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

Even More Weird Medical Que...

11.27.2020

Is it possible for your medical questions to be ... too weird? That's a question you may be asking yourself on this latest Q&A episode of Sawbones, which explores the contents of poop and a secret button above your buttcrack ...

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine episodes:

11.27.2020 Even More Weird Medical Questions Is it possible for your medical questions to be ... too weird? That's a question you may be asking yourself on this latest Q&A episode of Sawbones, which explores the contents of poop and a secret button above your buttcrack ...
11.13.2020 Hypodermic Needles With news that a COVID-19 vaccine may be on the horizon and flu shot season in full swing, we take things back to basics with a history of the hypodermic needle and syringe. Also, a strangely large amount of car ...
11.08.2020 Angel's Glow On a chilly, rainy Civil War battlefield in Tennessee, soldiers started noticing something strange: Some of their wounds had begun ... glowing. Stranger still: Those with the glow tended to fare better than their illuminated counterparts. The assumption? Angels were ...
10.30.2020 A Health Care Voter's Guide If, by some set of unexplainable circumstances, you are still an undecided voter in the U.S. we've prepared something special for you in anticipation of next week's presidential election on Nov. 3. If you're not undecided, you'll at least have ...
10.23.2020 Herd Immunity There's been a lot of discussion about herd immunity in the face of COVID-19, but did you know that anyone who talks about achieving herd immunity without a vaccine (something humanity has never pulled off ever) is a big stinky ...
10.16.2020 Sawbones: Osteopathic Medicine Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.s) have been thrust into the spotlight recently when one was tasked with caring for the world's most famous COVID-19 patient. Some even went so far as to dismiss the president's D.O. for those two letters ...
10.02.2020 Our 2020 Flu Shot Extravaganza Gather the family around, it's time for our annual celebration of the flu shot! We got you the PERFECT gift: A bunch of answers to your flu shot quandries, especially in the age of COVID-19. C'mon, the party's starting!
09.25.2020 How Horseshoe Crabs (Probably) Saved Your Life Horses? Majestic. Frogs? Maybe royalty. But have you taken a moment to reflect on the humble, half-billion-year old horseshoe crab that almost certainly saved your life with its incredible blood? If not, THIS is that moment.
09.18.2020 Forced Sterilization Many were shocked to learn of allegations of forced sterilizations at an ICE facility. In this episode, we explore the long American history of this practice and the heartbreaking truth that this latest incident is just the latest in a ...
09.11.2020 Death Certificates You may have recently heard a statistic that just six percent of COVID-19 deaths are attributed to COVID alone. This statistic was based on death certificates. This week on Sawbones, we explain, through the history of this odd document, why ...
09.04.2020 Nostalgia Lately, have you found yourself pining for a simpler time? An easier time? Maybe just, like, ANY time other than your current one? You may be experiencing nostalgia. This week on Sawbones, we'll track its evolution from a clinical diagnosis ...
08.29.2020 Vagina Shaming For millennia, people with vaginas were told that there was something wrong with them (if they were even spoken about at all). Their vagina smelled wrong, looked wrong, it was too wet or not wet enough. This week on Sawbones, ...
08.21.2020 Oleander Puzzled as to why a pillow peddler is pushing poison to the president to pacify a pandemic? Please press play. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
08.14.2020 Grounded for Life This week on Sawbones, we explore The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! We know it's the The Most Important Health Discovery Ever because the book is called Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever. So there you have it.
08.07.2020 Osmosis Jones This week on Sawbones, we close out the #MaxFunDrive with a FAR too thorough examination of history's only medical animated comedy in which Bill Murray barfs on Molly Shannon. Let's talk about Osmosis Jones.
07.31.2020 Dr. Joycelyn Elders Dr. Joycelyn Elders is an American hero who went from a sharecropper's daughter to the first black Surgeon General of the United States. This is the story of her inspirational rise, her infuriating firing and her inability to stop doing ...
07.24.2020 Operation Warp Speed Yes friends, that's the actual name of the U.S. government's race to creation a coronavirus vaccine. It's either radical or a huge embarrassment, depending on which Sawbones co-host you are. This week, we'll talk about the progress so far and ...
07.18.2020 Sawbones: Amnesia In what is perhaps the first and only example of the Fast and Furious franchise inspiring an episode of Sawbones, we're diving into amnesia. We'll see how media portrayals stack up to reality, look at modern therapy and explore the ...
07.13.2020 Health Media Literacy We're being inundated by medical news in the face of COVID-19, but how is the layman supposed to make sense of all it? How can you tell a trustworthy report from simple clickbait? We'll discuss on this week's Sawbones (with ...
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

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:

Even More Weird Medical Questions

Hypodermic Needles

Angel's Glow

A Health Care Voter's Guide

Herd Immunity

Sawbones: Osteopathic Medicine

Our 2020 Flu Shot Extravaganza

How Horseshoe Crabs (Probably) Saved Your Life

Forced Sterilization

Death Certificates

Nostalgia

Vagina Shaming

Oleander

Grounded for Life

Osmosis Jones

Dr. Joycelyn Elders

Operation Warp Speed

Sawbones: Amnesia

Health Media Literacy

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

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