Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

By Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy

Comedy History Medicine

What's Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine about?

Join Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy for a tour of all the dumb, bad, gross, weird and wrong ways we've tried to fix people.

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LAST EPISODE

Sawbones: The Weight of the...

07.03.2020

An introspective moment on Sawbones this week as we meet the doctor who devoted his life to discovering the weight of the human soul. NOTE: This episode contains discussions of mortality, both human and animal.

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine episodes:

07.03.2020 Sawbones: The Weight of the Human Soul An introspective moment on Sawbones this week as we meet the doctor who devoted his life to discovering the weight of the human soul. NOTE: This episode contains discussions of mortality, both human and animal.
06.26.2020 Systemic Racism in Medical Honors AOA is a medical honors society that's supposed to separate top-tier medical students from the rest of the pack. It helps determine which doctors get the top jobs in the most competitive fields. The problem? There's implicit racism in the ...
06.12.2020 Sawbones: COVID-19 and Bad Data OK, yes, this is an episode about medical research, but it's the sexiest medical research story you're ever going to hear. It's got scandal! It's got a detective! It's got a sentient robot equipped with anti-gravity technology! We'd type more ...
06.05.2020 Sawbones: The Black Panthers and Public Health If you received the typical, white-centric education, you probably associate the Black Panthers only with violence and political protest. This week on Sawbones, we talk about their work in medical research advocacy and creating public health programs that sought to ...
06.01.2020 Sawbones: Medical Racism and Protest Safety This week on Sawbones, we examine how Black Americans have received substandard care and fewer opportunities within the American medical system. Also, some guidance on how to protest as safely as possible in the face of COVID-19.
05.22.2020 Sawbones: The Cholera Riots Fear that the government and doctors were allied in a grand conspiracy to oppress the populace was at a fever pitch. The people took to the streets to prove that they would not abide by quarantine, that they would defy ...
05.17.2020 Sawbones: COVID-19 Q&A It should come as no surprise that the Sawbones inbox has been chockablock with questions about the ongoing ... unpleasantness. This week, we're trying to group your COVID-19 queries in an orderly fashion and answer them to the best of ...
05.08.2020 Sawbones: Cabin Fever Did you know that cabin fever isn't just the cooped-up funk we all find ourselves in? It's a real actual disease called typhus -- or at least, it used to be. It's confusing, we know, but this week we're gonna ...
05.01.2020 Sawbones: COVID Lies, Darned Lies and Statistics Two doctors made headlines this week by trying to construct the narrative that the COVID-19 pandemic has been overblown by the hospital system in pursuit of more profits. This week, Dr. Sydnee and Justin explain why their numbers don't add ...
04.24.2020 Sawbones: The Most Dangerous Parade This week on Sawbones, we discuss Philadelphia's disastrous Fourth Liberty Loan Parade that helped reignite the 1918 influenza epidemic in the region. We'll also examine some other unnerving similarities between that century-old disaster and our current situation. Music: "Medicines" by ...
04.17.2020 Sawbones: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Coronavirus Myths This week on Sawbones, we dive into the backstory of Dr. Anthony Fauci, a beacon of hope and reason for so many in these troubling days. In the back half of the show, we also talk about a bunch of ...
04.12.2020 Sawbones: Hydroxychloroquine There are some pushing hydroxychloroquine as a miracle treatment for COVID-19 in a way that should seem familiar (and a little scary) to long-time Sawbones listeners. This week, we'll talk about the long history of this medicine and why promoting ...
04.03.2020 Sawbones: Ignaz Semmelweis This week on Sawbones, it's the fascinating, inspiring and infuriating story of Ignaz Semmelweis. You'll learn how he discovered why it was so important for doctor's to wash their hands and why it took so long for doctors to believe ...
03.30.2020 Sawbones: Masks The COVID-19 outbreak has recently pushed masks and other protective equipment into the forefront of the global conversation, especially as a shortage threatens medical professionals on the front lines. This week on Sawbones, how masks changed the world of medicine, ...
03.22.2020 Sawbones: Coronavirus Part 2 Surprise! This week our medical history podcast is about the biggest medical history event in any of our lifetimes. Let's talk about home testing! Social distancing! And some reflections from Sydnee after a week at the hospital.
03.13.2020 Sawbones: Revenge of the Weird Medical Questions Once again, we're putting Justin at peril of being supremely yucked out by your weirdest medical queries: Should your pee smell so good? Why is your earwax that color? Why did your mom choose the name Fred for that blood-filled ...
03.06.2020 Sawbones: How Yellow Fever (Nearly) Destroyed Philadelphia This week on Sawbones, it's the story of how Yellow Fever killed 10 percent of Philadelphia, destroyed the government and made everyone rethink their collection of decorative standing water.
03.02.2020 Sawbones: Quarantine For reasons we assume you can guess, we're discussing the history of quarantine, and how its historical misuse should make you particularly alert in the days and weeks to come as the world continues to combat COVID-19.
02.24.2020 Sawbones: William Cunningham and the Ghouls of Cincinnati We love grave robbers on Sawbones and ... well, that came out wrong. We don't have a particular affinity for today's grave robbers, but they've played an important role in medical research and ... we're still defending grave robbers, aren't ...
02.17.2020 Sawbones: Laudable Pus Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
02.10.2020 Sawbones: Body Temperature This week on Sawbones, things are getting hot! Well, no, come to think of it, they’re doing the opposite. They’re getting colder. And by “they” we mean “we.” We’re getting colder, all of us. Probably. What should you do about ...
02.02.2020 Sawbones: Coronavirus This week on Sawbones, we've got a no-panic-allowed history of coronavirus along with a guide to the current strain that has held the headlines in a stranglehold in the past weeks. Even if you don't listen to the episode, take ...
01.24.2020 Sawbones: IV Cocktails Would it surprise you to learn that people with too much money are flocking to "IV bars" and paying hundreds of dollars for intravenous cocktails of vitamins that are supposed to treat every malady under the sun but do absolutely ...
01.19.2020 Sawbones: Viking's Disease This week on Sawbones, we celebrate a trip to Minnesota with an exploration of Viking's Disease. You'll meet the people it isn't really named for and the guy who beat out a long line of researchers to get it named ...
