Ranked #1
1.5 - Penicillin In The War
1.5 - Penicillin In The War
This week, we finally bring penicillin to its full potential. A team of brilliant scientists at Oxford figure out how to... Read more
10 Jun 2019
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21mins
Ranked #2
1.6 - A New Hunt
1.6 - A New Hunt
After Fleming and the Oxford gang kick off the antibiotic revolution, others are inspired, and seek new ways to discover... Read more
17 Jun 2019
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18mins
Ranked #3
1.3 - Sulfa Drugs
1.3 - Sulfa Drugs
This time, I tell the story of one Gerard Domagk. This brilliant scientist discovers one of the first antibiotics, which... Read more
27 May 2019
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11mins
Ranked #4
2.A - The Man with Stones
2.A - The Man with Stones
While researching for season 2, I stumbled upon this story that I felt absolutely deserved to be shared with all of you.... Read more
26 Aug 2019
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4mins
Ranked #5
1.4 - Alec and His Mold
1.4 - Alec and His Mold
We finally come to penicillin. Alec Fleming stumbles upon a fungus contaminating one of his samples, and kicks off a lon... Read more
3 Jun 2019
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18mins
Ranked #6
2.1 - Setting the Stage
2.1 - Setting the Stage
This week, I want to go over the general state of surgery before the big innovations happen, around the 1800s. There's a... Read more
16 Sep 2019
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12mins
Ranked #7
1.14 - Resistance is Futile
1.14 - Resistance is Futile
This week, we wrap up the season with antibiotic resistance. Since the inception of antibiotics, we've noticed resistanc... Read more
12 Aug 2019
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14mins
Ranked #8
2.3 - Cocaine (For Local Anesthesia)
2.3 - Cocaine (For Local Anesthesia)
While we're discussing anesthesia generally, let's talk about local anesthesia, where the patient is kept awake. The fir... Read more
30 Sep 2019
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10mins
Ranked #9
1.12 - The Modern FDA
1.12 - The Modern FDA
This week, the tragedies of chloramphenicol coincide with the tragedy of thalidomide, an anti-nausea drug that unfortuna... Read more
29 Jul 2019
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14mins
Ranked #10
2.2 - No Humbug
2.2 - No Humbug
This week, let's tackle one of those first big problems we talked about: the horrible pain of surgery. Many many doctors... Read more
23 Sep 2019
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19mins
Ranked #11
1.8 - Digging for Gold
1.8 - Digging for Gold
This week we learn about a motley crew of great scientists and researchers, including Yellapragada Subbarao, Benjamin Du... Read more
1 Jul 2019
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15mins
Ranked #12
1.7 - Beating TB
1.7 - Beating TB
This week we take a short detour, to describe one application of Waksman and Schatz's work on streptomycin. Our hero thi... Read more
24 Jun 2019
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9mins
Ranked #13
1.9 - Digging Elsewhere
1.9 - Digging Elsewhere
This week, we leave the US, and travel to the Phillipines, where we are still looking for new antibiotics in the dirt. O... Read more
8 Jul 2019
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10mins
Ranked #14
1.11 - The Fall
1.11 - The Fall
As promised, this week chloramphenicol begins to show some serious problems. Dr. Albe Watkins and Edgar Elfstrom both lo... Read more
22 Jul 2019
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17mins
Ranked #15
1.10 - The Little Stranger
1.10 - The Little Stranger
Next up, we discover the next big, broad-spectrum antibiotic. A company called Parke-Davis investigates medicines from a... Read more
15 Jul 2019
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11mins
Ranked #16
1.13 - Odd and Ends
1.13 - Odd and Ends
This week, I talk through the discoveries of a few leftover antibiotic classes. I didn't quite have enough for a full ep... Read more
5 Aug 2019
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7mins
Ranked #17
2.B - The Fastest Knife in the West End
2.B - The Fastest Knife in the West End
Here's one more bonus episode before the real season starts up next week. This one's about Robert Liston, a legendary su... Read more
9 Sep 2019
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4mins
Ranked #18
3.4 - All in a Day's Work
3.4 - All in a Day's Work
This week, we progress to the age of discovery, and learn about Bernardino Ramazzini, known as the father of occupationa... Read more
25 May 2020
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6mins
Ranked #19
3.3 - The End of the Middle
3.3 - The End of the Middle
Let's finish up with the Middle Ages this week. We'll talk about two illnesses that would shape public health in this ti... Read more
18 May 2020
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9mins
Ranked #20
3.2 - In the Middle of Something
3.2 - In the Middle of Something
This week, we're in the Middle Ages, also known as the medieval era. We'll follow the state of public health knowledge f... Read more
11 May 2020
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8mins