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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In 1891, Guido Werdnig documented two cases of brothers who had global progressive muscular weakness. In 1935, Dr Dorothy Anderson conducted an autopsy on a young child who had died from malnutrition due to suspected coeliac disease despite being on the upon treatment. In 1943, in inherited form of intellectual disability in boys was described by Martin and Bell. The diseases are Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, and Fragile X syndrome respectively. The learning curve for genetics in the...
Dr. Travis Brown and Associate Professor Paul Griffin explore influenza's historical significance, including the devastating 1918 pandemic, and its modern impact on public health. They discuss viral evolution, at-risk populations, current treatments, and the annual vaccine development. The episode also highlights promising research on a universal flu vaccine and offers practical advice for managing the upcoming flu season.
In 1998, a 6 page report published in the Lancet that would later be described as one of history’s great science frauds. The article was titled “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive development disorder in children” but the news headlines ran with a much shorter version: the MMR vaccine causes autism. The article was written by Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist turned researcher, who had taken it upon himself to deceive the medical community and ge...
In 1834, Robert Graves gave a lecture series on the ‘Newly observed affection of the thyroid gland in females’. He presented three women who had violent palpitations, enlarged thyroids, and an apparent enlargement of the eyeballs (later it would be called ‘exophthalmos’). In 1912, Hakaru Hashimoto reported a new disease in a German journal after examining microscopically the thyroid tissue from four middle-aged women. He noted the lymphocytic infiltration and likened it to other conditions conta...
Explore the journey of Barrett's esophagitis, from ancient descriptions of heartburn to its modern-day recognition as a precancerous condition. This episode details the risk factors for chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) leading to Barrett's, explains the cellular changes involved, and outlines the complex diagnostic criteria. Featuring insights from an anatomical pathologist and a gastroenterologist, it covers screening guidelines, advanced endoscopic therapies like resection and ablation, and the crucial role of long-term management, including lifestyle modifications and proton pump inhibitors, in preventing esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Professor Ian Frazer pioneered the development of the first Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine which has seen a reduction of HPV infections in young women between 70-86% and the incidence of cervical cancer rates drop by 90%. Few doctors/scientists have had such a profound impact on the health of so many people. Today we talk to Professor Ian Frazer about his career, the events leading up to the HPV vaccine development, and the future of this life-saving medicine. Some of Professor Ian Frazer a...
In 1964, a young woman was murdered as she walked to her apartment in Queens, New York. Her screams were left unanswered. No one came to her help. Within the space of thirty minutes, the assailant would return two more times to stab her again and again. The woman died. The number of witnesses to this crime who did not help was: 38. Two psychologists posed a question: how could this happen in such a heavily populated city? Two other landmark studies occur around this time including the Milgram ex...
In 1912, Merck Pharmaceuticals was searching for a blood clotting agent to compete with a competitor in the market. One of the agents, a chemical by-product (and not even named) was produced and patented without any significant testing. This was a drug that we would come to know as MDMA or Ecstasy. In the 1960s, this drug found it’s way into use by a Chilean psychiatrist for psychotherapy, Dr Claudio Naranjo. He found that it helped patients to open up, it intensified emotions, gave access to su...
The medicinal properties of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) have been well-documented for hundreds of years. It seems even our ancient ancestors thousands of years ago had some insight into its healing properties even if the usage was misguided. We are still learning about aspirin and the best ways to use it. Our special guest is Professor Simon Dimmitt, a Physician in General and Cardiovascular Medicine. He has released a website providing evidence-based prescribing for Doctors. This is the stor...
A continuation of Episode 30. In this episode, we discuss the continued management of patients with Breast Cancer and the BRCA pathological variant. Our special guests: Associate Professor Nick Murray who is a Medical Oncologist and Director of the Medical Oncology Unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Services Dr Eryn Dow – Medical Oncologist and Clinical Cancer Geneticist It is important to note that while Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women, the discussion of BRCA and famili...
