Best Helveston Podcasts (2024)

1
The Discovery of Viagra (aka Sildenafil) With a History of Erectile Dysfunction and Priapism Treatments 53:18

26m ago53:18

53:18

From the discovery of this well-known medication, to the science behind its function, and spanning all the way to treatments for the underlying condition of erectile dysfunction as well as a complication of said treatments called priapism, this episode covers a lot of ground. As you might imagine, there will be discussions of male genitalia, the ex…

1
Episode 271: April 27 Is Indie Bookstore Day! 57:49

15h ago57:49

57:49

Join us as we talk with Teri Den Herder, longtime bookseller at the UCSD Bookstore, about Independent Bookstore Day, the annual celebration of indie bookstores, and the San Diego Book Crawl, the weekend when booklovers swarm the 13 participating bookstores in search of books, passport stamps, prizes, and surprises. We discuss the national day, how …

1
The Resident: A Poor Historians Medical TV Show Breakdown & Review 1:35:17

16h ago1:35:17

1:35:17

The Patrons have spoken! They suggested we lend our medical expertise in a new and unique manner, by watching, reacting, and reviewing a popular medical show. We chose "The Resident" and boy-oh-boy was it bad. Whether you're a fan of that particular show or have yet to see it, this episode will let you experience all it's medically inaccurate glory…

1
President Cleveland's Secret Surgery (With Presidencies of the United States Podcast) 55:59

14d ago55:59

55:59

We invited Jerry Landry, host of the exceptional Presidencies of the U.S. Podcast onto the show today to help us discuss the clandestine surgery at sea that was done on President Grover Cleveland in the late 1800's. It was kind of a big deal. Listen to the end to hear a teaser on the upcoming Patron inspired TV show review. We'll talk about it afte…

1
Episode 270: The Magic of Debi Derryberry 1:01:15

18d ago1:01:15

1:01:15

Join the charming Debi Derryberry as we explore her long career as a voice-over artist, including voicing Jimmy Neutron, as well as her various projects, such as the recent release of her fourth CD of children's music, Gotta Go Green. Here she generously shares her experiences, growing up with a "little voice," her foray to Nashville, and returning…

1
Charles Darwin, Kissing Bugs, and Chagas Disease 53:01

22d ago53:01

53:01

Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist of the 19th century, was a big fan of collecting specimens. Some of those specimens would crawl around and feed on one's blood. In this episode we'll talk about the life of Darwin and the medical history of his death, considering that a fascinating infectious disease may have been a contributing factor. Sources…

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Death To Beauty: The Transformative History of Botox with Dr. Eugene Helveston (Book Biopsy) 51:37

30d ago51:37

51:37

Botox, the widely popular injectable medication, has been on the market and popular for a while now. What you might not realize is that there's an intricate and fascinating story behind the discovery of Botox, a literal bacterial toxin. This episode welcomes physician and author, Dr. Eugene Helveston to the show to discuss his book, "Death to Beaut…

1
Episode 269: Plea Bargains with Prof. Dripps 58:04

1M ago58:04

58:04

University of San Diego law professor Donald Dripps joins us to educate us on the plea bargain system which has essentially replaced what we think of as our criminal justice system. Prof. Dripps explains why defendants waive their right to a jury trial by pleading guilty, why defense attorneys recommend taking a plea, why prosecutors offer up "deal…

1
Napoleon's Narcissism: Discussing a Conqueror's Personality Disorder 48:19

1M ago48:19

48:19

On this episode, Mike leads a discussion of the history of defining narcissistic personality disorder as a psychiatric diagnosis. Starting with Napoleon Bonaparte, and including other historical examples, we'll examine the diagnosis as defined through different perspectives in time. Enjoy this unique approach to this historic giant. Sources: -https…

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Episode 268: Billy Galewood FKA Bushwalla 55:48

1M ago55:48

55:48

San Diego's own wild & crazy guy, Billy Galewood, recounts his quest for fun from Cleveland to Bushwalla and beyond. An original showman from the Java Joe days, he entertains through improv, song, rap, storytelling, and making people laugh. Here he tells the tales of musical theatre, the Cleveland Opera, early days with Jason Mraz, how meditation l…

