Shows
Toxic History!Radiant TragedyJoin us as we discuss the history of the radium craze in the early 1900s and how its early popularity led to the tragic demise of many young women who worked as radium dial painters. Their story helped establish the field of medical physics and led to important legislation aimed at the protection of the health and safety of workers.2025-05-2731 min
UCLA Housing VoiceEp. 92: How Housing Influences Transportation Choices with Adam Millard-Ball (Road Scholars pt. 2)Do people drive less because they live in buildings that don’t provide parking, or do they live in buildings that don’t provide parking because they drive less? That question has huge implications for how we build and rebuild our cities, yet researchers have struggled for decades to answer it conclusively. UCLA professor Adam Millard-Ball joins us to discuss new research that finally — we hope — puts the question to bed. Taking advantage of San Francisco’s affordable housing lottery, Millard-Ball and colleagues find that (as-good-as-)randomly assigning tenants to different buildings and neighborhoods has substantial impacts on their transporta...2025-05-2150 min
Toxic History!The Deadly Art of Seeing GreenThe goal of bringing the full color spectrum onto the canvas is important to artists but many of the early compounds had significant toxicity. The talk will discuss the adverse effects from some of the heavy metals found in early pigments. 2025-04-2315 min
Toxic History!The Mary Lafarge Affair: How the ‘King of Poisons’ Lost its CrownArsenic, known since antiquity as the ‘king of poisons’, gained infamy among nobility and the bourgeoisie as a public menace. Synonymous with crimes of ‘fashion’, arsenic poisoning was the silent killer and a nearly untraceable means of murder. It wasn’t until early 19th century France that the poudre de succession met its match, ushering in a revolution in forensic toxicology with the ‘chief terror of poisoners’.2025-03-1917 min
Toxic History!Witchcraft, Werewolves, and Flying OintmentThis presentation delves into the toxicological roots of the infamous Witch Trials and other historical confessions of witchcraft and lycanthropy. Discover how the use of plants like belladonna and datura contributed to vivid hallucinations, leading individuals to believe in supernatural experiences, all while unaware that they were under the influence of potent deliriants.2025-02-1819 min
Toxic History!The 1943 Bombing of Bari and the Development of Alkylating ChemotherapeuticsThe German bombing of Bari, Italy in December 1943 had disastrous consequences for the Allies. Learn more about the mysterious cargo in the port that day, the Allied cover-up that followed, and the diligent detective work that contributed to the discovery of modern cancer therapy.2025-01-2120 min
Toxic History!The Hawks Nest Tunnel DisasterConstruction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel was one of the worst occupational disasters in American history. Its construction resulted in large numbers of casualties, both acute and chronic, secondary to silicosis and other occupational related illnesses.2025-01-0617 min
Toxic History!King George III, Manic Monarch or Noxious Nostrums?Explore the medical history of King George III, a monarch whose reign was marked by brilliance, chaos, and the shadow of madness. This toxicological exploration unveils the personal struggles behind the politics, from the medical records of his time to contemporary interpretations and possibilities.2024-12-1847 min
Toxic History!Doping in the Early Olympic MarathonsThere has been doping in sport throughout modern times, but before the steroid era athletes used different agents to enhance their performance. Learn about how strychnine use in the 1904 and 1908 Olympic marathons may have propelled runners to victory.2024-11-1916 min
Toxic History!The Frozen AddictsIn 1983 patients began presenting with sudden onset Parkinsonian symptoms after using a new designer drug. Dr. Langston eventually was able to link the cases to exposure to the contaminant MPTP, and the future of Parkinson’s research was forever changed as a result.2024-10-1814 min
Toxic History!Mining, Water, Rice, and Bone PainRice, a staple food for a large portion of the world population, has been documented to have been cultivated, grown, and consumed for thousands of years. For those living around the Jinzu river in Toyama Prefecture in Japan in the early 1900s, rice and water consumption caused a pollution disease called “Itai-Itai disease”. Bone and join pains and kidney disease were ever increasing around this region of Japan, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that cadmium was suspected as the primary culprit.2024-09-1020 min
Toxic History!Abortifacients, a Historical PerspectiveThroughout history, women have sought to control their fertility with substances that “regulate” menstruation, terminate pregnancies, or induce labor. Teas, concoctions, and medicinal compounds containing pennyroyal, rue, artemsia, ergot, cohosh, quinine, and lead have caused significant toxicity and death when taken as abortifacients. In this talk we will explore the history of abortifacients from antiquity through modern times, and discuss cases of toxicity through the lens of the women who have utilized these remedies.2024-08-1222 min
