Medical Mysteries

Latest Episodes:

Anthrax Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

In the wake of 9/11, one man’s exposure to a rare and deadly illness sparked widespread panic in the U.S. On September 19th, Bob Stevens opened a letter containing a strange white powder. A week later, he was fighting for his life as a victim of a biological weapon. It left many wondering who was responsible… and would they be next?

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Lobotomies Pt. 2 Sep 22, 2020

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With Dr. Walter Freeman’s invention in the 1940s, psychologists could perform a transorbital lobotomy from the comfort of their office… with an ice pick through the eye.

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Lobotomies Pt. 1 Sep 15, 2020

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In the 1940s, Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz received the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking new treatment: the prefrontal lobotomy. His procedure was adopted by hospitals all over the world—but the treatment was controversial, and came to be known as one of medicine’s greatest mistakes.

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The Girl Who Didn’t Age Sep 08, 2020

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In the early 1990s, Brooke Greenberg was born with a rare condition that kept her from aging. Her condition was accompanied by inexplicable conditions that doctors couldn't connect: seizures, ulcers, tumors… And by her 16th birthday, she was still the size of a toddler.

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Alzheimer's Disease Pt. 2 Sep 01, 2020

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Over 100,000 people die from Alzheimer's Disease in the United States alone. Doctors are feverishly working to try and understand the disease in hopes of finding a cure. But the human brain holds many mysteries, and the results so far haven't been promising.

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Alzheimer's Disease Pt. 1 Aug 25, 2020

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In 1901, a 51-year-old woman named Auguste Deter shuffled into a German asylum. She had forgotten nearly everything about her life: where she lived, her husband's name, and how old she was. She was put into the care of revolutionary psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer.

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Typhus Pt. 2 Aug 18, 2020

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During WWII, two Polish scientists raced to find a vaccine to end typhus once and for all. In Switzerland, another scientist discovered the pesticidal possibilities of a chemical called DDT.

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Typhus Pt. 1 Aug 11, 2020

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In the sixteenth century, sporadic outbreaks of a deadly fever crippled armies and altered the political landscape of Western Europe. Centuries later, a British surgeon reshaped the world’s understanding of how disease spread—and uncovered the key to fighting typhus.

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Phantom Limb Pain Pt. 2 Aug 04, 2020

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Today, doctors still work to understand what causes Phantom Limb Pain—and whether it can be cured in all cases. Innovative treatments like Mirror Therapy, and Virtual and Augmented Reality offer insights into how it can be cured.

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Phantom Limb Pain Pt. 1 Jul 28, 2020

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In the mid-1500s, French surgeon Ambroise Paré realized patients who survived an amputation could still feel their missing limbs. Doctors theorized for centuries about the phenomenon, driven by one question: How do you treat a limb that doesn’t exist?

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