Secret Identity of Dr. James Barry

Episode 83 - Halloween Edition: Shiro Ishii and the infamous Unit 731

Episode 82 - Hugh Hampton Young and the Radical Prostatectomy

Bonus Episode 4 - A History of the Adrenal Glands

Episode 81 - Vesalius and the Birth of Modern Anatomy

Episode 80 - Ambroise Pare, Renaissance Surgeon

Episode 79 - Cracking the Chest: The Brief History of Resuscitative Thoracotomy

Episode 78 - Christiaan Barnard: The Surgeon Who Dared and Interview with Dr. David K. C. Cooper

Episode 77 - Frederick Salmon and the Founding of the St. Mark's Fistula Hospital

Episode 76 - the Bier Block

Episode 75 - Percivall Pott and the Chimney Sweep's Cancer

Episode 74 - "Time me, gentlemen": The Legend of Robert Liston

Episode 73 - The History of the Lobotomy

Episode 72 - The History of Clubfoot

Episode 71 - The History of Surgical Technologists

Episode 70 - The History of Inguinal Hernias

Episode 69 - Sir Astley Cooper

Episode 68 - The History of Surgery in Japan

Episode 67 - The History of Lithotomy

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