The History of Medicine
Explore the rich history of medicine, from the diseases that once plagued us, how the medicine we take for granted today came to be, and the curious characters and stories surrounding these topics. Updates every week, with breaks between seasons for additional research and planning. Our current topic: Pain. Episodes to resume in early October 2021! Past Season's topics: Season 1 - Antibiotics. Season 2 - Surgery/Anesthesia. Season 3 - Public Health. Season 4 - Mental Illness. Season 5 - Pain.
Episodes
131 episodes
6.1 - Papyrus and Paralysis
This week, we talk about the highlights of neurological understanding, spanning from Ancient Egypt to the Romans to Medieval Islamic surgeons. Check out our website at https://t...
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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9:28
Returning to the Show
Good evening everyone. As you can tell, I've been gone for a bit longer that expected, for which I apologize. But I bear good news, I am all done getting married, and life has mostly settled down to normalcy again, so I've had time to do some r...
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0:42
Extending Hiatus More
Good evening everyone. As you can tell, I've been gone for even longer than expected, and I am sorry for that. I love doing this podcast, but it is a hobby for me. Between my research being very busy, wedding planning absolutely kicking my butt...
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Season 6
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0:36
Extending Hiatus
Good evening everyone. As you can tell, I've been gone for a bit longer that expected, for which I apologize. I unfortunately also will need to extend my hiatus even longer. I did settle on the history of physical rehabilitation as my next topi...
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Season 6
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1:02
5.20 - The Future
This week, we talk about the potential future of pain management. We talk about how opioids might be improved upon, and about how interdisciplinary approaches might become more accessible for all. If you've got topic ideas for the next ...
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Season 5
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7:17
5.19 - Options Outside of Opioids
In our 2nd to last episode this season, let's talk about the development of functional restoration, and the tiny rise and fall of specialty pain clinics, all of which happened alongside the opioid crisis.
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Season 5
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8:41
Delayed for Passover
Good evening everyone. As happens here and there, some extra responsibilities and some holidays have snuck up on me. This past week, I’ve been swamped with work, and this upcoming week I’ve got numerous Passover activities, and so this week’s e...
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Season 5
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0:27
5.18 - The Current Opioid Crisis
Thanks for waiting. This week, we talk about the origins of the current opioid crisis. It began with a drug called OxyContin, a reformulation of the existing opioid oxycodone, and many, many mistakes from physicians, researchers, regulators, an...
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Season 5
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14:40
Big Episode Next Week
Good evening everyone, Kirby here. I apologize, but I’m going to put off this week’s episode in order to release a bigger, better episode for next week to make up for it. This episode will cover the origins of the modern opioid epidemic, which ...
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Season 5
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0:28
5.17 - A Genus of German Drugs
This episode, we catch up on some developments in the world of opioids while we've been away from it. Oxycodone gets developed, and plays a role in World War II. Methadone is discovered, and ironically becomes a treatment for opioid addiction, ...
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Season 5
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8:17
5.16 - Strongman and Chairman
This week, we learn about John Bonica, a world-famous wrestler, and then a world-famous doctor and pain researcher, and all around an extraordinary individual. Check out our web...
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Season 5
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7:29
5.15 - Spaghetti and Bricks
This week, we talk about Wilbert Fordyce, a pioneer in applying psychological research to preventing pain. You may have heard of operant conditioning before, but have you heard of using it for chronic pain reduction?
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Season 5
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6:02
Episode Delayed, Sorry!
Hello everyone, Kirby here. Sorry but I cannot get an episode up this week. Between a some personal matters and my internet being down for an entire day, my week has been very chaotic, and this week’s episode is unfinished. I’m hoping to resume...
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Season 5
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0:17
5.14 - Super Aspirin
This week, we learn about Stewart Adams, who helped discover ibuprofen, one of the most important painkilling medications today. Check out our website!
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Season 5
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5:55
5.13 - Seventy Years
This week, we talk about the very long journey of acetaminophen/paracetamol, from its discovery in the late 1800s to its eventual widespread use in modern times. This journey is filled with mistakes and mishaps, but eventually the drug does mak...
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Season 5
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8:06
5.12 - Out of the Gate
Sorry for the delay, I took a week off for Lunar New Year! This episode, we talk about some of the applications of Melzack and Wall's Gate Theory of Pain. A whole bunch of doctors, scientists, and engineers got interested in zapping awa...
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Season 5
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7:16
5.11 - Opening the Gates
This week, let's learn about Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, two very different successors to Livingston who together published the very influential gate control theory of pain.
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Season 5
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6:23
5.10 - The Pain Project
Today, we talk about some ways that pain was thought about before the 20th century, and then William K Livingston, who combined a lot of that thinking and set up our modern understanding of pain.
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Season 5
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7:29
5.9 - Shocks and Surgeries
We're back! Sorry, the last few weeks were crazy, between a Covid exposure and the holidays. This week, let's talk about some of the pain treatments that replaced opioid drugs in the late 1800s and early 1900s; electrotherapy, and neurosurgery....
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Season 5
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7:57
5.8 - The Most Versatile American Since Benjamin Franklin
This week, we talk about Silas Weir Mitchell, who was a doctor and researcher who first studied causalgia, or pain caused by nerve damage. He had a lot of accomplishments in his life, and a lot of tragedy too, and deserves to be remembered.
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Season 5
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7:51
5.7 - A Heroin History
This week, we return to talking about opioid drugs, this time discussing heroin, which is to replace morphine in many ways, good and bad. Check out our website!
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Season 5
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6:17
5.6 - Where There's a Will-ow...
This week, we talk about the discovery of aspirin, going from willows to modern pills, with some drama in between. Check out our website!
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Season 5
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8:25
5.5 - Or Nightmares
We continue the story of morphine, and detail its terrible effects on Americans after the Civil War, and how it fell out of favor. Check out our website!
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Season 5
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6:31