

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

Sep 11, 2020 • 45min
Death Certificates
You may have recently heard a statistic that just six percent of COVID-19 deaths are attributed to COVID alone. This statistic was based on death certificates. This week on Sawbones, we explain, through the history of this odd document, why that's a really terrible idea.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Sep 4, 2020 • 43min
Nostalgia
Lately, have you found yourself pining for a simpler time? An easier time? Maybe just, like, ANY time other than your current one? You may be experiencing nostalgia. This week on Sawbones, we'll track its evolution from a clinical diagnosis to a possible healing tool.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 29, 2020 • 49min
Vagina Shaming
For millennia, people with vagina was told that there was something wrong with them (if they were even spoken about at all). Their vagina smelled wrong, looked wrong, it was too wet or not wet enough. This week on Sawbones, a reminder that your vagina is (almost always) just fine the way it is.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 21, 2020 • 44min
Oleander
Puzzled as to why a pillow peddler is pushing poison to the president to pacify a pandemic? Please press play.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 14, 2020 • 47min
Grounded for Life
This week on Sawbones, we explore The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! We know it's the The Most Important Health Discovery Ever because the book is called Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever. So there you have it.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Aug 7, 2020 • 44min
Osmosis Jones
This week on Sawbones, we close out the #MaxFunDrive with a FAR too thorough examination of history's only medical animated comedy in which Bill Murray barfs on Molly Shannon. Let's talk about Osmosis Jones.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 31, 2020 • 45min
Dr. Joycelyn Elders
Dr. Joycelyn Elders is an American hero who went from a sharecropper's daughter to the first black Surgeon General of the United States. This is the story of her inspirational rise, her infuriating firing and her inability to stop doing good.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 24, 2020 • 50min
Operation Warp Speed
Yes friends, that's the actual name of the U.S. government's race to creation a coronavirus vaccine. It's either radical or a huge embarrassment, depending on which Sawbones co-host you are. This week, we'll talk about the progress so far and what work still remains.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 18, 2020 • 54min
Sawbones: Amnesia
In what is perhaps the first and only example of the Fast and Furious franchise inspiring an episode of Sawbones, we're diving into amnesia. We'll see how media portrayals stack up to reality, look at modern therapy and explore the validity of the second bonk.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Jul 13, 2020 • 54min
Health Media Literacy
We're being inundated by medical news in the face of COVID-19, but how is the layman supposed to make sense of all it? How can you tell a trustworthy report from simple clickbait? We'll discuss on this week's Sawbones (with a brief tangent about re-opening schools).Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers