Episode 37

In this week's show, Aaron will take us on a tour of the medical historical explanations  behind some of the most iconic creatures of the night.  Myths arise from many places and, as it turns out, the legends of things such as vampires, werewolves, and zombies could possibly stem from historical misunderstandings of various medical conditions.  We'll see out the Halloween season with this spooky myth-busting episode.

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As we approach the objectively best holiday of the year in Max's humble opinion, we thought it best to do some Halloween themed episodes for the month of October. 

In this episode we'll talk about the link between modern medications and their roots in what were suspected practices of witchcraft.  There seemed to be magic in the salves and potions used by suspected witches of the 12th-19th centuries.  We'll unpack what may have been causing the unusual effects of these treatments as well as some possible reasons for the stigma associated with women as healers during that time. 

We'll also figure out what happened when our sentient computer was released to reconcile with her boyfriend, the James Webb Space Telescope.  Things got a little carried away on the previous episode.

Lastly our show had a kind mention through an article on Her Campus about binge-worthy podcasts.  Highlights include reference to middle-aged dudes telling dad jokes and gory medical stories.  We wear that proudly.  Article linked here.

Episode sources:
Examples of "witchcraft" pharmaceuticals: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-witches-brews-helped-bring-modern-drugs-market-180953202/

Examples of "witchcraft" pharmaceuticals: https://qz.com/1442503/witches-are-responsible-for-some-modern-drugs/

Origins of witch broom iconography: https://www.history.com/news/why-witches-fly-on-brooms

Information on tropane alkaloids: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412926/

William Withering, MD article from 18th century: https://library.um.edu.mo/ebooks/b2834599x.pdf

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What was missing from this point in this podcast was a good true crime episode.  So here you go!  This is the story of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, a physician and serial killer that, despite his best efforts to NOT hide his crimes all that well, took way to long to be caught.  There is also speculation he may have been Jack the Ripper.  This is a dark and twisted tale that shows the Hippocratic oath is a suggestion, not a rule, for evil unscrupulous physicians.   


Sources / Articles:
https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/politics-law/the-evil-deeds-of-dr-cream

https://web.archive.org/web/20130806111409/http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2010/08/lambeth-poisoner.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Neill_Cream

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While we’re usually reaching far into the past on this show, this week’s episode will feature a discussion of the tragic death of Princess Diana.  We’ll focus on the details of the case from the standpoint of physicians doing trauma care in the modern day.  We’ll question as to whether the outcome might have changed given modern technology or different circumstances.  Though the general story is well known to many of us, this was the first time we, as emergency physicians, had really considered the details of this historic, albeit relatively recent and still compelling case.

Note: This episode was pre-recorded and released coincidentally hours in advance of the news that Queen Elizabeth II had died.   We feel the subject material discussed here is of merit but would also like to acknowledge the day's event and offer sympathies to our UK listeners.

 

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We are joined by special guest educator Patrick Kelly on this collaborative episode.  Here we'll talk about severe allergic reactions and how early discoveries in the treatment of such led to a revolutionary life-saving technology: the auto-injector pen.  Commonly known as an Epipen, this little bit of medical marvel was the culmination of a fascinating story of discovery involving a tropical voyage, stinging marine life, self-treatment on the battlefields of World War II, and many scientists stumbling onto the right answers.

Guest Bio: Patrick Kelly
With a masters in exercise physiology and a pension for teaching medical history as well as anatomy and physiology, Patrick has created an impressive body of online educational content on the subject.  He features many stories on medical history too.  He was an intern at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, writing and researching videos for their channel.  You may find a body of his work on his main YouTube channel, Corporis along with multiple well researched and well produced videos on topics in Medical History. 

Youtube Links:
Medical History Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PatrickKellyMedicalHistory
Epipen Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ax-MpVfrTI
Corporis Channel (Anatomy and Physiology): https://www.youtube.com/c/Corporis

Social Media Links:
Instagram: @patkellyteaches
Twitter:  @PatKellyTeaches
TikTok: @patkellyteaches

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Not all of the ideas a person has while under the influence of drugs and alcohol are winners. There are exceptions, however.  This is a fascinating story about the discovery of a revolutionary anesthetic technique all thanks to two inebriated German physicians playing around with spinal taps, hammers, and self-experimentation in the 1890's. 

It gets weird.

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This episode features a special guest!   We welcome Erik and Russ, the hosts of the Wisconsin Drunk History Podcast to the show to share in this unexpectedly far-reaching homegrown tale.

We'll dive into the story of how moldy hay, hemorrhaging livestock, and a literal bucket of blood helped a University of Wisconsin Biochemist discover a medicine that would go on to help a then sitting president recover from his heart attack.


Wisconsin Drunken History Podcast website: https://www.wisconsindrunkenhistory.com/
Instagram: @wisconsin_drunken_history
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinDrunkenHistory/



Topic Sources:
-https://www.nature.com/articles/nrcardio.2017.172.pdf?origin=ppub
-https://www.hellenicjcardiol.org/archive/full_text/2014/2/2014_2_89.pdf
-https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2031046 (Eisenhower’s Heart Attack)
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559896/

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This week's episode features a special guest collaboration!  Kyle Dalton, from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine joined us on the show to talk about the origins of ambulance service.  Believe it or not, figuring out how to safely extract wounded soldiers was not a high priority at the time of the U.S. Civil War.  Fortunately, we'll talk about how that situation did improve.  

Guest Bio: 
Featured Historian: Kyle Dalton

A graduate with honors from the Catholic University of America, Kyle is currently the Membership and Development Coordinator at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He has twenty years of experience in museums as a public historian and educator. In his spare time, he writes and maintains the blog British Tars: 1740-1790 examining the lives of common sailors.

National Museum of Civil War Medicine: https://www.civilwarmed.org/

Letterman: https://www.civilwarmed.org/quick-facts/letterman/

Blog: https://www.britishtars.com/

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This week's episode features a dig through an interesting article from the British Medical Journal with a proposed medical diagnosis for King George III--you know the one who was supposedly "mad".  It turns out that while he was presiding over the monarchy during the American Revolution and issues with Napoleon, he may have been struggling with quite the unusual ailment.  Mike and Max will explore this unusual case while Aaron abandons the show to go on vacation.

Source Article-
British Medical Journal, January 1966: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1843211/pdf/brmedj02532-0029.pdf

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In this super-exciting special episode the Poor Historians interview author Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris about her new book, The Facemaker. 

The Facemaker centers on the incredible achievements of Dr. Harold Gillies, a plastic surgeon in WWI who not only helped restore the identities of injured soldiers with severe facial injuries, but developed a multitude of plastic surgery techniques in doing so.  He helped legitimize the specialty as well--believe it or not, at one time it was not highly regarded. 

In this episode, Dr. Fitzharris will give us all a new perspective as the author of this work.  We highly encourage you not to miss this one! 

Go get this book or download the audiobook version, read by Daniel Gillies--the actor and descendant of the pioneering surgeon himself.  Follow link below or order.

Author's website: https://drlindseyfitzharris.com/

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