Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine.
Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Production by Tim Whiffen
Design by Tom Buzz
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Skin has always told stories. For thousands of years, those whose skin behaved differently — scaling, thickening, inflaming — were feared, isolated, and misunderstood. Psoriasis was long lumped together with leprosy, its sufferers cast out rather than cared for. It would take centuries before medicine began to separate these conditions, and longer still before we understood what was really happening beneath the surface. Psoriasis is not an infection, not a curse, not a failure of hygiene. It is ...
The Artful Dodger is a television series on Disney+ that is a historical medical drama set in 1850s Australia with Jack Dawkins, the Artful Dodger from the world of Oliver Twist. Jack is a former pick pocket now surgeon who is reacquainted with old partner in crime, Fagin, who is keen for Jack to resume old habits. The Artful Dodger takes pride in being one of the most historically accurate depictions of nineteenth century medicine and surgery. The hospital, surgical tools, and treatments are ac...
The complex symptomatology of hormonal diseases only started to be recognised in the 19th century as we learned about anatomy and physiology. When Doctor Robert Graves began piecing the hyperthyroid puzzle together when he saw patients with similar symptoms such as anxiousness, nervousness, aggitation, bulging eyes, and rapid/irregular heart rate. He realised this was a previously unknown condition to the medical field. It would not be until the mid-20th century before we had a full understandin...
It has been well established in studies and articles that cholesterol lowering medications have significant heart morbidity and mortality benefits. However, high dosage trials did not show additional survival benefits but had increasing side-effects for patients. Therefore, the maximum dose for statins is not necessarily the best dose for patients. This is the story of statin dosing. Guest: Professor Simon Dimmitt is a Consultant Physician working in General and Cardiovascular Medicine. He is Cl...
Crucifixion was a form of punishment, humiliation, and execution. Adopted by the Ancient Romans, crucifixion was used on the State’s worst criminals on lower classes and slaves. As common as it was though, we know very little about how people died on the cross. In this episode, we take a closer look at crucifixion through a medical lens. This image is not historically accurate. It was crafted within the guidelines of Gemini as a stereotypical rendering of crucifixion but our episode gets into th...
Recreational use of steroids and testosterone to enhance image and performance is on the rise. Over the last 70 years, testosterone and testosterone-like substances have been used extensively to enhance performance particularly in elite sports. Nowadays, the use is more widespread and occurs in the general community with far more drugs available to people via the internet. Unfortunately, the evidence users base their drug regimes on range from anecdotal and scant to wrong and dangerous. We discu...
Hypogonadism is a medical condition where the body does not produce enough testosterone. This can be primary (testicular failure) or secondary (pituitary or other condition). There are a number of conditions that doctors need to be aware of that can cause hypogonadism. This is the story of hypogonadism. Image ref: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/hypogonadotropic-hypogonadism Our special guests: Professor Duncan Topliss is a senior endocrinologist and Pro...
While testicular cancer is rare, it is the most common cancer in young men aged between 15 and 39 years. Like with every cancer, early detection is the key. Self-examination is important along with seeking medical attention if there are any concerns. Fortunately, overall survival is around 95%. This is the story of testicular cancer. Our special guests: Dr Nari Ahmadi who is a Urologist and coordinator of the Urological Oncology Cancer research at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. Professor Peter Grimiso...
And we’re back – for another year – with more stories, more expert guests, more topics to discuss. Episodes released fortnightly. And we’ve also released an ebook with audio narrated by the masterful voice of Steve Davis for a general audience sharing some of the amazing stories of medicine. Chapter J provided in this episode. Our special guest: In this episode, our special guest is the audiobook itself: Diseased: The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history. Link to k...
Charles Dicken’s first novel has an adolescent boy named Joe who was overweight and always sleepy. He could fall asleep at any time, even during meals. The novel is known as the Pickwick Papers. Decades later, doctors began to recognise patients with the same symptoms. They called it Pickwickian syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common condition in the general community. Risk factors include being overweight, male, and over the age of 50. The difficulty for patients is they may not be awar...
Willem J Kolff was an intern when he saw a 22 year old man die of kidney failure. He realised that the patient’s life could have been saved if his blood could have been detoxified. Willem set to work and developed the first ever dialysis machine (initially the ‘rotating drum kidney’). While dialysis is a lifesaving treatment, it is one that we hope to avoid for patients. In this episode, we discuss two topics that are the largest contributors to chronic kidney disease: Diabetes, and Hypertension...
One in 10 Australians over the age of 18 years are living with signs of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) with the number of patients needing treatment for kidney failure has doubled in the last 20 years. Early detection and intervention can slow the progression of CKD by up to 15 years or longer. Our understanding of kidney disease can be traced back to Dr Richard Bright, one of the founding fathers of nephrology. He noted that heating a patient’s urine with kidney disease could form a precipitate –...
The statistics of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Domestic Violence prevalence are staggering. 1 in 6 adult women and 1 in 16 adult men have experience physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their partner. Approximately 2.5 million Australians (13%) experienced abuse during their childhood. However, IPV is a topic that is rarely discussed. As healthcare professionals, we need to change this. A recent study by our guests on this episode, Timelines of psychological, physical and sexual intim...
Oral cancer was a fatal disease even into the twentieth century. Patients required extensive surgery and often had a painful recovery or went into palliative care but the result was the same. Modern medicine has thankfully provided much to our understanding, the treatment and management of patients with oral cancer. In recent times, patients have been able to be stratified into two general but distinct categories: the first are older with a strong history of heavy smoking and/or alcohol use; the...
