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://thehistoryofmedicine.buzzsprout.com/! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedic

Returning to the Show

Aug 15th, 2023 42s

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

Extending Hiatus More

Aug 24th, 2022 36s

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

Extending Hiatus

Jun 27th, 2022 1m 2s

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

5.20 - The Future

Apr 28th, 2022 7m 17s

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 season,

5.19 - Options Outside of Opioids

Apr 21st, 2022 8m 41s

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. Check out our website!E-mail me at theh

Delayed for Passover

Apr 14th, 2022 27s

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

5.18 - The Current Opioid Crisis

Apr 7th, 2022 14m 40s

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

Big Episode Next Week

Mar 30th, 2022 28s

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

5.17 - A Genus of German Drugs

Mar 23rd, 2022 8m 17s

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,

5.16 - Strongman and Chairman

Mar 16th, 2022 7m 29s

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 website!E-mail me at [email protected]!Say hi on F

5.15 - Spaghetti and Bricks

Mar 9th, 2022 6m 2s

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?Check out our website!E-mail

Episode Delayed, Sorry!

Mar 3rd, 2022 17s

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

5.14 - Super Aspirin

Feb 24th, 2022 5m 55s

This week, we learn about Stewart Adams, who helped discover ibuprofen, one of the most important painkilling medications today. Check out our website!E-mail me at [email protected]!Say hi on Facebook!Transcripts and Sources

5.13 - Seventy Years

Feb 16th, 2022 8m 6s

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

5.12 - Out of the Gate

Feb 9th, 2022 7m 16s

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 away our pa

5.11 - Opening the Gates

Jan 26th, 2022 6m 23s

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. Check out our website!E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gm

5.10 - The Pain Project

Jan 19th, 2022 7m 29s

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.Check out our website!E-mail me at thehistoryofme

5.9 - Shocks and Surgeries

Jan 12th, 2022 7m 57s

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.

5.8 - The Most Versatile American Since Benjamin Franklin

Dec 16th, 2021 7m 51s

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. Che

5.7 - A Heroin History

Dec 7th, 2021 6m 17s

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!E-mail me at [email protected]!Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts a

5.6 - Where There's a Will-ow...

Nov 22nd, 2021 8m 25s

This week, we talk about the discovery of aspirin, going from willows to modern pills, with some drama in between. Check out our website!E-mail me at [email protected]!Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

5.5 - Or Nightmares

Nov 17th, 2021 6m 31s

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!E-mail me at [email protected]!Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sour

5.4 - The Stuff of Dreams

Nov 9th, 2021 5m 59s

This week, we learn about morphine, and the one who first isolated it, Friedrich Serturner. It takes a while for folks to figure out how important it is, but this is just the beginning.Check out our website!E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodc

5.3 - Heroic Remedies

Oct 26th, 2021 6m 44s

This week, we advance to the Renaissance era with two stories: Willem ten Rhijne, who brought Eastern medicine to Europe, and William Sydenham who pioneered proprietary laudanum. Check out our website!E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gm