LeechFest

In this episode we talk about opium (the OG drug) - how it works, how it's cultivated and how it spread in early history, as well as its political relevance in the 19th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

This month we are joined by Patrick Kelly, with whom we discuss the origins of pharmacy and the development of patent laws. We start out by going over the early roots of pharmacy and how the field evolved over time and eventually separated from medicine. Mia goes over some important public health disasters that led to the introduction of the stricter pharma regulations we have today, and lastly, w...

In this month's episode we talk about leprosy: the bacteria that cause it and how exactly they cause the disease, as well as the genetic risk factors involved (did you know that there is some overlap in the disease-causing pathways in leprosy and Alzheimer's?). We also cover the origin of the bacteria and their spread, early and modern treatments (wait till you hear about this one), leper colonies...

Today we're talking about biowarfare. We do a quick overview and go through some early uses of bioweapons, then Mia talks about instances of biowarfare in WWI and WWII. This episode Salem also gets to talk about conspiracy theories, this time around bioweapons with a focus on Covid. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-se...

Syphilis! How does it work, where does it come from, and why the heck did 20th century doctors infect syphilitic patients with malaria? We talk about this, and more, in this month's episode. LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...

This month we are talking about (unfortunately) a topical subject. We start out by going over the early history of abortion, specifically what methods were used in antiquity up until the Middle Ages as well as its legal status/ social acceptance. Mia then takes over and discusses the legality of abortion in the modern era, and then shifts focus to Roe v Wade (what it is, its importance and current...

Magic mushrooms! What are they and what do they do to the body? We talk about this, as well as their history of use, modern use and finally, the piece de resistance: a clinical study on their therapeutic use against treatment resistant depression (TRD) published in November. LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

This month we tackle the topic of plastic surgery:we talk about where and how rhinoplasties developed, how the original flap method changed through time, as well as how military conflict led to plastic surgery becoming an established subfield of medicine. We also manage to talk trans healthcare in the form of Michael Dillon - a trans man whose beard and accomplishments impress us to this day. Imag...

In this episode we tackle the topic of discrimination in healthcare. Specifically, we talk about how healthcare has been inaccessible to people of colour and women and also about how that history of inaccessibility has created an environment where those groups are not represented in the healthcare industry nor get appropriate healthcare. We mention the Flexner report, lack of diversity in research...

It's our first Halloween special! How could we not do a special episode to commemorate what is arguably the world's best holiday? In this episode Mia tells us about the history of body snatching and how it became a profitable business for two very savvy entrepreneurs in Scotland in 1828. We also touch on the various ways in which 19th century people would protect their relatives' bodies from body...

This month's episode is about mass psychogenic illness, more commonly known as mass hysteria. We primarily focus on 2 examples from history, specifically the Dancing Plague as well as some instances of hysteria in religious institutions in the 16th century. We also cover a few modern examples just to show that this phenomenon can still happen and that it can take rather mild forms, so it doesn't a...

In this episode we talk about the ridiculous history behind the discovery and popularization of LSD, (briefly) about how it works as well as its applications in clinical settings. LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we talk about the Chernobyl catastrophe, specifically what went wrong and how the resulting radioactivity affected the surrounding area. We take up the short-term and long-term health consequences and we even talk about the seemingly thriving animal populations in the present. Are they really as healthy and happy as is often pointed out? Are the boar LIVING, or are they just...livi...

In this episode discuss the (unfortunate) origins of space medicine. We also discuss the differences between a space environment and the Earth environment, as well as the effects these differences have on the human body. We also talk about the measures astronauts have to take in order to minimize damage on the body. Lastly, we talk about what's keeping us from exploring the deep space and also the...

This month we tackle to topic of neurodiversity throughout history, focusing on autism. We start out by looking at how the term came to be and at how the etiology autism changed through time, and later we dive into some interesting myths connected to autism. Changelings, for example, were a major element of European folklore, and were believed to be non-humans/ fairies which were switched out for...

In this episode we discuss the Islamic Golden Age, specifically the factors that led to the scientific advances in the Islamic world, the contribution of Islamic teachings to the way Islamic scientists developed their ideas, as well as the specific contributions of the Islamic world to science and medicine. How did medical education look like? What kind of treatments did Islamic physicians employ...

This podcast is no stranger to major epidemics. We've already covered the Spanish Flu and the Black Death. But what if we told you that the epidemic currently devastating American health has not been caused by a virus or bacteria at all, but rather by a poor understanding of pain and addiction, insufficient regulations surrounding medications and the greed of a pharmaceutical giant? Note: We are n...

We've been on a medieval kick lately! We mentioned plague doctors in the previous episode but there was so much more to medieval medicine than those beaked freaks. In this episode, we take a look at sickness and health between approximately 8th and 15th century in Europe. We talk about medical practitioners and the methods they would employ, and also look at how the practice changed over time. Thi...

As a medical history podcast, we can't not talk about the Black Death. Frankly, we're surprised it's taken us 6 episodes to get to it. We talk bacteria (and a few other prominent theories for the plague), discuss plague doctors (obvs) and Mia reveals she is a proponent of the miasma theory. In addition, we play a little game of Would you survive the Plague? LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.co...

In this episode we talk about eugenics as a movement throughout history, as well as its scientific foundations and consequences. Did you know that while most people think of eugenics as a thing of the past, it continues to be a topic of controversy, with people advocating for liberal eugenics as a means for disease management and /or individual enhancement. We delve into what constitutes modern eu...

In this episode we talk about the origins of the modern vaccine i.e. variolation and also the different types of vaccines available today. We also go over the mRNA vaccine and cover some of the more common concerns people have about it. Lastly, we talk about the history of the anti-vaxx movement and how it looks in the present day. LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and...

We talk about the practice of incest in the royal houses of Europe, which is a conversation that of course has to include The Jaw. We also talk about the Russian Empire, and about how hemophilia may have been the straw that broke the Romanov's dynasty's back. LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and C...

The Spanish flu was one of the most deadly pandemics in recent history. What a fun thing to banter about, discuss and draw modern comparisons to! Hope you like it! LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's the first episode of LeechFest! In this episode we talk about asylums, mental health and Daddy Dukesberry. This month we go through a summary of early mental illness history and mental health treatments, talk about who were seen as "insane" and why asylums got built by the hundreds in the 19th century. LeechFest Early Access Feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See...