The first medical description of pernicious anaemia is from 1821. It is written by Dr James Combe and describes a previously well 47 year old corn-merchant who presented with pallor, weakness, and neurological symptoms. It would take over a hundred years before we would know how to treat this condition, and another decade after that to understand why the treatment worked. Vitamin B12 is an essential component of our diet and only found in animal products. Deficiency in vitamin B12 can present wi...
One of the most difficult cancers to detect early has been lung cancer. Patients often present with advanced disease that and can often be fatal. In April 2025, a new National Lung Cancer Screening program has been rolled out in Australia to detect asymptomatic patients with a significant smoking history (30 Pack-Year). Suitable patients are eligible for a free low-dose CT (computer tomography) scan on their lungs to identify any potential lesions suspicious for cancer. This is the story of lung...
In 1966, the Chief of Urology asked the Chief of Pathology at the Minneapolis VA Hospital to develop a system to communicate the results of prostate cancer to researchers. The Chief of Pathology was Donald Gleason and he developed a system that would revolutionise our understanding of prostate cancer. Today, every prostate cancer worldwide is classified using the Gleason score, named after Donald Gleason. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and accounts for 15% of all mal...
Dr. Travis Brown and plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Campbell-Lloyd delve into the evolution of breast augmentation, from early attempts to modern silicone implants, highlighting controversies like the Dow Corning scandal and the PIP crisis. They discuss common acute and long-term complications, the contentious concept of Breast Implant Illness (BII), and the rare but significant risk of BIA-ALCL, emphasizing the need for patient education on implant durability and surgical planning. The episode also covers regulatory changes impacting GPs and the importance of informed decision-making.
The interplay between genetics and medications is important but complex. Pharmacogenomic testing provides doctors with information about how individual patients may respond to certain medications (ie. fast and slow metabolisers). The RCPA recently released guidelines for doctors about requesting patient pharmacogenomic testing before prescribing some medications. These guidelines have identified 35 medications into three pharmacogenomics testing categories: recommend, consider, and no consensus....
In 1924, a surgeon and a pathologist had a conversation about some patients with multiple bowel polyps. The pathologist, Dr Cuthbert Dukes, and the surgeon, Mr JP Lockhart-Mummery, noted that patients had a family history of bowel cancer and could have hundreds of colonic polyps. They, with the help of HRJ Bussey, set up the Polyposis Registry. The registry collected information about these patients and the families from 1918 to 1954. They found that patients developed polyps in childhood, the r...
We have come a long way in our understanding of epilepsy and seizures. Historically, epilepsy was associated with possession and demonic forces. Modern medicine has helped us to understand that epilepsy is an electrical disorder of the brain that can affect an area or the entire brain itself. Unfortunately, a lot of stigma and misinformation remains about epilepsy and it is an important condition to be aware of. This is the story of epilepsy. Our special guest: Professor Mark Cook who is the Dir...
It is evident from paintings that Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo suffered some form of underlying hand pathologies. These have been the focus of discussions and journal articles amongst many academics. Our understanding of different disease processes involving the hand have come a long way. There are a lot of options for patients both medical and surgical that we discuss in this episode. This is the story of hand pathology Our special guest: Dr Paul van Minnen is a plastic and reconstructive...
Hyponatraemia, the most common electrolyte disturbance in clinical medicine, is often subtle but can be serious. In this episode, we trace the surprising history of fluid replacement back to the 1832 cholera riots in Liverpool, where experimental saline saved lives amidst chaos and mistrust. We then bring the conversation into modern practice, exploring diagnostic steps, common causes, and when GPs should refer patients to hospital. This is the story of Hyponatraemia. Our special guest is: Dr Mi...
In 1958, Dr Denis Burkitt was working in Uganda when he saw multiple children with large and aggressive jaw tumours. He had never seen anything like this before and he investigated further. Over the next few years, he discovered that these tumours had a geographical distribution across equatorial Africa and also was related to rainfall. This led to the discovery of an aggressive form of lymphoma that we now know as Burkitt lymphoma as well as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is a remarkable stor...
Osteoporosis is a disease that takes years and even decades to develop. Up to 40% of post-menopausal women are affected who have a lifetime risk of fracture of ~40%. Men aged 60 have a 25% lifetime risk of an osteoporotic fracture. Evidence also shows that patients health significantly deteriorates following a significant fracture. The best treatment for osteoporosis is prevention. We discuss this disease, lifestyle, diagnosis, and management with a panel of experts at COMBATT: Comprehensive Ost...
Recent genetics studies have shown that ancient Humans and Neanderthals coexisted around 50,000 years ago for approximately 7,000 years. There is evidence of these different human species mixing and having offspring. Around 2-4% of modern humans can be traced back to Neanderthals. This is the story of Humans and Neanderthals. Our special guests: Our special guest is Associate Professor Bastien Llamas who is affiliated with the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA. This Medical Life podcast is avail...
And we’re back for 2025. We thought we’d ease into this season with some medical stories. From the Manhattan project and the demon core to the inspirational stories of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and Dr Emma Constance Stone. We are reaching back into the medical archives. Our special guests: Dr Travis Brown, himself! This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Patients with colorectal cancer often have their diagnosis, treatment, and care discussed at a regular multidisciplinary team meeting. This includes: gastroenterologists, surgeons, oncology, radiation oncology, pathologists, home care nurses, oncology nurses, genetic councillors, care coordinators plus others. This is the third episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer. This episode focuses on management. Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series. This is the st...
The lifetime risk for colorectal cancer is 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women. Detecting and diagnosing cancer is a critical step in managing a patient’s health as well as the multidisciplinary team where their care is discussed. This is the second episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer. This episode focuses on diagnosis. Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series. This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 2). Our special guests: Dr Milan Bassan: gastroenterolog...