01.10.2020 Sawbones: Bidets We bidets have been all the rage for years around the globe, they never really caught on in the U.S. What part of their seedy history kept them out of American homes? And what (if any) are their health benefits? ...
12.28.2019 Sawbones: The Chicago River Reversal This week on Sawbones, the incredible true story of how Chicago changed the direction of a river to battle typhoid and cholera. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
12.22.2019 A Medicine Called Christmas 2: A Royal Pain Just in time for Christmas, we've got another extremely special holiday film created by Justin and Sydnee McElroy. Gather the family and prepare for A Medicine Called Christmas 2: A Royal Pain. NARRATOR: Rachel McElroy PHIL: Griffin McElroy TAB: Sydnee ...
12.13.2019 Sawbones: Elderberry and Other Things That Don't Prevent the Flu You may have seen a Facebook meme claiming that a combination of elderberry and Oscillococcinum can prevent the flu. The truth of the matter may surprise you! (unless you've ever in your life ever listened to even a single episode ...
12.06.2019 Sawbones: Taint Tanning and Heliotherapy Listen, we're not gonna sit here all fancy and act like we didn't just record an entire episode about people sunning their buttholes. That's what happened, nothing can change that. If you don't listen, it was for nothing. Music: "Medicines" ...
12.01.2019 Sawbones: Yes Virginia, There Are More Medical Questions We're marking our 300th episode (OK, it's our 301st) by answering all of your pressing medical questions. Can you really poke your brain through your nose? Where do boob crumbs come from? Listen for that and so much more! Music: ...
11.25.2019 Sawbones: The Man Behind the Knick This week on the 300th (!) episode of Sawbones, meet William Halstead, the father of American surgery, the man who inspired Cinemax's The Knick and ... a great advocate for cocaine. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
11.15.2019 Sawbones: Food Sensitivity Testing The market is flooded with at-home tests that let you "take medical care into your own hands" but is that something you even want in your hands? Are they reliable? Also, is Justin really going to give up cereal? Music: ...
11.03.2019 Sawbones: Auto-Brewery Syndrome On Sawbones, we take pride in our ability to detangle medical myth from fact and give you the truth about the human body. This week on Sawbones ... things aren't so clear. You may need a stiff drink for this ...
10.25.2019 Sawbones: Cough Drops William Goldman wrote in The Princess Bride "True love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops." This week on Sawbones, we ruin them. We're really sorry, Bill. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
10.21.2019 Sawbones: Ben Franklin Ben Franklin may not have have been a doctor, but he still had a massive impact on the medical field in his time. What were his contributions? And was he ever actually president? You'll have to listen to find out! ...
10.11.2019 Sawbones: The Hippocratic Oath We've all heard about the oath new doctors have to take before they get their first scalpel and weird head mirror thing. But has it always been the same? Did Hippocrates really make it up? Is "First, do no harm" ...
10.04.2019 Sawbones: National Hotel Disease This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin check in with National Hotel Disease, the diarrhea so bad it almost brought down a U.S. presidency. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
09.27.2019 Sawbones: Essential Oils This week on Sawbones, we talk about the many, many things essential oils can't do for you and the dueling Utah-based companies that insist we're wrong. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
09.20.2019 Sawbones: Garlic For thousands of years, throughout an unprecedented number of cultures, garlic has been touted for its ability to improve our health. How? Well, by warding off vampires, silly. ... OK, there's some other stuff too. You should probably just listen. ...
09.13.2019 Sawbones: Vaping On Sawbones, we like to take a lot of hard lines and make grand proclamations: Vaccines good, viruses bad, that sort of thing. But when it comes to vaping, things get a little ... cloudier? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
09.09.2019 Sawbones: Hydrotherapy Water: There's plenty of it, it's not obviously poisonous and it's cheap as all get out. Maybe THAT'S the answer to all our species' medical woes? ... It's not, but if you've ever listened to Sawbones before you see where ...
08.30.2019 Sawbones: The HPV Vaccine A vaccine that can practically eliminate a type of human cancer should be cause for celebration across our species. Would it surprise it to learn that some people don't trust it? ... Probably not at this point, huh? This week ...
08.26.2019 Sawbones: Sneezing Welcome to all the owners of human bodies! You're gonna love these things, they can run, jump ... and every once in a while they uncontrollably blast snot out of your face at 100 MPH. This week on Sawbones: Sneezing. ...
08.18.2019 Sawbones: Fever Any species could have created a bunch of bogus ways to treat fevers. But only humans could use fevers as a bogus treatment for other stuff and then end up being sort of right about it. This week on Sawbones, ...
08.04.2019 Sawbones: Eli Lilly's Secret Pot Farm One of the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies once maintained one of the biggest marijuana farms in the country. This week on Sawbones, how Eli Lilly lost its taste for pot, and why it refuses to acknowledge its past. Music: "Medicines" ...
07.26.2019 Sawbones: Yes, More Medical Questions Answered! Does medicated chap stick doing anything? What are doctors hiding? Why can't you keep your bones? This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin bring you answers to these questions and many more on a new Q&A episode! Music: "Medicines" ...
07.19.2019 Sawbones: The Chattanooga Medicine Company This week on Sawbones, live from the historic Ryman Auditorium, hear the patent medicine company so insidious they made Dolly Parton sing about laxatives on one of the biggest stages in country music. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
07.12.2019 Sawbones: Medical Reversals You're well acquainted with all of humanity's history of medical mistakes, but even modern medicine changes it's mind from time to time. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin explain what a medical reversal looks like! Music: "Medicines" by ...
06.30.2019 Sawbones: Wine We all know that consuming wine has no downsides whatsoever, but did you know it also has some amazing health benefits as well?! It's true! (Depending on your definition of "benefits" ... and "health" and ... OK, and "amazing" too. ...
06.21.2019 Sawbones: Medicine in Japanese American Concentration Camps This week on Sawbones, we revisit a dismal period in American history that our government seems determined to repeat. Also you'll meet the heroic Japanese American doctors, nurses, dentists and other medical professionals that fought to save lives despite the ...

