logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
59m 33s

AIDS Epidemic: Life & Death On The Front...

History Hit
About this episode

How do we understand something as huge as a global epidemic?


Similarly to Covid, the AIDS epidemic, which was most destructive in the 1980s and 90s, had such universal reach. Yet within that, there were millions of personal experiences.


What was it like to work on the frontline with people who were hit by this cruel virus? How did a Canadian air steward come to be wrongly blamed for introducing AIDS to North America?


To mark World AIDS Day, today Kate is joined by two special guests. Firstly, Flick Thorley, who speaks about why her experience as a nurse on an AIDS ward was a blessing. Secondly, we’re joined by Richard McKay, author of Patient Zero And The Making Of The AIDS Epidemic to unpack the larger societal reaction.


Click here to find out more about the amazing work the Terrence Higgins Trust do.


This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.


Don’t miss out on the best offer in history! Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts.


Get a subscription for £1 for 3 months with code BETWIXTTHESHEETS1 sign up now for your 14-day free trial https://historyhit/subscription/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
The Truth About the Mitford Sisters
<p>The Mitfords could rank as the strangest family of the 20th century.</p><br><p>Unity and Diana were passionate fascists who became obsessed with Adolf Hitler, while Jessica became a communist. Unity even became mates with Hitler and was in Germany as the war broke out.</p><br> ... Show More
41m 49s
Nov 21
Did Henry VIII Have An Affair With Anne Boleyn's Sister?
<p>She was 'the Other Boleyn Girl' - Anne's sister, Mary, who supposedly had an affair with King Henry VIII. Such drama!</p><br><p>What evidence is there that the two got betwixt the sheets together? How likely was it?!</p><br><p>Joining Kate today is the historian and author, Es ... Show More
38m 50s
Nov 18
The Truth About Roald Dahl
<p>The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda. Roald Dahl wrote some of the world's most loved children's books.</p><br><p>But what do we know about the man himself? Was he really a spy? Was he a good husband? And why have some editions of his books been edited?</p><br ... Show More
48m 34s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
AIDS
In the 1980s, the world was gripped by a virus that was killing people in their thousands; savaging communities and creating a climate of fear, blame and ignorance. That virus was HIV, and here to sift the facts from the fiction and explain how the AIDS crisis transformed everyth ... Show More
40m 4s
Dec 2021
Four decades of HIV/Aids
<p>It’s forty years since the first report on HIV/Aids appeared in a medical journal. Back in the early days in the 1980s a misunderstanding made one man the face of the epidemic. A Canadian air steward, Gaetan Dugas was mistakenly identified as ‘Patient Zero’. A misreading of sc ... Show More
49m 45s
Jun 2022
HIV/AIDS Advocacy | 72
In 1992 HIV/AIDS hit a grim milestone in the United States when it became the number one cause of death among men ages 25 to 44. Since there was still so much stigma attached to the illness, people were often dying without even telling their closest friends and family that they w ... Show More
42m 47s
Feb 2022
146. Disease vs. the rise of civilisation
The way we die has been utterly transformed. There have been around 10,000 generations of human beings, but only in the last 3 or 4 have infectious diseases not been an expected and accepted cause of death. What drove the most deadly infectious diseases? Was technological progr ... Show More
39m 40s
Apr 2021
HIV/AIDS and Stigma (with Peter Staley, Jonathan Van Ness & Dr. Oni Blackstock)
When HIV was first identified in the early 1980s, it was a public health crisis mired in urgent scientific questions: How was it transmitted? What were the symptoms? Could it be treated? But alongside that, and equally challenging to public health, was the stigma attached to the ... Show More
54m 23s
Jan 2018
Ep 12 HIV/AIDS: Apathy Will Kill You
This is it, y'all: the season finale. This week we’re talking about HIV/AIDS, one of the biggest pandemics of modern times. We were fortunate enough to speak with three individuals who have had vastly different experiences with HIV/AIDS. Frank Iamelli, who took care of many of hi ... Show More
1h 29m
May 2020
To Fight a Virus, and Win
May 14, 1796. Edward Jenner puts a theory to the test: can contracting one disease save you from another? Jenner goes down in history as the man who brought us one of the greatest advances in modern medicine: the vaccine. Its discovery led to the eradication of smallpox, a virus ... Show More
27m 43s
Jun 2022
The Life and Legacy of Ryan White | 71
During the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the North American blood supply became contaminated with HIV from infected donors. As a result, by the mid-1980s, about 10,000 hemophiliacs were infected with HIV. 13-year-old Ryan White from Kokomo, Indiana was one of those who contrac ... Show More
42m 14s