This week on Sawbones, we close out the #MaxFunDrive with a FAR too thorough examination of history's only medical animated comedy in which Bill Murray barfs on Molly Shannon. Let's talk about Osmosis Jones. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Aug 07, 2020•44 min•Ep. 335
Dr. Joycelyn Elders is an American hero who went from a sharecropper's daughter to the first black Surgeon General of the United States. This is the story of her inspirational rise, her infuriating firing and her inability to stop doing good. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jul 31, 2020•45 min•Ep. 334
Yes friends, that's the actual name of the U.S. government's race to creation a coronavirus vaccine. It's either radical or a huge embarrassment, depending on which Sawbones co-host you are. This week, we'll talk about the progress so far and what work still remains. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jul 24, 2020•50 min•Ep. 333
In what is perhaps the first and only example of the Fast and Furious franchise inspiring an episode of Sawbones, we're diving into amnesia. We'll see how media portrayals stack up to reality, look at modern therapy and explore the validity of the second bonk. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jul 18, 2020•54 min•Ep. 332
We're being inundated by medical news in the face of COVID-19, but how is the layman supposed to make sense of all it? How can you tell a trustworthy report from simple clickbait? We'll discuss on this week's Sawbones (with a brief tangent about re-opening schools). Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jul 13, 2020•54 min•Ep. 331
An introspective moment on Sawbones this week as we meet the doctor who devoted his life to discovering the weight of the human soul. NOTE: This episode contains discussions of mortality, both human and animal. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jul 03, 2020•41 min•Ep. 330
AOA is a medical honors society that's supposed to separate top-tier medical students from the rest of the pack. It helps determine which doctors get the top jobs in the most competitive fields. The problem? There's implicit racism in the way it chooses members, and fixing it may be a massive challenge. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jun 26, 2020•50 min•Ep. 329
OK, yes, this is an episode about medical research, but it's the sexiest medical research story you're ever going to hear. It's got scandal! It's got a detective! It's got a sentient robot equipped with anti-gravity technology! We'd type more here, but we have to assume you're already listening. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jun 12, 2020•44 min•Ep. 328
If you received the typical, white-centric education, you probably associate the Black Panthers only with violence and political protest. This week on Sawbones, we talk about their work in medical research advocacy and creating public health programs that sought to make life better for all black and oppressed people. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jun 05, 2020•42 min•Ep. 327
This week on Sawbones, we examine how Black Americans have received substandard care and fewer opportunities within the American medical system. Also, some guidance on how to protest as safely as possible in the face of COVID-19. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jun 01, 2020•47 min•Ep. 326
Fear that the government and doctors were allied in a grand conspiracy to oppress the populace was at a fever pitch. The people took to the streets to prove that they would not abide by quarantine, that they would defy the powers that be and go on about their daily lives. The year is 1831. The disease is cholera. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
May 22, 2020•45 min•Ep. 325
It should come as no surprise that the Sawbones inbox has been chockablock with questions about the ongoing ... unpleasantness. This week, we're trying to group your COVID-19 queries in an orderly fashion and answer them to the best of our ability. Well, the best of Sydnee's ability. Justin just talks about dandruff shampoo. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
May 17, 2020•53 min•Ep. 324
Did you know that cabin fever isn't just the cooped-up funk we all find ourselves in? It's a real actual disease called typhus -- or at least, it used to be. It's confusing, we know, but this week we're gonna walk you through all the extremely gross details. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
May 08, 2020•48 min•Ep. 323
Two doctors made headlines this week by trying to construct the narrative that the COVID-19 pandemic has been overblown by the hospital system in pursuit of more profits. This week, Dr. Sydnee and Justin explain why their numbers don't add up, and how you can combat this narrative if it, depressingly, sticks around. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
May 01, 2020•52 min•Ep. 322
This week on Sawbones, we discuss Philadelphia's disastrous Fourth Liberty Loan Parade that helped reignite the 1918 influenza epidemic in the region. We'll also examine some other unnerving similarities between that century-old disaster and our current situation. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Apr 24, 2020•49 min•Ep. 321
