“When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.”

With these words, St John, a witness to the crucifixion, describes the effusion from the side of Jesus Christ on the first Good Friday.

In this inaugural episode of Merely Catholic our presenter Dr Gavin Ashenden speaks to the Reverend Professor Patrick Pullicino, a former consultant neurologist and now a Catholic priest, about a fascinating theory which might explain medically what happened that day.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.