The History of Medicine

This week, we talk about the highlights of neurological understanding, spanning from Ancient Egypt to the Romans to Medieval Islamic surgeons. Check out our website at https://thehistoryofmedicine.buzzsprout.com/! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryOfMedicine! Transcripts and Sources here at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19hHEgjSdLvSjsd6K3frEFSD1p_fnFKpM?usp=sharing!

Good evening everyone. As you can tell, I've been gone for a bit longer that expected, for which I apologize. But I bear good news, I am all done getting married, and life has mostly settled down to normalcy again, so I've had time to do some research. I did previously settle on the history of physical rehabilitation as my next topic, but it's been tough to turn up reliable sources, so I'm likely to switch topics. If you've got an idea for a season topic, let me know in the next week or two! My current plan is to ease my way back into making episodes, probably with one a month for a few months, and then meander my way back to biweekly or weekly episodes. I'm excited to bring new episodes back, and I hope you are too. Thank you for listening, and I hope the wait will be worth it. Check out our website at https://thehistoryofmedicine.buzzsprout.com/! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryOfMedicine! Transcripts and Sources here at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19hHEgjSdLvSjsd6K3frEFSD1p_fnFKpM?usp=sharing

Good evening everyone. As you can tell, I've been gone for even longer than expected, and I am sorry for that. I love doing this podcast, but it is a hobby for me. Between my research being very busy, wedding planning absolutely kicking my butt, and also throwing out my back for a week, it just hasn't been possible to get this season going yet. I'm still receiving mail from some of y'all, which as always makes me very happy. I hope to be back soon, as my back is all better now, and wedding planning should calm down in the next month or so as we get all of our vendors lined up. Thank you for your patience, and I hope the wait will be worth it.

Good evening everyone. As you can tell, I've been gone for a bit longer that expected, for which I apologize. I unfortunately also will need to extend my hiatus even longer. I did settle on the history of physical rehabilitation as my next topic, and have begun some research, but that was all de-railed by my fiance getting sick for a bit although she's fine now, and speaking of, I also got engaged. Turns out wedding planning is a lot of work, especially as supply chains are all messed up from Covid, but we're getting some help with that soon and so I hope to be back to our regular weekly schedule in several weeks. Thank you for listening, and I hope that the wait will be worth it.

This week, we talk about the potential future of pain management. We talk about how opioids might be improved upon, and about how interdisciplinary approaches might become more accessible for all. If you've got topic ideas for the next season, send them my way! Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

In our 2nd to last episode this season, let's talk about the development of functional restoration, and the tiny rise and fall of specialty pain clinics, all of which happened alongside the opioid crisis. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

Good evening everyone. As happens here and there, some extra responsibilities and some holidays have snuck up on me. This past week, I’ve been swamped with work, and this upcoming week I’ve got numerous Passover activities, and so this week’s episode will be unfortunately delayed. If you’re wondering why I’m celebrating Passover despite my last name being Asian, the answer is that my girlfriend’s family is Jewish, and so I’m participating with them. Thank you for your patience, and next week, we’ll be back with a new episode. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

Thanks for waiting. This week, we talk about the origins of the current opioid crisis. It began with a drug called OxyContin, a reformulation of the existing opioid oxycodone, and many, many mistakes from physicians, researchers, regulators, and companies. The consequences were to be disastrous, and we are still dealing with them today. Purdue Pharma OxyContin Commercial Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

Good evening everyone, Kirby here. I apologize, but I’m going to put off this week’s episode in order to release a bigger, better episode for next week to make up for it. This episode will cover the origins of the modern opioid epidemic, which gets quite complex, and I haven’t found a place I think would be a good place to stop writing the episode. So, I decided I won’t. Thank you for your patience! Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This episode, we catch up on some developments in the world of opioids while we've been away from it. Oxycodone gets developed, and plays a role in World War II. Methadone is discovered, and ironically becomes a treatment for opioid addiction, and finally, fentanyl is created and abused. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This week, we learn about John Bonica, a world-famous wrestler, and then a world-famous doctor and pain researcher, and all around an extraordinary individual. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This week, we talk about Wilbert Fordyce, a pioneer in applying psychological research to preventing pain. You may have heard of operant conditioning before, but have you heard of using it for chronic pain reduction? Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

Hello everyone, Kirby here. Sorry but I cannot get an episode up this week. Between a some personal matters and my internet being down for an entire day, my week has been very chaotic, and this week’s episode is unfinished. I’m hoping to resume like usual next week. Bear with me, and thank you for your patience. Be back soon! Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This week, we learn about Stewart Adams, who helped discover ibuprofen, one of the most important painkilling medications today. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This week, we talk about the very long journey of acetaminophen/paracetamol, from its discovery in the late 1800s to its eventual widespread use in modern times. This journey is filled with mistakes and mishaps, but eventually the drug does make it out. Part 1 of my interview on the NoiseFilter podcast Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

Sorry for the delay, I took a week off for Lunar New Year! This episode, we talk about some of the applications of Melzack and Wall's Gate Theory of Pain. A whole bunch of doctors, scientists, and engineers got interested in zapping away our pain again, and the implantable nerve stimulator for pain was born. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This week, let's learn about Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, two very different successors to Livingston who together published the very influential gate control theory of pain. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

Today, we talk about some ways that pain was thought about before the 20th century, and then William K Livingston, who combined a lot of that thinking and set up our modern understanding of pain. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

We're back! Sorry, the last few weeks were crazy, between a Covid exposure and the holidays. This week, let's talk about some of the pain treatments that replaced opioid drugs in the late 1800s and early 1900s; electrotherapy, and neurosurgery. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!

This week, we talk about Silas Weir Mitchell, who was a doctor and researcher who first studied causalgia, or pain caused by nerve damage. He had a lot of accomplishments in his life, and a lot of tragedy too, and deserves to be remembered. Check out our website! E-mail me at thehistoryofmedicinepodcast@gmail.com! Say hi on Facebook! Transcripts and Sources here!