In 1866, a French physician by the name of Pierre Paul Broca recognised a terrifying disease running through the women of his wife’s family: breast cancer. He wrote that they could be well and have perfect health before this ‘germ’ of an illness would go off like an ‘explosion’ and could kill within 1 to 2 years. Broca studied his family for the next 30 years where he noted that 15 close relatives including his wife’s mother, his wife, and his daughter were all affected. It would not be until th...
In the 16th century, a curse was foretold about the Scottish MacCrimmon clan that they would cease to be the official (bag) pipers of the chiefs of the Clan MacLeod and would be forced to leave the Isle of Skye forever. The curse came true. The fingers of the men from the MacCrimmons clan became twisted and gnarled resembling a claw and they were unable to play the pipes. Throughout history, this disease has been known by many names: ‘MacCrimmons curse’, ‘Celtic Hand’ or the ‘Vikings disease’. W...
While I amputated one man’s thigh, there lay at one time thirteen, all beseeching to be taken next… It was a strange thing to feel my clothes stiff with blood, and my arms powerless with the exertion of using the knife.” – Charles Bell, Surgeon at the Battle of Waterloo, 1815. Hippocrates said that ‘war is the only proper school for surgeons’ and, throughout history, we have become experts at battlefield medicine. From swords and spears to ballistic missiles and machine guns, the destructive pow...
This Medical Life is a podcast for GPs, specialists, allied health professionals, and medical students but in this episode we share content related to the Australian Podcast Awards and talkback radio. Dr Travis Brown and Steve Davis are taking a short break so this episode is a little different. You might consider it an audio snack. It features two pieces of content. The first is the 15-minute submission created for the 2022 Australian Podcast Awards. The criteria state we could select snippets ...
Intestinal problems are as ancient as human’s themselves. However, the first case was only documented in the 18th century by a great Italian anatomist Giovanni Battista Morgagni, of a 20 year old man who had died with fever, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhoea. The autopsy findings by Morgagni are consistent with what we know today as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. As time continued, so did our knowledge of these diseases. Today, Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis are as important as they are ...
The sun has always been special to us. Most cultures, particularly in ancient times, worshipped it as a God to be feared. In modern society, we recognise both the potential life-affirming and life-dangers that the sun poses. In this episode, we focus on the beneficial side the sun provides to us via Vitamin D. We discuss the pros and cons of testing, treating, and managing Vitamin D in patients, and of particular concern is identifying those who are at a high risk of deficiency. Our special gues...
In the 19th century, a French doctor recognised a subset of patients with joint disease that didn’t fit the traditional diagnoses of gout or osteoarthritis. These patients were predominately female with affected hands and fingers, joint stiffness, and often had a low socioeconomic background (gout was traditionally associated with high socioeconomic status). Later, an English Physician noted an important distinction that these patients did not have elevated uric acid such as those with gout. Thi...
The first ever recorded blood pressure was done by Stephen Hales in 1733 with a glass tube inserted into the artery of a horse. It would be well over a century for us to develop a non-invasive technique to measure blood pressure and another century to understand its significance. Today, hypertension is one of the most common conditions facing General Practitioners. However, in the pursuit of lower blood pressure, can we be causing unnecessary harm by overprescribing and/or increasing doses with ...
Streptococcus pyogenes is a critical micro-organism for every doctor to know about. It is a gram positive coccus that grows in chains and has the potential to cause significant morbidity and even mortality. It has taken us centuries to learn the significance of this infection and is a testament to modern day medicine that its complications are rare. This is the story of Streptococcus Pyogenes. Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/ See ...
This episode unravels Marfan Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder, beginning with a historical speculation about Pharaoh Akhenaten and moving through its formal discovery and impact on athletes. Professor Graeme Suthers explains the complexities of diagnosing Marfan, its autosomal dominant inheritance via the fibrillin 1 gene, and the challenges of differentiating it from other conditions. The discussion covers the critical role of genetic testing, the importance of early detection for managing life-threatening aortic complications, and promising new molecular therapies.