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Episode 267: Talking Trash with Rafi Kohan 1:01:49

2M ago1:01:49

1:01:49

Rafi Kohan's new book, "Trash Talk: The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn't Total Garbage," covers sh*t talking and its relatives: bench jockeying, the dozens, and sledging; as well as its variants from ancient times (think Odysseus and hubris). Rafi discusses the complexity of trash talk in its levels of teasing, threat, trust, and g…

1
The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Story of Problematic Behavioral Health Research 58:34

2M ago58:34

58:34

Behavioral health is certainly within the bounds of medicine and, thereby, medical history. The Stanford Prison Experiment asked the question of whether the environment of prison compelled bad behavior from those within the system. In order to study this, this 1970's university psychology experiment went to extreme lengths to turn its research subj…

1
Episode 266: Having a Ball with Hullabaloo 59:02

2M ago59:02

59:02

Join Steve Denyes, of Hullabaloo, the best kids' music band in these parts (and maybe the universe!), as he chats about songwriting, kids and parents, and what has changed in the twenty years that Hullabaloo has been performing. Hullabaloo's first live album, their 15th album overall, came out this month. It was recorded live in Sun Studio, and Ste…

1
Dr. Dropkick Murphy: A Legendary Life (Book Biopsy with Author, Emily Sweeney) 51:55

2M ago51:55

51:55

If you're like me (Dr. Max) and the words "Dropkick Murphy" conjure images of the legendary Boston-based punk rock band, you might be surprised to know the history behind that name. In this interview, Dr. Max sat down to interview Emily Sweeney, a staff reporter for the Boston Globe and author of a book on Dr. John "Dropkick" Murphy, who was not on…

1
Episode 265: The Story of Botox with Dr. Eugene Helveston 53:46

2M ago53:46

53:46

Dr. Helveston's new book tells the history of the Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that was discovered and researched as a poison and how it came to be Botox, with multiple medical applications and a household word in the beauty industry. As an ophthalmologist, Dr. Helveston worked with Alan Scott who is credited with developing and manufacturing…

1
Alexander the Great's Final Illness: Medicine in Ancient Macedonia 58:46

2M ago58:46

58:46

He conquered many lands, sailed many seas, and was finally awarded his own Netflix miniseries, but at the age of 32, the ruler of Macedonia known throughout the ages as Alexander the Great, died in the palace of a Babylonian king shortly after a night of partying. There have been numerous potential explanations as to what happened. In this episode …

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Episode 264: The Guest Book with Sarah Blake 54:31

2M ago54:31

54:31

Please join us for a wonderful conversation with author Sarah Blake about her latest novel, The Guest Book, a book described by the Washington Post as "monumental," a sweeping family drama of secrets and silence that crosses three generations but is anchored by a private island off the coast of Maine. With periods set in the thirties, just before W…

1
Episode 263: Book Bans and the PEN America Lawsuit 56:13

3M ago56:13

56:13

Nearly 6,000 instances of book banning have been recorded since 2021, and the book censorship movement is growing, accelerated by new laws in some states. PEN America has joined Penguin Random House, authors, and students in a lawsuit against Escambia County school district, challenging unlawful censorship. PEN America program director, Kasey Meeha…

1
More than Myth: Real Human Chimera Cases 55:57

3M ago55:57

55:57

This is a fascinating dive into the world of genetics, set against a backdrop of a curious dermatology finding, and ending with one of the most interesting and convoluted paternity cases you may ever hear about. The Maury show has nothing on this one, trust us. Mike suggested this episode be titled "This is Chimerica!" or "Have you Heard About the …

1
Episode 262: Siskel and Ebert: Opposable Thumbs 1:01:16

3M ago1:01:16

1:01:16

Matt Singer, author of Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel and Ebert Changed Movies Forever, joins us to discuss two TV guys who argued passionately about movies for over twenty years, during a period when American Cinema was in its heyday, and film criticism rose to the challenge. Matt's book covers the history of S&E's successful collaboration, somewhat…

