Ep 2 Skin in the Game, Horse in the Race

So your latest blood test results have come in, and you see a couple of numbers for cholesterol. What do those numbers mean, and why do we care about them? In this first part of our cholesterol miniseries, we break down the science behind this compound and trace how we made the l ... Show More

You’ve seen the headlines: a food-borne parasite is infecting people across the US, leaving them chained to the toilet sometimes for weeks on end, as they are ravaged by wave after wave of gastrointestinal upset. What the heck is cyclosporiasis and where did it come from? How sca ... Show More

Social media ads for egg freezing. A craigslist-like site for breast milk. Fertility fairs featuring IVF clinics alongside shamanic nutritionists. Surrogacy contracts offering a discount for multiple embryos. The rapidly-growing global fertility industry promises hope, fulfillmen ... Show More

<p><strong>Leprosy in the Middle Ages</strong></p><br><p>Medieval people were very concerned about how to deal with those in their midst who had leprosy, now called Hansen's disease. It's assumed today that sufferers were shunned from society, forced onto the margins, and general ... Show More

We all know that certain diseases are contagious, but sometimes behaviour is contagious as well. We take a look at some historical examples—such as the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962, and the 1518 case of uncontrollable dancing—and we consider what might drive copycat crime ... Show More

We learn what happened to a two-thousand year-old toe, and what to do when our voices make you sick. 

<p>Could Lyme disease be man-made? What insights can the Bible give us about the mysteries of the Bronze Age? Just how problematic is the foster care industry? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this week's listener mail segment.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad ... Show More

“It’s like these men are being held in a bubble as science marches forward.” Mike tells Sarah how one of history's most unethical experiments came crashing down. Digressions include the history of penicillin, the power of TV movies and the mysterious diagnosis of "Satan's crabs." ... Show More

In this episode, we cover that scary presentation where your patient goes from seemingly well, to skin melting off and in multi organ failure. Come take a listen for all things clinical presentation, anti-toxin antibiotics regimes, skin cut downs and surgical debridement. 

It's Day 2 of our trip down Maddie Sofia memory lane! Today's encore episode is all about how you're never really alone. We look at the tiny mites that live on your skin — including your face. They come out at night and mate. And we're not totally sure what they eat. See? Don't y ... Show More

As part of our shameful history series, today we dive into the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and into the 70s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.