Toxic History!I've Been to DwightThis is the story of Dr. Leslie Keeley and his gold cure elixir. His Keeley Institute in a small midwestern town was perhaps the most widely recognized alcohol treatment program in the United States in the 1890s. Although his elixir may have been no more than snake oil his treatment program foreshadowed treatment as we know it today.2024-07-1616 min
The Poison LabThe Poison Lab - Stump The Toxicologist Reel 2023In this bonus episode Ryan highlights some of the great episodes done in 2023 and compiles ALL of the stump the toxicologist segments from 2023 into one easy to consume episode. Test your toxicology differential skills with more than six poisoning cases. Check out the actual episodes for more information in the show notes on each of the poisonings. Frank Paloucek EpisodeAdam Blumenberg EpisodeSupport the showReview the show where ever your listeningJoin as a donating memberAd free episodesBonus content and early accessDiscounts and give aways on GOTA PICCEM M...2024-07-011h 43
Toxic History!Laboratory XState-sponsored poisoning and assassination is deeply ingrained in Russian politics. You’ve heard of Alexander Litvinenko, but where was the poison and delivery plan developed? And who were the other victims of Moscow’s poison laboratory? 2024-06-2120 min
Toxic History!A Stable Head with a Broken HeartDrinkers asked for a bigger and more stable head and the brewers came up with a novel solution. The heaviest drinkers that couldn’t even afford a cup to pour their beer into and see a head started to mysteriously die of heart failure. An investigation begins!2024-05-2116 min
Toxic History!The Thalidomide Tragedy and a Path to Safer DrugsAs one of the largest man made disasters in public health history, the discovery and realization of the disastrous effects of thalidomide in pregnant patients has paved a way to safe medication discovery and utilization. From this tragedy in modern medicine led new regulatory pathways, transparency in drug development, and expanded procedures to ensure therapeutic medication supply is not only effective, but safe.2024-04-2616 min
Toxic History!Botulinum AntitoxinOur long history of attempting to find a treatment for botulism is a winding road of discovery, setbacks, and the constant challenge of balancing risk and benefit. Through major outbreaks that seized the nation’s attention and the disruption of major wars, however, the spirit of science and humanity prevailed, bringing us a therapy to help us in our ongoing fight.2024-03-2717 min
Health MattersIs Lead Poisoning Me?Are you seeing the headlines about lead poisoning? Maybe you’ve heard that water bottles contain lead, or that cinnamon in applesauce was poisoning shoppers. Host Faith Salie talked with Dr. Adam Blumenberg to discuss the crucial context for news about lead poisoning. A toxicologist and doctor of emergency medicine, Dr. Blumenberg explains what lead is, what makes it poisonous, and how exposure might happen in our daily lives—and of course, what to do about it.
2024-03-2016 min
Toxic History!Beyond Bicycle Day: The Story of Albert Hofmann and the Discovery of LSDThis talk will describe the early career of Albert Hofmann, his accidental discovery of the hallucinogenic properties of LSD-25, his legendary bicycle ride home from work during an LSD trip, and the legacy of his discovery.2024-02-1418 min
Toxic History!Did psychedelics fuel the space race? Counter culture, the occult, and mind-altering before LSDThe discovery of LSD and the subsequent psychedelic renaissance of the mid-20th century hold ample space in history books, but Albert Hofmann didn’t discover the first mind-altering chemical. At the turn of the 20th century, natural psychedelics’ ancient power crossed continents to shape both cultural and technological development.2024-01-1614 min
Toxic History!The Elixir of DeathWant to know what toxic medicine has killed thousands of people? Why outbreaks keep happening? And how it started the modern FDA? Listen Dr. Prosser's Toxic History episode to find out!2023-12-2218 min
Toxic History!Radithor Radioactive WaterIn the 1920s and 1930s, radium was an exciting new material. It was used to illuminate watch dials in the dark, treat tumors, and also as a primary ingredient in quack medical remedies. This is the story of Radithor, a fake medicine containing radium.2023-11-0347 min
Toxic History!The Salem Witch Trials and the Ergot HypothesisThe Salem witch trials of the early 1690s were the most notorious and lethal witch hunt in American history. At the heart of the trials, the Village of Salem was a town at its boiling point, but the complex political and social factors at play still seem insufficient to explain the happenings that ultimately transpired. Could it be that the affliction at the heart of Salem, the proximate cause of all the death and despair, was caused by a fungus?2023-10-1919 min
Toxic History!Bringing Deadly Sleepe: A Review of Selected Pre-1900s Toxicology LiteratureToxicology is full of treatments which are poorly supported by literature. Many of those treatments originated over 100 years ago. If you think data are bad now, we invite you to see what treatments were like in the past – drawn from the pages of multiple historical toxicology textbooks.2023-09-2223 min
Toxic History!Dioxin and the Poisoning of Viktor YushchenkoDioxins are a category of persistent organic pollutant (POP), with a long history of human exposure and serious adverse health and environmental effects. Where did this forever chemical come from, and how did it end up in the dinner of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in 2004? Join us as we discuss the long-lasting legacy of this class of compounds that was banned in 2001, but remains forever in our hearts (and lipid tissues, and ecosystem).2023-09-2218 min
Toxic History!Twisted Sister, a Widow's IntrigueSpringtime at the turn of the 20th century promised rebirth, hope, and prosperity in America. But in northern Michigan, a twisted nightmare was consuming an idyllic community. An infant was found deceased in a crib, the mother succumbing within the next hour, and the father only days later. Some feared a curse, others speculated a contagion. An intrepid duo of sheriff and attorney left no stone unturned, with suspicions centering around a widow in a black dress.2023-07-2116 min
Toxic History!The Birds and The Brains: Domoic Acid PoisoningJoin Dr. Marlis Gnirke on a “trip” to 1960s California discussing a different kind of acid, one at the intersection of human toxicology, veterinary toxicology, and classic cinema.2023-06-2317 min
Toxic History!Counting Sheep in Skull ValleyDr. Sukhi Atti discusses the history of the release of nerve agent VX in Skull Valley, Utah.2023-05-1218 minThe Poison LabToxicologists vs the Internet (#8) With Guest Dr Adam Blumenberg MDDr. Adam Blumenberg, MD (@ABlumenbergMD) Join's the show. He is an emergency medicine physician, medical toxicologist, and Assistant Professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. He hosts his own toxicology youtube series (www.ToxicHistory.com) and has developed multiple free medical education software programs in toxicology (www.toxicrunner.net) and medical simulation (www.medsimstudio.com). Most impressively, he has produced his own free base lidocaine crystals on a stove top, if you ask nicely he might just loan you one. He joins the show to sleuth the cause of fatal poisoning cases and tackle internet questions...2023-04-121h 35
Toxic History!The Ordeal BeanDr. Laurén Murphy discusses the history of physostigmine - from bean to medicine.2023-03-2828 min
Toxic History!The mysterious intermittent history of the fentanyl epidemicsDr. Stephanie Weiss describes the history of the fentanyl epidemics in the USA. 2023-02-1716 min
Toxic History!Toxic GrainsDr. Peter Akpunonu discusses the history of the toxic grain disaster in Iraq.2023-01-2021 min
Toxic History!The Chicago Tylenol MurdersDr. Alan Woolf discusses the toxicological history of the Chicago Tylenol Murders.2022-12-3117 min
Toxic History!The Toxic WomanDr. Alex Harding describes the history of "The Toxic Woman."2022-11-1214 min
Toxic History!Toxicology and Classical MusicDr. Sing-Yi Feng discusses the toxic history of classical music with guest host Dr. Keahi Horowitz.2022-09-2634 min
Toxic History!Birds, Brains, and Beri BeriDr. Joshua Bloom tells the history of the Nobel-prize winning research that led to the cure for Beri Beri.2022-08-1516 min
Toxic History!The Angel Makers of NagyrevDr. David Loughran discusses the history of the Angel Makers of Nagyrev2022-07-2012 min
Toxic History!The Antarctic Adventure of Douglas MawsonDr. Zane Horowitz tells the toxic history of the Antarctic Adventure of Douglas Mawson2022-06-2718 min
Toxic History!The Minamata Bay DisasterDr. Noah Berland discusses the history of the Minamata Bay Disaster.2022-06-1100 min
Toxic History!The Teacup PoisnerDr. Anita Mudan tells the history of the Teacup Poisoner.2022-06-1116 min
Toxic History!The Goiânia IncidentDr. Joseph Clemons tells the history of the The Goiânia Incident.2022-06-1118 min
Toxic History!King MithradatesDr. Laurén Murphy tells the toxic history of King Mithradates.2022-06-1121 min
Toxic History!The Yew TreeDr. Courtney Temple discusses the history of the Yew Tree.2022-06-1112 min
Toxic History!The Oregon State Hospital DisasterDr. Keahi Horowitz tells the history of the Oregon State Hospital Disaster of 1942.2022-06-1116 min
UCLA Housing VoiceEp 22: How Housing Shapes Transportation Choices with Adam Millard-BallDo people drive less because they live in buildings that don’t provide parking, or do they live in buildings that don’t provide parking because they drive less? That question has huge implications for how we build and rebuild our cities, yet researchers have struggled for decades to answer it conclusively. UCLA professor Adam Millard-Ball joins us to discuss new research that finally — we hope — puts the question to bed. Taking advantage of San Francisco’s affordable housing lottery, Millard-Ball and colleagues find that (as-good-as-)randomly assigning tenants to different buildings and neighborhoods has substantial impacts on their transporta...2022-03-1651 min