Older episodes

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

What's Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine episodes:

Sawbones: The Weight of the Human Soul

Systemic Racism in Medical Honors

Sawbones: COVID-19 and Bad Data

Sawbones: The Black Panthers and Public Health

Sawbones: Medical Racism and Protest Safety

Sawbones: The Cholera Riots

Sawbones: COVID-19 Q&A

Sawbones: Cabin Fever

Sawbones: COVID Lies, Darned Lies and Statistics

Sawbones: The Most Dangerous Parade

Sawbones: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Coronavirus Myths

Sawbones: Hydroxychloroquine

Sawbones: Ignaz Semmelweis

Sawbones: Masks

Sawbones: Coronavirus Part 2

Sawbones: Revenge of the Weird Medical Questions

Sawbones: How Yellow Fever (Nearly) Destroyed Philadelphia

Sawbones: Quarantine

Sawbones: William Cunningham and the Ghouls of Cincinnati

Sawbones: Laudable Pus

Sawbones: Body Temperature

Sawbones: Coronavirus

Sawbones: IV Cocktails

Sawbones: Viking's Disease

Sawbones: Bidets

Sawbones: The Chicago River Reversal

A Medicine Called Christmas 2: A Royal Pain

Sawbones: Elderberry and Other Things That Don't Prevent the Flu

Sawbones: Taint Tanning and Heliotherapy

Sawbones: Yes Virginia, There Are More Medical Questions

Sawbones: The Man Behind the Knick

Sawbones: Food Sensitivity Testing

Sawbones: Auto-Brewery Syndrome

Sawbones: Cough Drops

Sawbones: Ben Franklin

Sawbones: The Hippocratic Oath

Sawbones: National Hotel Disease

Sawbones: Essential Oils

Sawbones: Garlic

Sawbones: Vaping

Sawbones: Hydrotherapy

Sawbones: The HPV Vaccine

Sawbones: Sneezing

Sawbones: Fever

Sawbones: Eli Lilly's Secret Pot Farm

Sawbones: Yes, More Medical Questions Answered!

Sawbones: The Chattanooga Medicine Company

Sawbones: Medical Reversals

Sawbones: Wine

Sawbones: Medicine in Japanese American Concentration Camps

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