This week on Sawbones, we dive into the backstory of Dr. Anthony Fauci, a beacon of hope and reason for so many in these troubling days. In the back half of the show, we also talk about a bunch of coronavirus bulls**t that you knew was bulls**t but we're gonna tell you anyway. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers 1
Apr 17, 2020•53 min•Ep. 320
There are some pushing hydroxychloroquine as a miracle treatment for COVID-19 in a way that should seem familiar (and a little scary) to long-time Sawbones listeners. This week, we'll talk about the long history of this medicine and why promoting it as a COVID-19 cure is so dangerous to those who already depend on it for other (actual scientifically-proven) uses. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Apr 12, 2020•41 min•Ep. 319
This week on Sawbones, it's the fascinating, inspiring and infuriating story of Ignaz Semmelweis. You'll learn how he discovered why it was so important for doctor's to wash their hands and why it took so long for doctors to believe him. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Apr 03, 2020•42 min•Ep. 318
The COVID-19 outbreak has recently pushed masks and other protective equipment into the forefront of the global conversation, especially as a shortage threatens medical professionals on the front lines. This week on Sawbones, how masks changed the world of medicine, and what happens when there aren't enough to go around. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Mar 30, 2020•46 min•Ep. 317
Surprise! This week our medical history podcast is about the biggest medical history event in any of our lifetimes. Let's talk about home testing! Social distancing! And some reflections from Sydnee after a week at the hospital. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Mar 22, 2020•47 min•Ep. 316
Once again, we're putting Justin at peril of being supremely yucked out by your weirdest medical queries: Should your pee smell so good? Why is your earwax that color? Why did your mom choose the name Fred for that blood-filled lump on her leg? Yup, it's a weird one, folks. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Mar 13, 2020•40 min•Ep. 315
This week on Sawbones, it's the story of how Yellow Fever killed 10 percent of Philadelphia, destroyed the government and made everyone rethink their collection of decorative standing water. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Mar 06, 2020•39 min•Ep. 314
For reasons we assume you can guess, we're discussing the history of quarantine, and how its historical misuse should make you particularly alert in the days and weeks to come as the world continues to combat COVID-19. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Mar 02, 2020•45 min•Ep. 313
We love grave robbers on Sawbones and ... well, that came out wrong. We don't have a particular affinity for today's grave robbers, but they've played an important role in medical research and ... we're still defending grave robbers, aren't we? OK, listen. Let's start over. This is an episode about a really bad grave robber. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Feb 24, 2020•31 min•Ep. 312
This week on Sawbones, it's the truly embarrassing story of why we spent several centuries thinking it was important for us to make wounds as pus-filled as possible. There's no nice way of saying it folks: This is a gross one. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Feb 17, 2020•35 min•Ep. 311
This week on Sawbones, things are getting hot! Well, no, come to think of it, they’re doing the opposite. They’re getting colder. And by “they” we mean “we.” We’re getting colder, all of us. Probably. What should you do about it? Nothing. For now, you’ll just have to -- wait for it -- chill. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Feb 10, 2020•43 min•Ep. 310
This week on Sawbones, we've got a no-panic-allowed history of coronavirus along with a guide to the current strain that has held the headlines in a stranglehold in the past weeks. Even if you don't listen to the episode, take heart: If you're outside of China, it's likely you're more scared than you need to be at the moment. Music : "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Feb 02, 2020•43 min•Ep. 309
Would it surprise you to learn that people with too much money are flocking to "IV bars" and paying hundreds of dollars for intravenous cocktails of vitamins that are supposed to treat every malady under the sun but do absolutely nothing except risk serious infection? ... It probably doesn't surprise you, does it? Yeah, us neither. God, that's depressing. Anyway, here's a podcast. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jan 24, 2020•46 min•Ep. 307
This week on Sawbones, we celebrate a trip to Minnesota with an exploration of Viking's Disease. You'll meet the people it isn't really named for and the guy who beat out a long line of researchers to get it named after himself. It's a whole thing. You'll see. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jan 19, 2020•36 min•Ep. 306
We bidets have been all the rage for years around the globe, they never really caught on in the U.S. What part of their seedy history kept them out of American homes? And what (if any) are their health benefits? We've got all that and more on the new Sawbones! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Jan 10, 2020•49 min•Ep. 305