In the 1880s, anatomist Rufus Weaver worked meticulously to extract and mount the human nervous system for study. The nervous system came from a woman named Harriet Cole; but how was it actually obtained? Dr. Sydnee dissects this medical mystery, which is a telling story of who in history is celebrated and who is often forgotten.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

In this episode of Justin McElroy’s Medical Brand Hall of Fame, Justin and Dr. Sydnee are stuck on Band-Aid brand adhesive bandages. Justin goes through the decades of campaigns and jingles, the evolution of bandage technology, and Dr. Dan the Bandage Man to explain how this sticky plaster became a staple for children and clumsy people alike.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Hank Green in 2018 joked that everyone should take Metamucil, the fiber-rich powder that is supposed to help with your BMs. But is he right? Well . . . “should” is a strong word. Dr. Sydnee goes through the history of the supplement itself, made of psyllium, as well as our understanding of fiber and its use in human nutrition. And yeah, you probably aren’t getting enough of it.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ 

In the late 1800s, Dr. Herbert Snow observed cancer patients and considered that a mix of different medications might do the trick for slowing down its progress. The Brompton Cocktail, as it was called, was mostly cocaine and morphine. Though used for a long time for pain relief, the cocktail proved to have its problems – but maybe not for the reason you would think.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Around the early 1900s, it was discovered that a high percent of ethanol was useful for killing germs, and worked great if there was no available soap and water. Dr. Sydnee and Justin go through viral internet stories and odd patents to explain how we eventually landed on the hand sanitizer we know and love today. Hey, if you can, though, wash your hands.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

The overturning of Roe has created an astounding number of questions and problems, and the fact is that we don’t know for sure how the landscape will change in the next few years or even months. This week, Dr. Sydnee uses the best available information to answer listener questions about what the Roe decision means for those seeking medical care related to pregnancy, including the morning after pill, vasectomies as contraception, and ectopic pregnancies.Addendum: There is a prescription form of emergency contraception called Ella that may be more effective in larger bodies. Speak to your primary care physician for more information.Resources:Abortion On Our Own Terms: https://abortiononourownterms.org/https://apiaryps.org/https://www.abortionfinder.org/Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Back in 1917 radium was all the rage. The fact that it glowed made people believe it was healthy and important, so they included it in things like toothpaste, cosmetics, even water. The Radium Girls, factory workers who used radium-laced paints to detail watch faces, were among the first to indicate that it may not be as safe as we imagined. Charlie McElroy is here to tell us about their fight for workplace safety.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

What’s the deal with vomiting? Justin and Dr. Sydnee meditate on the various ways we get nauseated, from smelling something gross to getting hit in a sensitive spot, and what we’ve done over the years to help alleviate it. Although sometimes kids just vomit for no reason and we can’t really help you there.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

We’re back with Sawbones Medical Questions! Justin acts as stand-in for the listeners while Dr. Sydnee answers questions about tall people getting COVID, eye goop, nose goop, labor organizing in the medical field, and corn in poop. This one’s for the Sawboners. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

You may be worried we’re headed into another global health crisis in the form of Monkeypox. But it’s not new, and we already know quite a bit about it. Dr. Sydnee explains what it is, how to treat it, and the recommendations at the moment from the CDC, all compared to COVID (which is now unfortunately our standard for how to relate to potential public health threats).Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

With the recent news about Roe v. Wade, it’s important to talk about the history of abortion in the United States. The right to autonomy over one’s own body in regard to medical care is one of the basic tenets of medical ethics; but no matter what anyone personally believes, banning abortion doesn’t stop abortion. It just makes it unsafe.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

The United States is currently in a dire formula shortage, and people are taking to the internet to propose some less than ideal solutions. Dr. Sydnee talks about the origins of how formula came about, how the shortage came about, and why people on the internet are wrong. And just in case you miss the message: do NOT try to make your own formula.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Harry Beno (not BEAN-o) one day walked into a barn hungry for biscuits and emerged the poison king. Believing himself immune to strychnine, Beno took to eating poison for an audience. From there his act escalated to the next logical step, hammering nails into his head and burying himself alive. Justin and Dr. Sydnee tell the story of “Beno the Wonder” who confused doctors but couldn’t escape the ultimate Sawbones lesson: don’t drill a hole in your head.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Some people believe that men in the world are getting softer and masculinity is under attack. But not to worry, there’s a solution: tanning your . . . nethers. Although the idea of exposing your soft bits to the sun may be embarrassing, there's also, as Dr. Sydnee explains, zero evidence that it's beneficial.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Remember when the Cheerios box said it would lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease? Well, it doesn’t say that anymore because cereal isn’t medicine. But this is just one example in a long history of breakfast cereals claiming to be beneficial to health.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

