Best Adam Blumenberg Podcasts (2024)

1
I've Been to Dwight 16:33

6h ago16:33

16:33

This 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.…

1
Laboratory X 20:31

30d ago20:31

20:31

State-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?

1
A Stable Head with a Broken Heart 16:48

2M ago16:48

16:48

Drinkers 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!

1
The Thalidomide Tragedy and a Path to Safer Drugs 16:30

3M ago16:30

16:30

As 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 en…

1
Botulinum Antitoxin 17:57

4M ago17:57

17:57

Our 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 ou…

1
Beyond Bicycle Day: The Story of Albert Hofmann and the Discovery of LSD 18:11

5M ago18:11

18:11

This 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.

1
Did psychedelics fuel the space race? Counter culture, the occult, and mind-altering before LSD 14:05

6M ago14:05

14:05

The 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.…

1
The Elixir of Death 18:34

7M ago18:34

18:34

Want 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!

1
Radithor Radioactive Water 47:07

9M ago47:07

47:07

In 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.

1
The Salem Witch Trials and the Ergot Hypothesis 19:40

9M ago19:40

19:40

The 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 afflict…

1
Bringing Deadly Sleepe: A Review of Selected Pre-1900s Toxicology Literature 23:14

10M ago23:14

23:14

Toxicology 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.

1
Dioxin and the Poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko 18:52

10M ago18:52

18:52

Dioxins 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 comp…

1
Twisted Sister, a Widow's Intrigue 16:19

1y ago16:19

16:19

Springtime 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 int…

1
The Birds and The Brains: Domoic Acid Poisoning 17:38

1y ago17:38

17:38

Join 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.