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268. Bad Medicine, Part 1: The Story of 98.6

Freakonomics Radio

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The Trial and Error Process in Medicine

In the 19 forties to 19 fifties, lobotamies were thought to actually have a treatment effectin patience with mental illness. The practice of blood letting, which is basically trying to remove the bad humors from the body, was thought to be therapeutic. And patients, things like mercury, which we know are downright toxic, were used as treatments in the past.

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