A very long time ago, in 2019, we talked about the Corrupted Blood plague, a pandemic within the World of Warcraft. How it affected the digital world was used as a model for how people might behave during an actual real-life pandemic. Well . . . we’ve got that real-life pandemic now. So how did it actually play out (and is still playing out) versus how it went in-game?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

In the mid-20th century, Dr. Edward Bach developed a series of diluted tinctures from ingredients of the natural world to combat negative emotions, and by extension, disease. Bach supplied that these remedies were different for everyone, depending on mood. And to find out what you need? Just take an online quiz!Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Do artificially colored food dyes make your kids behave badly? This sounds like it could be true, and is certainly alluring to parents as an easy fix. But are they actually related? In the 1940s, Dr. Benjamin Feingold was set to research just that, believing that food dye not only could cause bad behavior, but was linked to asthma, eczema, and hives. But the solution to how to solve any of these problems is a bit extreme – too extreme to be practical or even show any real results.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

It’s time to do a little bit of inbox spring cleaning with all these listener medical questions! Justin reads and Dr. Sydnee answers medical questions about things like healing hickeys, eating all of the meat, tongue-based diagnostics, and tasting with your feet.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Have you ever gone outside and found gelatinous goop on the ground? It’s jelly from the stars! But actually . . . what is it? As far back as the 14th century, people have noticed mucilaginous goo that has been associated with both the medicinal and the magical. Dr. Sydnee talks about the many instances of “star jelly” throughout history, what it could possibly be, and the effect it has on people – sometimes harmful, but mostly benign.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Havana Syndrome has been in the news lately, so we've brought an update. The CIA has continued to look into people experiencing the symptoms of this strange illness and have found . . . there is some sort of cause after all? So enjoy the full episode explaining the history of Havana Syndrome, and what we've learned in recent weeks. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

In a Sawbones rarity, we’re talking about someone who contributed positively to the medical field. Very positively. Dr. Charles Drew, the first Black person to get a doctorate from Columbia University was also the person to discover a better method for preserving blood for use in transfusions. And we’re glad he did, because did you know there’s a national blood shortage?For information on the blood shortage and how to donate blood: https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/red-cross-national-blood-shortage-crisis.htmlMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

What question would you ask a doctor if you were sitting next to them? That’s what the goal is today on Sawbones, where “we”, mostly Sydnee, answer listeners’ most pressing weird medical questions. Questions about cool things like ear gauges, absinthe, the strength of car doors, self-advocacy, hydration, and the hole that is your belly button.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Benjamin Franklin: Prolific writer. Founding Father. Inventor. Creator of a killer instrument? The Glass Armonica, more or less a series of singing water bowls with haunting melody, became a popular instrument for a very short amount of time. But by 1830,  it ceased being played entirely. Was it because its strange harmonics were making people ill? Or maybe it was just very fragile and hard to carry around? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Work culture often lauds the idea that you should go to work even if you’re sick. This is true among a lot of occupations, but the self-declared worst offenders are doctors and other health professionals. Dr. Sydnee explains from her own experience and that of others why it is often the case that doctors are reluctant to become patients.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

This episode of Sawbones is a little lighter, and what’s lighter than pink? Nothing, especially when we’re talking about Baker-Miller Pink, a hue theorized to calm people down, quell violence, and maybe even influence muscle strength. It wasn’t the first color thought to have an effect on people’s behavior, and it’s EXACTLY as affective.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

After a week of working on the hospital floor, Dr. Sydnee discusses her personal experience with the current state of the health care system and what the experts say the omicron variant might mean for the future of the COVID-19 pandemic.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Have you ever had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom while browsing in a TJ Maxx or a book store? Well, apparently many people have. This phenomenon was first mentioned by Mariko Aoki to a Japanese magazine in 1985, and has recently made its way to TikTok. Dr. Sydnee and Justin investigate some different theories and philosophies around the sudden need to poop while book shopping.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" sounds like an extravagant and generous cavalcade of gifts. But what if your true love had less than pure intentions? Justin and Dr. Sydnee go through each present and speculate what deadly diseases they could potentially give you. Not hard to theorize, considering these gifts include two dozen birds.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

We're re-releasing our classic holiday episode all about Home Alone.For your listening edification, Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her lovely assistant Justin McElroy are delighted to present a full accounting of the injuries likely sustained by the Wet Bandits.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

We're warming the December chill with another Sawbones Q+A, answering all the weird medical questions that can only be answered publicly, on a podcast. Questions about milk and lost limbs, mole hair, spontaneous UTIs, dead germs, where does the vaccine go, and sexy sneezing.