1
Curious Case Vault #3 - A Non-Fatal 19th Century Gunshot Wound to the Head 50:06

3M ago50:06

50:06

This episode of the Curious Case Vault has an admittedly grim premise--a patient who suffered two gunshot wounds to the head. In this discussion, Alba leads us through a case of a young Brooklyn, NY man who, in the spring of 1888, sustained what could have been a devastating injury in any time in history. In his case, we'll see how the neurosurgeon…

1
Episode 261: Our Deadly Streets with Jeff Speck 49:06

3M ago49:06

49:06

American streets killed more than 7500 pedestrians in 2023, a 40-year high and climbing every year. Why? City planner and walkable cities advocate Jeff Speck joins us to explain that street design is largely to blame and how modest changes could be made to increase safety, as has been done in European cities with dramatic results. Jeff uses traffic…

1
The Milwaukee Protocol: A Rabies Survival Story 1:02:58

3M ago1:02:58

1:02:58

Rabies is a fascinating and frightening infectious disease. It has a long history in the natural world and stories involving a case of it rarely end on a happy note. It just so happens there is at least one such story. In this episode we'll talk about one of the only documented cases of survival from this viral infection. We'll discuss the disease …

1
Episode 260: Jennifer Jenkins Takes Us Into the Public Domain 58:15

3M ago58:15

58:15

Duke copyright law professor Jennifer Jenkins joins us to celebrate and explain Public Domain Day. After a twenty-year hiatus, copyrighted works began moving into the public domain in 2019. Now each year, we can re-discover works that are available to be re-purposed by creators without the legal burden of obtaining permission from the former copyri…

1
Episode 259: Censorship and Obscenities with Michael Adams 1:19:15

4M ago1:19:15

1:19:15

Indiana University English professor Michael Adams returns to talk about taboo language and historical attempts to document it and suppress it. He bravely takes on the fraught issues around the f-word, bathroom graffiti, obscene literature, Shakespeare, and even hate speech. Along the way, he enlightens us about the Comstock Act, Tijuana bibles, sm…

1
Patented Poison: Radithor and the Fate of Eben Byers 59:54

4M ago59:54

59:54

The 1920's was a time in the U.S. when anybody with a clever sales pitch and a willingness to pull a patent could devise a concoction and call it a "medication." Unfortunately, the heyday of the "patent medicine" era coincided with the discovery of radium before the downstream consequences of radioactivity were known. The wealthy industrialist, Ebe…

1
Curious Case Vault #2 - Cholera Morbus 54:10

4M ago54:10

54:10

A 30 year old woman in 1842 comes down with an awful gastrointestinal illness and a physician is called. He recounts the case in this article and asks if this might have been something called "Cholera Morbus." We'll go through the case, talk about causes for this sort of thing, and do our best to guess the diagnosis. The approach to treating the di…

1
Episode 258: News of Tom Lehrer with Jeff Morris 58:01

4M ago58:01

58:01

The great Tom Lehrer has a new album! Put out by Needlejuice records and mixed by our guest, Jeff Morris, from the original reel-to-reel tapes, it's a compilation of all of Tom's songs recorded with an orchestra, now available in stereo for the first time. This gives us a wonderful excuse to revisit Tom's unusual career, his transition from touring…

1
Encephalitis Lethargica: A Mysterious Recurring Epidemic Illness 59:59

4M ago59:59

59:59

This unusual, recurrent epidemic illness has popped its head in and out of the annals of history. It goes by many names: the English Sweats, coma somnolentum, Schlafkrankheit ("sleep sickness"), and the Nona, to name a few. The last time it was widespread was during the influenza pandemic of 1915-1926, but medical case studies and reports of recurr…

1
Episode 257: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club 48:01

4M ago48:01

48:01

Join bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal to discuss his third novel, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, a celebration of food and drink across four generations in Minnesota. J. Ryan contrasts four female voices, four decades, and two restaurants, one a traditional supper club, and the second a chain restaurant, similar to a Denny's. The res…