There are three known transmissible cancers in the mammalian world. Surprisingly, two of the three are found in Tasmanian Devils. They are called the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) and one Devil can pass this tumour to another Devil via direct contact. These DFTD’s have had a devastating impact on the Devils population and even threatened their survival. Over the last few decades, researchers have investigated these tumours and are learning how to tackle this problem. Our special guests for ...
Ancient Egyptians called it podagra (foot-trap), Hippocrates the unwalkable disease, and the 17th and 18th century it became known as the Disease of Kings. Gout has long been associated with rich foods and an affluent lifestyle. Yet, its significance in the modern era cannot be overstated. Commonly thought of a joint disease, the systemic impact are becoming increasingly apparent. Join us as we discuss the significance of gout for patients and the importance of diet, treatment and management. Ou...
Marijuana has a complex history. It seems every society has grappled with balancing the positive and negative effects. Historical records indicate that Ancient Chinese farmers were the first to grow this plant but also were the first to reject it as a socially acceptable drug. In the middle ages, Pope Innocent VIII took this fight to the extreme associating it with witchcraft and sorcery labelling marijuana an existential threat. Those who cultivated it were imprisoned, exiled or executed. Alter...
In 1770, in the small German town of Bonn, a child was born that would impact the world on a par with great emperors and conquerors. Yet, it was not with a sword or bloodshed but with imagination and composition. This man was Ludwig van Beethoven and his influence is possibly even more important today than when he was alive. Ludwig was one of seven children but only three of them survived beyond infancy. Ludwig’s musical gifts were apparent at a very young age but he had an abusive and alcoholic...
In the 1930s, outbreaks of a mysterious febrile illness occurred with abattoir workers in Queensland in Australia. Physicians investigated these patients but no cause was able to be identified. To complicate matters, there wasn’t any consistency between those who got sick, the area where they worked in the abattoir nor the animals with which they worked with. Hence, the name has come to us as ‘Q’ (meaning ‘Query’) fever. It would take significant investigative skills and an outbreak in the Unite...
Pauline Gross was a seamstress in 1895 who had seen family members die at an early age from cancer. At the time, one of her clients was a pathologist by the name of Dr Aldred Scott Warthin and confided in him her fear that that this would be her fate too. The two combined to record the most comprehensive family history ever created. Dr Warthin called them ‘Family G’. In the 1960s, Dr Henry T Lynch who revived the search for the members of Family G. Through family gatherings and meetings, he mana...
In 1951, Australian anthropologists reported on a unique neurodegenerative disease from Papua New Guinea. The natives called it ‘Kuru’ which meant to tremble or to be afraid and it certainly struck fear into those who saw it. Through amazing investigative work and serendipity, a veterinary pathologist in the United States saw the histology of a Kuru from the brain and noted it looked a lot like ‘Scrapie’ (a neurodegenerative disease in sheep) and the link was made. It would not be until 1980s th...
In 1924, a previously well 20 year old woman presented to hospital with a headache and general fatigue. Her condition rapidly deteriorated and she died in 6 days. Over 6000 cases occurred within 1924. The search was on to find the cause. Fortunately, in 1935, a breakthrough occurred. We know the virus today as the Japanese Encephalitis Virus. The vast majority of people who become infected with JEV are either oblivious (asymptomatic) or only have mild non-specific viral symptoms (ie. fever). How...
In 1951, two Haematology fellows, Dr William Harrington and Dr James Hollingsworth, agreed upon an experiment. They would ask the next patient with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) to donate 500ml of blood. Then, whoever was a blood-type match would get the transfusion and see if they got the disease. The results were immediate and dramatic. Surprisingly, the fact that platelets are the foundation of coagulation and derived from megakaryocytes have only been known for just over a centur...
In 1347, the European world encountered one of history’s greatest tragedies: the great plague. Today, it is known by many names: the black death, the black plague, or the great mortality. Whatever name we give it though, one thing is clear: those who lived through this time genuinely believed this disease would eradicate of humanity The true toll of this plague is unknown. Tens of millions of people were killed and those that weren’t, were scarred in every way imaginable. This disease would rava...
