In 1770, in the small German town of Bonn, a child was born that would impact the world on a par with great emperors and conquerors. Yet, it was not with a sword or bloodshed but with imagination and composition. This man was Ludwig van Beethoven and his influence is possibly even more important today than when he was alive.

Ludwig was one of seven children but only three of them survived beyond infancy. Ludwig’s musical gifts were apparent at a very young age but he had an abusive and alcoholic father who demanded performances at any time he desired (often back from the pub with his similarly inebriated friends). At the age of 16, Ludwig’s mother died of tuberculosis. At the age of 21, his father died.

Beethoven’s life was beset with poor health including gastrointestinal problems and headaches. He was not fond of doctors but he loved his wine, his women and his music. Unfortunately, in his late twenties, Ludwig experienced progressive hearing loss which eventually led to complete deafness in his late 40’s and 50’s.

At the age of 56 years, on the 26 March 1827, Beethoven died. His final words ‘Pity, pity, too late’.

This is the story of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death.

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In the 1930s, outbreaks of a mysterious febrile illness occurred with abattoir workers in Queensland in Australia. Physicians investigated these patients but no cause was able to be identified. To complicate matters, there wasn’t any consistency between those who got sick, the area where they worked in the abattoir nor the animals with which they worked with. Hence, the name has come to us as ‘Q’ (meaning ‘Query’) fever.

It would take significant investigative skills and an outbreak in the United States to confirm the diagnosis. Today, the causative agent is called Coxiella burnetti.

This is the story of Q fever.

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Pauline Gross was a seamstress in 1895 who had seen family members die at an early age from cancer. At the time, one of her clients was a pathologist by the name of Dr Aldred Scott Warthin and confided in him her fear that that this would be her fate too. The two combined to record the most comprehensive family history ever created. Dr Warthin called them ‘Family G’.

In the 1960s, Dr Henry T Lynch who revived the search for the members of Family G. Through family gatherings and meetings, he managed to track down over 650 family members, of which, 95 had a history of cancer. He noted that they had an Autosomal Dominant disorder that increased their incidence of uterine and gastrointestinal cancers. Dr Lynch called it a ‘Cancer Family Syndrome’. Today, it is known as Lynch syndrome.

Our special guests include:

• Ami McKay: an award winning novelist who has written ‘Daughter of Family G/Before my time: a memoir of love & fate’. Ami has also produced the radio documentary ‘Daughter of Family G’ available at amimckay.com
• Dr Tristan Rutland: Anatomical pathologists at Liverpool hospital and based at Western Sydney University with a PhD in colorectcal cancer. Dr Rutland was the recipient of the Konrad Muller RCPA Outstanding Teaching Award
  
  
• Professor Graeme Suthers: National Director of Genetics for Sonic Pathology Australia who trained in clinical and laboratory genetics in Sydney, Adelaide, and Oxford.

This is the story of Lynch syndrome.

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In 1951, Australian anthropologists reported on a unique neurodegenerative disease from Papua New Guinea. The natives called it ‘Kuru’ which meant to tremble or to be afraid and it certainly struck fear into those who saw it.

Through amazing investigative work and serendipity, a veterinary pathologist in the United States saw the histology of a Kuru from the brain and noted it looked a lot like ‘Scrapie’ (a neurodegenerative disease in sheep) and the link was made.

It would not be until 1980s that the causative agent for these diseases was identified: Prion’s.

And then in the 1990s, cows in the United Kingdom began showing symptoms…

This is the story of Prion disease

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In 1924, a previously well 20 year old woman presented to hospital with a headache and general fatigue. Her condition rapidly deteriorated and she died in 6 days. Over 6000 cases occurred within 1924. The search was on to find the cause. Fortunately, in 1935, a breakthrough occurred.

We know the virus today as the Japanese Encephalitis Virus. The vast majority of people who become infected with JEV are either oblivious (asymptomatic) or only have mild non-specific viral symptoms (ie. fever). However, those who are very unwell and require hospitalisation have significant risks of morbidity and mortality.

In 2022, cases of JEV have been identified in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. This is the first time cases have been recorded this far south. We know that JEV is endemic in at least 24 countries around Asia. Is Australia going to become the 25th?

This is the story of Japanese Encephalitis Virus.

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In 1951, two Haematology fellows, Dr William Harrington and Dr James Hollingsworth, agreed upon an experiment. They would ask the next patient with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) to donate 500ml of blood. Then, whoever was a blood-type match would get the transfusion and see if they got the disease. The results were immediate and dramatic.

Surprisingly, the fact that platelets are the foundation of coagulation and derived from megakaryocytes have only been known for just over a century. Our understanding during this time has been exponential but the key to ITP remains in its name: idiopathic. Yes, we actually don't know the cause of this disease. Fortunately, there is a lot about ITP that we do know.

Our special guest is Dr Nicholas Myles who is a General Haematologist and Senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide.

This is the story of ITP.

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In 1347, the European world encountered one of history’s greatest tragedies: the great plague. Today, it is known by many names: the black death, the black plague, or the great mortality. Whatever name we give it though, one thing is clear: those who lived through this time genuinely believed this disease would eradicate of humanity

The true toll of this plague is unknown. Tens of millions of people were killed and those that weren’t, were scarred in every way imaginable. This disease would ravage European cities and countries for 7 years before it finally relented. Amazingly, it would only be 9 years before another plague epidemic appeared. They called this one the ‘Children’s plague’.

Join us with this episode to study the disease that is responsible for millions of deaths in history and still exists with us today.

This is the story of the black plague and Yersinia pestis.

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Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an under-recognised genetic condition that causes elevated cholesterol in patients and affects approximately 1/250 people in Australia. Approximately 100,000 Australians have FH but only ~5% are diagnosed. This needs to change.

FH causes early cardiovascular disease and can be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in those affect. How do I know? Because a few years ago my brother with no significant co-morbidities and a healthy lifestyle had a life-threatening acute myocardial infarct (heart-attack) at the age of 43.

Our special guests for this episode include:

• Dr Gavin Brown (brother of the co-host)
• A/Professor Damon Bell (Chemical pathologist for Clinipath, PhD in FH, A/Prof at the School of Medicine at the University of Western Australia)
• Professor Graeme Suthers (Director of Sonic Genetics Australia)

This is our story of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia.

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Scattered throughout history are epidemics of catarrhal or campaign jaundice (the latter was experienced during military campaigns). The pivotal moment was during World War II where troops became sick with jaundice due to a contaminated Yellow Fever vaccine and sporadic jaundice outbreaks in different countries. While the symptoms appeared similar (ie jaundice), one did not confer immunity to the other and further investigation was needed.

This discovery of Hepatitis A and B lead to the discovery of Non-hepatitis A and Non-hepatitis B: other illnesses that caused jaundice and liver damage. This lead to the identification of Hepatitis C, D, and E. Although they have similar names, these are 5 separate virus and require different tests for identification.

This is the story of hepatitis.

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King Henry VIII was both a literal and a historical giant but his reputation of brutality and malevolence has few equals. He took power at the start of the English renaissance and was responsible for the English reformation. He had inroads into public health and regulated medical practitioners but also oversaw the enactment of vicious traitorous laws where could be jailed or executed for actions (including speaking out) against the crown.

Henry was touted as being a tall and striking young man who was gifted in athletic sports. However, his health deteriorated during his mid-30s apparently as a result of a significant accident in a jousting event. At the age of 55, he died. Legend had it that after his death, he was so large that his coffin exploded. Is this true?

This is the story of King Henry VIII historical autopsy

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