Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine - podcast cover

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroysawbones.simplecast.com
Join Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy for a tour of all the dumb, bad, gross, weird and wrong ways we've tried to fix people.

Episodes

Sawbones: Pneumonia

If you've paid even passing attention to the American presidential race, you've probably heard a lot of talk about pneumonia recently. This week, Dr. Sydnee and Justin try to provide some historical perspective. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Sep 24, 201635 minEp. 154

Sawbones: Dental Hygiene

Do you really need to floss? Have you been taking your chew stick for granted? Dr. Sydnee and Justin explore those and other pressing questions in exploration of the history of dental hygiene. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Sep 16, 201638 minEp. 153

Sawbones: EpiPen

How did a journey that began with Prince Albert hunting for jellyfish on a cruise end with one of the biggest calamities in prescription drug history? Join Justin and Sydnee for the story of the EpiPen. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Sep 01, 201640 minEp. 152

Sawbones: The Royal Fistula Fad

Celebrities have started some pretty weird fads, but perhaps none are weirder than the one started by King Louis XIV, who made it cool ... to have a fistula. Join Justin and Dr. Sydnee for this very special episode. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 26, 201634 minEp. 151

Sawbones: Doping

We're continuing to celebrate the Summer Olympics by presenting all the weird, terrible, horrid way athletes have tried to cheat their way to winning over the years. From donkey hooves to guinea pig sperm, it's ... it's a weird one. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 18, 201636 minEp. 150

Sawbones: Cupping

Olympic athletes swear by it, but what really is the science behind cupping? Dr. Sydnee and Justin are looking into it, and the answer might (but probably won't) surprise you. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 11, 201637 minEp. 149

Sawbones: Arsenic

It's poison! It's medicine! It's both! ... OK, so it's mainly poison, but it hasn't always been that way. Join Justin and Dr. Sydnee for a brief tour of medical arsenic. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 05, 201634 minEp. 148

Sawbones: Aloe

Sure, it may seem like a magical plant, but just how helpful is that big bottle of green goo on your shelf? This week: Dr. Sydnee and Justin present the medical history of aloe. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 29, 201631 minEp. 147

Sawbones: Tea

We're throwing a Boston Tea Party of our own as we explore the strange history of medical tea live from Boston's historic Wilbur Theater. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 22, 201633 minEp. 146

Sawbones: Goofy Medical Questions Vol. 3

Is it really so bad to pop pimples? Can you cut the mold off food and eat it? Is it fatal to hold in a sneeze? These questions and so many more are answered on our latest Q&A episode! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 14, 201633 minEp. 145

Sawbones: Medical Garb

Why do doctors wear that? What did they used to wear? Dr. Sydnee and Justin answer the big questions like that, including the big one: What's up with that little head mirror? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 08, 201636 minEp. 144

Sawbones: Salt

If you've ever used salt for ANYTHING other than making cold french fries moderately edible, you need to listen to this episode. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 01, 201635 minEp. 143

Sawbones: Narcolepsy

You probably think you have narcolepsy all figured out, but did you know that it's also the most horrifying disease of all time? It's true! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jun 24, 201635 minEp. 142

Sawbones: The Presidents Are Sick

The presidents have, by and large, all been sick, sick men. We're going to talk about exactly how sick as Dr. Sydnee and Justin explore presidential disease. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jun 16, 201627 minEp. 141

Sawbones: Pliny the Elder

In a way, it's all lead up to this. Live from the PlayStation theater in New York City, we've finally dedicated an entire episode to Pliny the Elder, patron saint of Sawbones. Also: A musical number! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jun 09, 201629 minEp. 140

Sawbones: Mary Roach

Holy crap you guys, we talked to Mary Roach! Yes, THAT Mary Roach, the author of Gulp, Bonk, Spook and her newest, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, due out in early June. We spoke with Roach about a history of wrong thinking on diarrhea, why the military kept weather-related secrets from her and the Medicare code for maggots. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jun 01, 201633 minEp. 139

Sawbones: Kombucha

If you, like us, have been seeing kombucha everywhere, you've probably heard about it's many, many health benefits. Like, SO MANY health benefits. You know what ... you've listened to Sawbones for a while, right? You know where this is going. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

May 28, 201636 minEp. 138

Sawbones: Kidney Stones

It's time to talk about the ailment so scary that Hippocrates told other doctors they shouldn't mess with it: Kidney stones. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

May 20, 201635 minEp. 137

Sawbones: Bezoars

If you found a lump of hair in an animal's stomach, would you first thought be "Huh, I bet that will help cure poison!" No? See, that's why you'll never cut it as an old-timey person. Let's talk about bezoars! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

May 12, 201633 minEp. 136

Sawbones: Tinnitus

We continue our exploration of the ear with an examination of one of history's most annoying (and hardest to treat) ailment: Tinnitus, otherwise known as ringing in the ears. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

May 05, 201635 minEp. 135

Sawbones: Earaches

Last week on Sawbones, we moved into your ear. This week on Sawbones, we're staying put with an episoe about the dizzying number of ways we've profaned mice to fix earaches. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Apr 21, 201632 minEp. 133

Sawbones: Earwax

This week on Sawbones, we make earwax way, way worse before we remove all of it. Well, most of it. You gotta leave some you know, it's good for you. Eh, you should probably just listen. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Apr 15, 201633 minEp. 132

Sawbones: Hydrogen Peroxide

In what may be the most shocking episode of Sawbones to date, we reveal the dirty truth about hydrogen peroxide: It's maybe not so useful for anything. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Apr 07, 201638 minEp. 131

Sawbones: Hemophilia

Dr. Sydnee and Justin try to apologize for their poopie episode with an episode about blood. They are bad at apologizing. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Mar 31, 201636 minEp. 130

Sawbones: Poop

Welp, here's an episode about poop. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Mar 24, 201651 minEp. 129

Sawbones: Your Goofiest Medical Questions: Answered

It's #MaxFunDrive time and Justin and Sydnee are marking the occasion with a special episode in which all of your goofiest, most embarrassing medical questions will be answered by Dr. Sydnee. The link to donate? Well, so happy you asked! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Mar 17, 201651 minEp. 128

Sawbones: Vinegar

This week on Sawbones, Justin and Sydnee harness the power of history's longest lasting, most widespread and (perhaps) least effective home remedy. The good news about vinegar? Still great on fries. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Mar 10, 201638 minEp. 127

Sawbones: Hookworm

This week on Sawbones, Justin and Sydnee have been working in the coal mine, and paying REAL close attention to where they step in the their history of hookworm. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Mar 04, 201633 minEp. 126

Sawbones: The King of Quacks

This week on Sawbones, Justin and Sydnee return to the fertile land of patent medicine quacks to introduce you to Curtis Howe Springer, the King of Quacks. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Feb 25, 201630 minEp. 125
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