1
Episode 256: The Mean Reds with Dale Bridges 50:41

5M ago50:41

50:41

Author Dale Bridges joins us to discuss his first novel, The Mean Reds, a fun mystery novel featuring Sam, the self-deluded, weed-addled, but utterly relatable film buff protagonist, who encounters a hilarious cast of characters as he attempts to investigate the death of a stripper. Dale talks about the setting of the novel in Mountainview, a liber…

1
Composition Under Pressure: George Gershwin - A Neurologic Case from the 1930's. 1:02:12

5M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

Let's do a neurologic case featuring an American music legend who sought help after developing unusual headaches and a distorted sense of smell. We'll figure out what happened and who it is in this installment! Avoid clicking through the references if you wish to keep the mystery intact. References https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140…

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Episode 255: Shipwrecks! with Charles Beeker 1:00:00

5M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

Join Charles Beeker, Indiana University professor and director of the IU Center for Underwater Science, to talk about shipwrecks, underwater treasures and resources, and the surrounding web of related ethical and legal issues. From Indiana shipwrecks (yes! Indiana has shipwrecks and an interesting maritime history) to the Titanic, the Monitor, and …

1
Bellows, Barrels, and Smoke: The History of CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) 59:35

5M ago59:35

59:35

CPR (aka cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a simple way to save a life. When a heart stops, the modern teaching is to "get on the chest" and start giving compressions. But it may surprise nobody that there were early forms of CPR. There were whole committees devoted to this topic. Some of the first ideas were definitely a rough draft. Others were d…

1
Episode 254: Brendan Ballou and "Plunder," His Book about Private Equity 51:45

5M ago51:45

51:45

DOJ Attorney Brendan Ballou discusses his new book, "Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America." Ever wonder why we seem to have fewer airlines, fewer retail stores, fewer drugstores, and the same names keep showing up on businesses from rental agencies to nursing homes to mobile home parks? Why did all those long-lasting businesses fail in…

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(Bonus): Curious Case Vault: A Deadly Case of Sore Throat 53:08

5M ago53:08

53:08

We decided to throw out a little bit of a bonus episode. In what we're calling the Curious Case Vault for now, we'll go into the archives of a well-established medical journal and read a real case report from long ago--1841, to be exact. In this case, with our help as physicians, Alba will puzzle through the case of a 53 year old patient who, unfor…

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Episode 253: "Carefully Taught" by Cary Ginell 59:05

6M ago59:05

59:05

Musicologist Cary Ginell joins us to talk about his new book, "Carefully Taught: American History through Broadway Musicals." Cary is a wealth of information about music in general (and lots of other topics too!), but especially about musicals. Here he talks about musicals that were fairly accurate from a historical standpoint, or why they strayed,…

1
Andre the Giant: A History of Gigantism, Acromegaly, and Professional Wrestling 1:06:15

6M ago1:06:15

1:06:15

He was dubbed "The 8th Wonder of the World" in the wrestling universe. The career of Andre the Giant was legendary and interesting on it's own, but on this episode we'll dive into the history of the discovery of gigantism and acromegaly, the condition that gave Andre his astounding stature. We'll talk about other notable cases in history and how ph…

1
Episode 252: John Julius Reel with My Half Orange 58:29

6M ago58:29

58:29

John Julius Reel's new memoir, My Half Orange, is a sweet story of John moving to Seville, Spain and meeting his better half and starting a family. Join us for this intimate conversation about John's maturation into a family man, to his surprise and joy, along with his revelations about learning Spanish and Sevillian ways. The son of Bill Reel, the…

1
Episode 251: Scary Songs 44:47

6M ago44:47

44:47

Bill and Jennifer cover over 40 songs in this fun fast-moving discussion of scary songs, ranging from creepy-sounding songs to songs that are especially horrifying because they don't sound scary at all. From old murder ballads to kicky pop tunes, lyrics about serial killers, theme songs, earworm songs, mysterious odes, nursery rhymes, songs designe…

