Bedside Rounds

Mesmerism has had an outsize influence on medicine, despite the rapid rise and fall of its inventor Dr. Franz Mesmer and hostility from the medical establishment. This curious story covers the healing powers of magnets, secret societies in pre-Revolutionary France, fundamental questions about what makes someone alive, and one of the most fascinating medical investigations in history led by a dream team of Benjamin Franklin, Lavoisier, and Guillotine on behalf of King Louis XVI. Plus, a #AdamAnswers about the origin of the phrase “Code Blue.”   Sources: Damton R. Mesmerism and the End of the Enlightenment in France. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1968.   Dyer R, Mesmerism, Ancient and Modern. Victorian Web. Franklin B et al, The Reports of the Royal Commission on Mesmer’s System of Animal Magnetism and other contemporary documents, James Lind Library, translated by Iml Donaldson. Retrieved online at https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/files/files/the_royal_commission_on_animal_-_translated_by_iml_donaldson_1.pdf Lanska JT and Lanska DJ, Mesmer, Franz. Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences, 2014, pp 1106-1107. Lanska DJ and Lanksa JT, Franz Anton Mesmer and the Rise and Fall of Animal Magnetism: Dramatic Cures, Controversy, and Ultimately a Triumph for the Scientific Method. Brain, Mind and Medicine: Essays in Eighteenth-Century Neuroscience pp 301-320 “Mesmerism,” Boston Med Surg J 1837; 17:185-187 Normandin S, Visions of Vitalism: Medicine, Philosophy and the Soul in NineteenthCentury France, October 2005 Shermer, M, Testing the Claims of Mesmerism: The First Scientific Investigation of the Paranormal Ever Conducted. Skeptic, retrieved online at https://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/10-09-22/ Sollberg, G. Vitalism and Vital Force in Life Sciences – The Demise and Life of a Scientific Conception Weckowicz TE and Liebel-Weckowicz HP, 7 Nineteenth Century: Vitalist-Mechanist and Psychic-Somatic Controversies. Advances in Psychology, Volume 66, 1990, Pages 109-152   Youtube videos of the Armonica: Adagio for Glass Armonica, Mozart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkTUL7DjTow Rutgers video on history of Armonica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdtLK9pAh5k

Discover the forgotten history of bacteriophages, once potent in treating infections but faded by the 1950s. From love trysts to KGB executions, the resurgence of phage therapy in the 21st century offers hope against antibiotic resistance.

This podcast explores the history of tuberculosis and the development of specialized tuberculosis hospitals. It discusses the social determinants of health, the danger of rebreathed air, the healing power of mountains, and the origins of the disease. It also touches on the practice of placenta consumption and its limited scientific evidence.

The first population study in history was born out of a dramatic debate involving leeches, “medical vampires,” professional rivalries, murder accusations, and, of course, bloodletting, all in the backdrop of the French Revolution. The second of a multipart series on the development of population medicine, this episode contextualizes Pierre Louis’ “numerical method,” his famous trial on bloodletting, and the birth of a new way for doctors to “know”. Plus a brand new #AdamAnswers about Occam’s razor and Hickam’s Dictum. All this and more on Episode 38 of Bedside Rounds, a tiny podcast about fascinating stories in clinical medicine! To claim CME and MOC credit, please go to www.acponline.org/BedsideRounds.   Best M and Neuhauser D, “Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis: Master of the spirit of mathematical clinical science,” Qual Saf Health Care 2005;14:462–464. Duffin J, “Laennec and Broussias: The ‘Sympathetic’ Duel,” from La Berge A and Hannaway C, Paris Medicine: Perspective Past and Present. (1977) The French Revolution: A Revolution in Medicine, Too, Hospital Practice, 12:11, 127-138 Hillard A, et al. “Occam’s Razor versus Saint’s Triad, N Engl J Med 2004;350:599-603. Lo Re V 3rd, Bellini LM, William of Occam and Occam's razor. Ann Intern Med. 2002 Apr 16;136(8):634-5. Kirk GW and Pemberton N. Leech, 2013 Kirk GW and Pemberton N, Re-imagining Bleeders: The Medical Leech in the Nineteenth Century Bloodletting Encounter. Med Hist. 2011 Jul; 55(3): 355–360. La Berge A and Hannaway C, Paris Medicine: Perspective Past and Present. Louis PCA. Researches On The Effects Of Bloodletting In Some Inflammatory Diseases. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, 1836. Morabia A. PCA Louis and the birth of clinical epidemiology. J Clin Epidemiol 1996;49: 1327-33 Morabia A, Pierre-Charles-Alexandre Louis and the evaluation of bloodletting. J R Soc Med. 2006 Mar; 99(3): 158–160. Niehyl PH. The English bloodletting revolution, or modem medicine before 1950. Bull Hist Med 1977; 51, pp. 464-483. Papavramidou N and Christopolou-Aletra H, Medicinal use of leeches in the texts of ancient Greek, Roman and early Byzantine writers. Intern Med J. 2009 Sep;39(9):624-7. “Suckers for Success,” Nature volume 484, page 416 (26 April 2012). “Walter Chatton,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, retrieved from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/walter-chatton/ Wardrop D, “Ockham’s Razor: sharpen or re-sheathe?” J R Soc Med. 2008 Feb; 101(2): 50–51.

