The Nocturnists

Physician Maureen Miller describes how perusing a dusty box of autopsy reports from 1897 helped her embrace her new professional future as a pathologist. Learn more about Maureen's work here. She also recommends reading The Misfit, featuring one of her favorite writers David Milch. For reference, the Conan and Colbert interviews are here and here. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Psychiatrist Matthew Hirschtritt turns to lessons from his Jewish upbringing when caring for a patient with severe refractory depression. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Hospitalist Archna Eniasivam describes the time she made a diagnostic error with one of her favorite patients. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! For more content, we recommend some of our favorite medical podcasts: The Curbsiders, The Clinical Problem Solvers, and Core IM. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Family medicine physician Catherine Forest listens to her one of her classical music idols serenade a dying loved one in the hospital. According to the internet, the most relaxing song in the world is Weightless by Marconi Union. To learn more about music and the brain, check out the book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks. For more of Catherine's work, check out this essay in Vox.  Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

82-year-old retired trauma surgeon Bill Meffert, who cared for wounded soldiers in Vietnam, reflects on that bloody experience and the words of a priest who worked beside him.  You can read more about Bill and his novel, A Long Way From Home, on his website. To learn more about the Vietnam War, Bill recommends reading the book Dispatches, by Michael Herr. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

When caring for a young woman with a new brain cancer diagnosis, medicine resident Colleen Farrell comes to grips with her own mortality. Books referenced include Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon. You can find the poem "Intensive Care" by Jane O. Wayne here.  Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Hospitalist Peter Barish recounts an intense, intimate moment with a patient. Learn more about Ladybird here. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Hospice physician, Michele DiTomas, works to help a dying man go home by navigating the bureaucratic obstacles of the criminal justice system. The podcast explores the challenges faced in providing end-of-life care to incarcerated individuals, the lack of constitutional level of care in prisons, and the need for systematic review of compassionate release programs. It also discusses the possibility of looking to other countries for inspiration on improving the criminal justice system and announces a storytelling contest for students and residents.

Emergency medicine physician Joe Sills panics when the patient he has just pronounced dead regains a pulse. The article mentioned in our conversation, "What Does It Mean to Die?" can be found in The New Yorker. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Other music comes from Blue Dot Sessions. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! For more about emergency medicine, visit The EM Over Easy Podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Season 2 of The Nocturnists, hosted by physician Emily Silverman, launches on Tuesday, March 26th. Illustrations by Lindsay Mound. Original theme music by Yosef Munro. Learn more and support us at thenocturnists.com. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com