1
Cold Hard Steel: The Myth of the Modern Surgeon with Guest: Agnes Arnold-Forster, PhD 59:13

6M ago59:13

59:13

Who do you picture when someone says the word "surgeon?" There are many common depictions of surgeons in popular media--from TV shows and other avenues of fiction. What makes up the persona of a surgeon? In her book, Cold Hard Steel, author Agnes Arnold-Forster draws upon the historical building blocks of the profession to examine our ideas of who …

1
Episode 250: The Mix Tape with Ben Vaughn 1:03:27

6M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

Join us for a fun episode as we chat with Ben Vaughn about the art and pitfalls of the Mix Tape, a passion of Bill's and mine. We talk about why we do it, the selection process, transitions, the dreaded fadeout, and the outrage of some devices jumbling the song order thereby ruining—ruining, I tell you—our genius segues. We also discuss old radio D…

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The Mysterious Case of Madamoiselle X: Walking Corpse Syndrome 1:06:54

7M ago1:06:54

1:06:54

Halloween may be approaching, but this is no ghost story. This episode's unusual case takes us back in time to Paris, 1882. It is based on a patient known as Mademoiselle X, who was brought in for evaluation by a French neuropsychologist, Dr. Jules Cotard to discover the reasons for her seemingly strange behavior. What follows in this episode is an…

1
Episode 249: Family Circus and Jeff Keane 1:05:25

7M ago1:05:25

1:05:25

Join us as we welcome Jeff Keane, the current cartoonist of Family Circus, the incredibly successful one-panel cartoon, now over 60 years old and featured in 1500 newspapers worldwide. Jeff talks about the real-life family behind the cartoon; his dad, Bil, the originator of the cartoon; the National Cartoonists Society; humor; creativity; and all k…

1
Unethical Science: The History of the U.S. Tuskegee and Guatemala Syphilis Experiments 1:11:04

7M ago1:11:04

1:11:04

When you hear the story of how syphilis research was carried out in the United States in the 20th century, you'll probably start to understand why there is a history of mistrust of the medical establishment, especially among the African American community. This episode details one of the bleakest and most shameful chapters in U.S. medical history, …

1
Episode 248: Animation Resources with Stephen Worth 1:07:05

7M ago1:07:05

1:07:05

Animation Resources is a non-profit with a terrific website where a wealth of creative material awaits you! Members also receive a monthly packet of interesting surprises, both old and new. Director Stephen Worth joins us today to talk about what animation is (very intriguing answers), his background, the origins of Animation Resources, what AI cou…

1
Hearth and Hazard: Dr. Percival Pott and the Chimney Sweeper's Affliction 1:06:17

7M ago1:06:17

1:06:17

You've heard the sayings about how hard life was back in the 18th and 19th centuries, but have you ever considered the life of a chimney sweep in London during those times? Far from the cheery character in Mary Poppins, the actual chimney sweeps of the time were children, hired into a very dangerous job. One surgeon made the association between tha…

1
Blood and Crystals: A 1990's Medical Mystery Case 57:17

8M ago57:17

57:17

In the 1990's a curious thing happened. When a patient arrived very ill to the emergency department, doctors and nurses were astonished to find crystals in her blood with a foul odor. Why were they smelling the blood? Who knows, it was the 90's? Soon thereafter, multiple people in the hospital room with her started to fall ill. What might have caus…

1
Unjust Desserts: Illness vs Ill-Will in 1920's New York City 1:03:25

8M ago1:03:25

1:03:25

This is a historic episode. We'd like to welcome the newest addition to the Poor Historians Podcast crew, the exceptionally talented and enthusiastic new medical history intern, Alba! This is her first episode on the show and we're stoked to have her along on our misadventures. Here we have another mystery case. Aaron will take us through a harrowi…

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Heart Disease: The Mavericks - from the book, The Masters of Medicine, with author, Dr. Andrew Lam 1:06:51

9M ago1:06:51

1:06:51

Esteemed retinal surgeon and accomplished author, Dr. Andrew Lam joined us on the show to discuss multiple foundational stories to explain how modern cardiology came to be. This comes from a chapter out of his most recent book, The Masters of Medicine which also contains other stories about the most important innovations and discoveries from a vari…

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