Delve into the fascinating intersection of storytelling and clinical medicine. Discover a historical case of black urine and how ancient debates resonate today. Uncover the poignant tale of a young mother from Thassos, illustrating the timeless challenges faced in healthcare. This exploration highlights the essential connection between past experiences and modern medical practices, offering a fresh perspective on the evolution of medicine.

For thousands of years, bloodletting was the standard of care for any number of medical conditions, but at the turn of the nineteenth century, often acrimonious debates about the practice would lead to a new method of medical knowledge. The first of a multi-part series on the birth of population medicine, this episode visits the controversies surrounding the death of George Washington and Benjamin Rush’s bleeding of Philadelphia during the 1793 yellow fever epidemic and asks the big question -- how do doctors truly “know” what actually helps their patients? Plus, a brand new #AdamAnswers about military metaphors in medicine. All this and more on Episode 37 of Bedside Rounds, a tiny podcast about fascinating stories in clinical medicine!   Sources: Brickell J, Observations on the Medical Treatment of General Washington in His Illness, retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=YXA3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=craik+dick+washington+medical+repository&source=bl&ots=IZB72sSdaS&sig=kUY0JZHft1HbRrarR9RE4r-2w_A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju3PT439TcAhVOxVkKHZPHBVQQ6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false Cohen B, The death of George Washington (1732-99) and the history of cynanche. J Med Biogr. 2005 Nov;13(4):225-31. Craik J and Dick E, The Medical Repository and Review of American Publications onSurgery, Third Quarter, 1805. Fuks A, “The Miliary Metaphors of Modern Medicine,” 2009. Harington J, Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum (ca. 11th c.), retrieved from https://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/bjbecker/PlaguesandPeople/week3f.html Kopperman P, "Venerate the Lancet": Benjamin Rush's Yellow Fever Therapyin Context. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Volume 78, Number 3, Fall 2004, pp.539-574 Lane HP et al, “The war against dementia: are we battle weary yet?” Age and Ageing, Volume 42, Issue 3, 1 May 2013, Pages 281–283. Moed et al, “Cantharidin Revisited: A Blistering Defense of an Ancient Medicine,” JAMA Dermatology, October 2001. Morens DM, Death of a President, NEJM Dec 9, 1999 Niehyl PH. The English bloodletting revolution, or modem medicine before 1950. Bull Hist Med 1977; 51, pp. 464-483.   North RL, “Benjamin Rush, MD: assassin or beloved healer?” Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2000 Jan; 13(1): 45–49. Parapia LA, History of bloodletting by phlebotomy. British Journal of Haematology Volume 143, Issue 4 Rush, Benjamin. Observations Upon the Origin of the Malignant Bilious, or Yellow Fever in Philadelphia, and Upon the Means of Preventing It: Addressed to the Citizens of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Printed by Budd and Bartram, for Thomas Dobson, at the Stone House, No. 41, South Second Street., 1799, retrieved from: https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:6483213$1i Wallenborn WM, George Washington’s Terminal Illness: A Modern Medical Analysis of the Last Illness and Death of George Washington, retrieved from: http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/history/articles/illness/

The southern United States was hit by a dramatic epidemic of a mysterious disease called pellagra in the early twentieth century. This episode discusses the cultural and scientific sources of the outbreak -- from the cotton fields of the south, to the cow pastures of rural Germany, to the river basins of Uganda -- and the incredible lengths a young doctor named Joseph Goldberger went through to try and put an end to this plague. Plus, a new #AdamAnswers about the source of the name “internal medicine.” All this and more on episode 36 of Bedside Rounds, a tiny podcast about fascinating stories in clinical medicine!   Bean WB,  “Origin of the Term Internal Medicine,” N Engl J Med 1982; 306:182-183 Blevins SM and Bronze MS, Robert Koch and the ‘golden age’ of bacteriology, Int J of Inf Dis, Vol 14, #9, Sep 2010. Bloomfield AL, “The origin of the term ‘internal medicine,” JAMA, April 4, 1959. Bressani R et al, Corn Nutrient Losses, Chemical Changes in Corn during Preparation of Tortillas, J Agr and Food Chem, 6, 10, 770-774. Brim CJ. Job's Illness: Pellagra. Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology. 1942;45:371-6. Carpenter KJ, The relationship of pellagra to corn and the low availability of niacin in cereals, Experientia Suppl. 1983;44:197-222. Clay K et al, Rise and Fall of Pellagra in the American South. Elmore JG and Feinstein AR, Joseph Goldberger: An Unsung Hero of American Clinical Epidemiology, Ann Intern Med. 1994;121:372-375. Goldberger J. The transmissibility of pellagra: Experimental attempts at transmission to human subjects. Public Health Rep. 1916;31:3159–73 Goldberger J. Public Health Reports, June 26, 1914. The etiology of pellagra. The significance of certain epidemiological observations with respect thereto. Public Health Rep. 1914;29(26):1683–1686. Goldberger J, Wheeler GA, Sydenstricker E. A study of the relation of diet to pellagra incidence in seven textile-mill communities of South Carolina in 1916. Public Health Rep. 1920;35(12):648–713. Goldberger J, Waring CH, Willets DG, et al. The Treatment and Prevention of Pellagra. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 1914. Goldberger J, Wheeler GA. Experimental pellagra in the human subject brought about by a restricted diet. Public Health Rep. 1915;30(46):3336–3339. Harris HF: Ankylostomiasis in an individual presenting all of the typical symptoms of pellagra. Am Med 1902; 4:99-100, retrieved from: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c3312358;view=1up;seq=107;size=125 Lavinder CH, Pellagra, The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 13, No. 10 (Jul., 1913), pp. 746-754. MacNeal WJ, The Alleged Production of Pellagra by an Unbalanced Diet, JAMA. 1916;LXVI(13):975-977. Middleton J, Pellagra and the blues song ‘Cornbread, meat and black molasses’. J R Soc Med. 2008 Nov 1; 101(11): 569–570. Mooney et al, The Thompson-McFadden Commission and Joseph Goldberger: Contrasting 2 Historical Investigations of Pellagra in Cotton Mill Villages in South Carolina. Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Aug 1; 180(3): 235–244. Morabia A (2006). Joseph Goldberger’s research on the prevention of pellagra. JLL Bulletin: Commentaries on the history of treatment evaluation. Niles GM. Pellagraphobia: A word of caution. JAMA. 1912;58:1341. Roberts CS, Goldberger and the Mal de la Rosa, Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition. Roberts SR, SAMBON'S NEW THEORY OF PELLAGRA AND ITS APPLICATION TO CONDITIONS IN GEORGIA, JAMA. 1911;LVI(23):1713-1715. Searcy GH: An epidemic of acute pellagra. Transactions of the Medical Association of Alabama, 1907, pp 387-393 Wacher, C. (2003). Nixtamalization, a Mesoamerican technology to process maize at small-scale with great potential for improving the nutritional quality of maize based foods.

Why do doctors love Sherlock Holmes so much? In this episode, we’ll explore this endearing, nerdy obsession with the good detective, from Holmes’ medical origins and influences, the parallels with medical reasoning, and how the Holmes stories still influence medicine to this day. Plus a new #AdamAnswers about the origin of the white coat. All this and more in Episode 35 of Bedside Rounds, a tiny podcast about fascinating stories in clinical medicine! Sources: Blumhagen DW, “The Doctor’s White Coat,” Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol 91, No. 1, July 1979. Conan Doyle A, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,”  retrieved from https://sherlock-holm.es/stories/pdf/a4/1-sided/spec.pdf Hochberg MS, “The Doctor’s White Coat -- an Historical Perspective,” Virtual Mentor. April 2007, Volume 9, Number 4: 310-314. Levine D, Revalidating Sherlock Holmes for a role in medical education.Clin Med April 1, 2012 vol. 12 McDaniels, AK, “In change in tradition, Johns Hopkins interns will no longer wear short white coats,” Baltimore Sun, retrieved from http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-hs-short-white-coat-20180328-story.html Oderwald AK, Sebus JH. The physician and Sherlock Holmes. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 1991;84:151–2. Perry S, “It takes a medical Sherlock Holmes to solve complex neurological mysteries,” MinnPost, retrieved from https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2013/09/it-takes-medical-sherlock-holmes-solve-complex-neurological-mysteries Peschel RE, Peschel E. What physicians have in common with Sherlock Holmes: discussion paper. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 1989;82:33–6. Rapezzi C, Ferrari R, Branzi A. White coats and fingerprints: diagnostic reasoning in medicine and investigative methods of fictional detectives. BMJ 2005;331:1491–4 FREE Full Textno. 2 146-149. Reed J, A medical perspective on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, BMJ Medical Humanities, Volume 27, Issue 2. http://mh.bmj.com/content/27/2/76 Snyder LJ, “Sherlock Holmes: scientific detective,” Endeavor, Vol. 28 No.3 September 2004. Whitaker P, “Had Sherlock Holmes gone into medicine, he’d have been a dermatologist,” New Statesman, retrieved from https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2018/03/had-sherlock-holmes-gone-medicine-he-d-have-been-dermatologist

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle considered The Adventure of the Speckled Band to be his best Holmes story, and Adam does too. Meant to be a companion to Episode 35 (Sherlock), this is the story in its entirety. THIS IS NOT AN EPISODE! It's Adam reading for almost 50 minutes. Consider yourself forewarned!

Discover the historical metamorphosis of the physical exam in medicine, from ancient practices to modern methods. Uncover the innovative techniques of medical pioneers and the evolution of diagnostic practices. Dive into the impact of French medical figures on the development of percussion and physical exams. Delve into the ongoing debate on the role of physical exams in modern healthcare and explore the evolution of medical symbols.