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a LEGACY it is. Welcome back to Justin McElroy’s Medical Brand Hall of Fame, where we can put aside questions of science and efficacy and focus on what really matters: How Juliana Marguiles’ dad wrote a jingle that was hidden for 20 years before it changed the world.

You can’t.

No, dear listener, “arsenic wallpaper” is not just a great band name, it’s also a reference to a mid-1800s fanaticism around using arsenic to create a particular vibrant shade of green. A sort of . . . jade? Sage? Anyway. You’ve probably already guessed how that works out, but we’ll lay it out for you just the same on this week’s Sawbones.

 You may have heard about a recent deadly outbreak related to gemstone-laden room sprays. The culprit in that sad situation is called “Melioidosis,” and this week we’ve got a history of how humanity tracked down this slippery ailment.

There has been lots of discourse about gender expression recently, and “science” is often trotted out as an argument to deny the experience of others. “Feel however you want,” these arguments typically begin, “but there are only two sexes, and they’re easily defined, and that’s just science.” That’s … well it’s crap.This week on Sawbones, join us as we make it extremely clear where science stands on this complex issue.

For Halloween, Sawbones is bringing you a story rooted in folklore and mystery: two children  showed up one day in the English town of Woolpit, speaking a strange language . . .and with green skin. But their curious appearance may have a logical and medical explanation, and we bring you our best guesses.

As an intro to new listeners, we’re bringing you science unfolding in real time that’s actually really good: the malaria vaccine. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: It’s called Mosquirix. Doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue. But the good news? It could save tens of thousands of children’s lives every year.

Were you aware there’s a medicine that with an extremely high degree of efficacy can prevent the spread of HIV? There is! There’s just one problem: It’s costly. … And not enough people know about it. … And many doctors don’t know enough about it. … And it’s the center of a protracted legal battle . . .  Okay, so there are a few problems. This week on Sawbones, we’ll explore them all.

Well, in one of the classic parenting whoopsies, Justin and Sydnee dented their daughter (she’s fine). In honor of her contusion, this week on Sawbones we’re talking about bruises. Are steaks part of it? Should you put most of a charcuterie board on there? Also, what’s up with the little irons boxing guys get rubbed on their face bruises? All of your questions about bruises will be answered, friend. Hold tight!

Is there evidence that sugary drinks cause worse hangovers? Does green snot mean there’s an infection? We’re answering more of your weird medical questions. Well, to be fair, Dr. Sydnee is answering your medical queries about sticky lip germs, C.diff, and the hot debate about that thing on your back.

Well, people are eating dirt. Real expensive dirt, too. That’s where we’re at. There’s a multi-level marketing company that sells people dirt to eat. We’re doing a Sawbones about it, and it turns out that we actually think it’s a really cool and good idea! Eating pricey dirt goo, we mean.… No, no, it’s terrible. It’s all terrible.

If you’ve seen a new smoothie shop or “Nutrition Club” open up in your area, take note: It may not be a smoothie store at all. This week on Sawbones, we explore the history of Herbalife and why this multi-level marketing weight loss company is opening smoothie shops with no smoothies for sale.CW: Discussion of dieting and weight lossMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

We’ve got a real mystery for you on Sawbones this week: Havana Syndrome. It’s either a secret beam being blasted at American diplomats . . .  or a mass psychogenic illness . . . or a complete fabrication. Or anything in between?Yep, it’s a weird one. Hang in there.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

In the 1950s, Thalidomide was rolled out very quickly and what followed was a tragic story that highlighted perils of greed and hidden agendas. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin attempt to untangle this murky narrative, and highlight the doctor who heroically kept this disaster from claiming many more lives.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Justin takes over Sawbones researching duties from Dr. Sydnee this week as he begins profiling the unsung heroes of business: Brands. In this inaugural attempt, he’ll present the story of Vicks and how the company’s VapoRub took over the world. Also: The puzzling truth about NyQuil’s name.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

How well do we understand viruses? We were fighting them before we could even see them. Fast forward to today, Dr. Sydnee explains how all of this relates to what we know now about the Delta variant.To donate to the Immunization Action Coalition: immunize.orgMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Sawbones is finally doing the Balto episode! What happens when a remote town in Alaska has a diphtheria breakout, but their entire anti-toxin supply is expired? Call up Balto and the pack of hero dogs and mushers to make the harrowing journey.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Naloxone is known as the “life-saving drug,” since it can bring someone back from an opiate overdose. Dr. Sydnee goes through the history of this hero drug, how it works, and the recent struggle of keeping it accessible in some communities. Check out the Free Naloxone Day Fundraiser: Bit.ly/SawbonesNaloxoneMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers