This Podcast Will Kill You

It’s got all the ingredients for a classic TPWKY episode: Deadly zoonotic bacterium (Burkholderia mallei). Tier 1 Select Agent role in war (greatest risk from a bioterrorism perspective). Historically caused devastating outbreaks resulting in mass casualty (of equids). And yet few people know what glanders is (unless you’ve recently watched The Americans tv show). This week, we’re aiming to lift glanders out of obscurity and bring it the attention it so deserves. What exactly is Burkholderia mallei and how does it cause the painful and lingering symptoms it’s known for? When did glanders first strike, and how did it play a role in the US Civil War? Why does it currently rank high up on the list of possible agents of bioterrorism? Tune in to find out all this and more!
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Since his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Sherlock Holmes has captured hearts and imaginations around the world. Featured in countless tv shows, movies, books, plays, comic books, songs, and other media, Holmes has been firmly cemented as one of the most recognizable characters globally. But less well known is the man whose observational prowess inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to create his famous detective in the first place: Scottish surgeon Dr. Joseph Bell. In Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes, New York Times bestselling author and historian of medicine Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris brings long overdue recognition to the man behind the icon. Through her captivating storytelling, Fitzharris transports readers to 19th century Edinburgh, a revolutionary time for medicine and forensic science, and reveals how Dr. Joe Bell was at the center of it all. As pathologist at the Royal Infirmary, he impressed medical students by using his preternatural skills of observation to make a diagnosis, and as a frequent consultant of the Edinburgh police force, he applied those same skills to solve crimes. Tune in for a behind-the-Holmes peek into the man and world that gave rise to this famous detective.
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Looking to get swole (do people still say that)? Want to rewind the clock and smooth those bothersome wrinkles? Trying to lose weight rapidly and without a prescription? If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, chances are you’ve been inundated with ads, influencers, and podcast bros extolling the seemingly unlimited powers of peptides. With GLP-1s turning ‘peptide’ into a household word, the online “wellness” market has been flooded with the newest iteration of snake oil salesmen. According to them, these bespoke peptide combinations can reverse baldness, build muscle, and restore youth, all for the low, low price of… you get the idea. But what the heck even are peptides? How are they regulated? Is there any evidence to support these bold claims? What isn’t your peptide dealer telling you? Tune in to find out.
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Come one, come all to learn of the miraculous news we’re buzzing to share with you at this limited time, low price offer. If you’ve been troubled by aches and pains, sores and sneezes, look no further than this very special episode - good for whatever ails you. Brimming with historical detail and outlandish claims, we’re marching through the wild west of patent medicines in the 19th century. We begin with the widespread rejection of professional medicine in the 1820s (sound familiar??) and continue through the century as quack doctors and snake oil salesmen proliferate and hawk their fraudulent goods across the landscape. Fueled by a lack of regulation and the eternal desire for a cure-all, these fraudsters grew ever wealthier and more daring in the claims they made. When consumer protections finally kicked in at the turn of the 20th century, it left people wondering: did the snake oil salesman truly die or did he just take on a new disguise? Tune in to learn that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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A diagnosis of dementia of any kind is devastating. For those with the hereditary form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), it could mean an entire family is destined for the same fate. In this week’s TPWKY book club episode, award-winning author Robert Kolker paints an intimate portrait of one such family in The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia. Through Kolker’s compassionate and incisive writing, readers learn about FTD alongside this family and gain a unique insight into the painful and complex decisions the siblings face. Kolker also presents a scoping view of the history and possible future of dementia research, one that may allow fate to be rewritten. Tune in for all this and more.
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