

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy
Join Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy for a tour of all the dumb, bad, gross, weird and wrong ways we've tried to fix people.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 26, 2025 • 41min
Sawbones: Munchausen Syndrome
There are many eponymous disorders and diseases, but Munchausen is an interesting case of a disease named after a character who is based on a real person. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen and how his fantastic stories became stuck to his name forever.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/

7 snips
Aug 19, 2025 • 37min
Sawbones: Lisztomania
Discover the wild world of Lisztomania, where fans worshipped the piano prodigy Franz Liszt with an intensity reminiscent of today's pop culture crazes. Dive into the fascinating fan culture of the 1840s, exploring how Liszt's charm and talent sparked a frenzy among concert-goers, especially women. The hosts draw intriguing parallels between past and present fandoms, showcasing how this historical mania reflects changing societal norms and the implications of obsessive admiration. It's a lively exploration of music, celebrity, and the human experience!

Aug 5, 2025 • 31min
Sawbones: Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist
Before everyone hits the back-to-school grind, we’ve got a fun episode about Freddy Pharkas. A historical figure of frontier medicine? No, a video game character from 1993. Justin and Dr. Sydnee talk about how a farmer-cist was made, as well as the real and fake medicine Freddy doled out on the frontier.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/

Jul 29, 2025 • 38min
Sawbones: Can I Use My Own Tears as Saline?
We're bringing the heat with listeners' weird medical questions! Are the hot parts of the body the only Sweaty parts? Is spicy food spicier some days more than others? Is there any benefits to extra things in glasses lenses? And if your stomach can expand, why not your bladder?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Immigrant Defenders Law Center: https://www.immdef.org/

Jul 8, 2025 • 34min
Sawbones: King of Sting
A dovetail from last week’s episode, Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the official pain scale of insect stings, all compiled by Justin O. Schmidt. So who was this Justin, how did his research contribute to science, and did he really get stung by all these insects to make a non-objective scale? (Answer: yes).Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Immigrant Defenders Law Center: https://www.immdef.org/

Jul 1, 2025 • 40min
Sawbones: Wasps
After an unfortunate and painful encounter with an angry flying insect, Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about wasps: how their stings work, and a journey into the science behind some folk remedies.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Immigrant Defenders Law Center: https://www.immdef.org/

Jun 24, 2025 • 32min
Sawbones: The Heartmobile
It used to be that if you needed to get to the hospital quickly, you would call the herse – because it had the space to transport a person who was lying down. Well, all of that changed in Columbus, OH, with the Heartmobile, known as the first ambulance. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about its development, implementation, and the thrilling end of its ambulatory adventures.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Transgender Law Center: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Jun 17, 2025 • 38min
Sawbones: MAHA Mess
Dr. Sydnee and Justin said they'd talk about when the US Health Department replaced the vaccine council . . . well, it's happened. But to EVERYONE'S surprise, it's more of a mess than a triumph. Dr. Sydnee talks about all the changes going on, the motive behind them, and why some good intentions can lead to dangerous outcomes.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Transgender Law Center: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Jun 10, 2025 • 36min
Sawbones: Is Nose Ointment a Waste of Time?
Just in time for The Prom season, Justin and Dr. Sydnee bring your weird summer medical questions! Do other citrus fruits affect medication, or is it really just grapefruits? Why do hiccups happen so sporadically? Do carrots actually give you good vision? Can a broken finger fully heal by itself? Plus, an update on vaccines in the United States.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Transgender Law Center: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

May 27, 2025 • 39min
Sawbones: Sex Chocolate
It's a Sawbones grab-bag, featuring some pop-sci mythbusting around MSG, a reality check into current events around vaccines, and a fun new questionable product bringing chocolate to the bedroom.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Center for Reproductive Rights: https://reproductiverights.org/