Poor Historians: Medical History Misadventures

Jul 17 2024 62
Poor Historians: Medical History Misadventures Podcast artwork

Three modern emergency physicians and their show's "medical history intern" take a lighthearted, humorous  quest through various stories in the history of medicine.  New episodes every two weeks and a bonus episode once per month.  Topics span from ancient times to relatively recent history, all related to important advancements, people, or discoveries in the history of medicine.

To provide feedback, check out merch, and to support the show in other ways, head on over to our website: www.poorhistorianspod.com

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Alcohol in Civilization, Culture, and Medical History

Jul 17 2024 68 mins  
It's probably popular knowledge that alcohol as a substance of use--and potential misuse--has been with humankind since our earliest days. In this episode, Dr. Mike explores the earliest references to alcohol and takes us through a tour of it's evolution alongside various cultures and eventual recognition as a poison that is capable of great harm. This includes an overview of early

Royal Pains: Medical Movie Show Review

Jul 10 2024 79 mins  
Thanks to a fan suggestion, we went ahead and gave this TV series about an ER doctor turned concierge physician for the rich and famous a try.It had its moments. ----- Patreon Page (support the show) -----Submit a Question for Non-Medical Advice Segment (website form with instructions)-----Podcast Linktree (social media links / reviews / ratings)-----

The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks

Jul 03 2024 56 mins  
We've had many requests for this topic over the years and Dr. Aaron finally took charge of it. We'll explore the crossroads of medical history and medical ethics as it applies to the case of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who's peculiar tumor cells lived on to be the source of numerous medical discoveries--albeit without her permission.Referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org

Milk Sickness: The Story of Anna Pierce and a Uniquely American Deadly Historic Diagnosis

Jun 19 2024 48 mins  
In the early 19th century, pioneers on the American western frontier were dying of an unusual illness. It even claimed the life of Nancy Lincoln, mother of the accomplished wrestler (and incidental president of the U.S.), Abraham Lincoln. The cause of this mysterious illness was known to one Anna Pierce as well as the Native American populations of the affected area. This is the st

Madame Web: Medical Movie Review

Jun 12 2024 85 mins  
We have a new piece of medicine infused awful cinema to check out. We reviewed Madame Web and boy was it bad, not only as a movie, but also as a portrayal of EMS medicine. Way to go, Marvel. ----- Patreon Page (support the show) -----Submit a Question for Non-Medical Advice Segment (website form with instructions)-----Podcast Linktree (social media links / reviews / ratings)-----

Preventing Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn: The Discovery of RhoGAM and the "Man with the Golden Arm"

Jun 05 2024 51 mins  
In the 1930's (and before), there was a mysterious cause of infant mortality. An astonishing number of newborns were victim to a mismatch between their blood type, and that of their mothers. Doctors at the time were not sure why this was happening. This is the story of the discovery of the cure for that condition and a man who went above and beyond for six decades to help prevent i

Strolling into Steroids: Pedestrianism and the History of Performance Enhancement in Sports

May 22 2024 77 mins  
If you can believe it, watching people walk around was once a spectator sport. It was the Gilded Age and there weren't many options for sport entertainment. We'll investigate how the participants in this early sport-ish activity helped inform the more modern practices of performance enhancing substance use as we know them today. We'll touch on cycling and the physiology and medicin

The Resident Episode 2: Medical TV Show Roast

May 15 2024 89 mins  
We said that episode one of this TV series was bad, medically and critically speaking. Maybe that's not fair. It was a pilot, after all. We went ahead and checked out episode 2. It was worse. ----- Patreon Page (support the show) -----Submit a Question for Non-Medical Advice Segment (website form with instructions)-----Podcast Linktree (social media links / reviews / ratings)-----

The Green Tongue Epidemic in Post World War II Japan

May 08 2024 66 mins  
When a mysterious gastrointestinal illness starts turning into a dangerous neurologic disease accompanied by green tongues in post WWII Japan, researches scramble to find out why people are becoming sick. We'll do a deep dive on this one to figure out the cause.Sources:-https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-cure-is-cause-180967666/-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15152

The Discovery of Viagra (aka Sildenafil) With a History of Erectile Dysfunction and Priapism Treatments

Apr 24 2024 53 mins  
From the discovery of this well-known medication, to the science behind its function, and spanning all the way to treatments for the underlying condition of erectile dysfunction as well as a complication of said treatments called priapism, this episode covers a lot of ground. As you might imagine, there will be discussions of male genitalia, the existence of sex, and sexual health