

This Medical Life
Auscast Network
Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine.
Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Production by Tim Whiffen
Design by Tom Buzz
Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Production by Tim Whiffen
Design by Tom Buzz
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 20, 2020 • 28min
Ep 24 Radiation Pathology | Invisible death
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** The discovery of radiation was a monumental achievement in human history. Marie Curie isolated Radium and Polonium from the mineral pitchblende, and received two Nobel Prizes for this achievement (Physics 1903 and Chemistry 1911). She was clearly a genius, however, not even Marie anticipated the dangers inherent with this material. The interest in Radium exploded and it became a key ingredient in medicine, make-up, and toothpaste. The most notable was for the ‘Undark’ paint that literally glowed. The women workers, now known as the Radium girls, used this paint in the early twentieth century to paint the hands of watches/clocks. The results were devastating and fatal. Our episode’s final destination, takes us into the remote region of South Australia, where 7 atomic bombs were detonated by the British between 1956 and 1963… destroying the land and killing indigenous and non-indigenous people alike. A human history we must remember for the sheer tragedy of it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 16, 2020 • 47min
Ep 23 Health IT Security | Avoiding the flat line
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** The implications for Healthcare to lose control or access to the IT systems is literally life threatening. The first confirmed fatality occurred when a Ransomware attack unintentionally struck a German University Hospital in September 2020. There have been over 80 public cases of Ransomware attacks occurred in the US targeting Healthcare institutions in 2020. These are on the rise as Healthcare provides an attractive target with dated IT software, time critical data, and private patient information that can be used and leveraged, even if the target reverts to back-ups. With hospitals left in a no-win situation, they will often pay the ransom to (hopefully) restore access to their systems/data but also increases the likelihood of future attacks. Our special guests: Dr Nick TellisMBBS, FRACGPGP and Owner PartridgeGPAdjunct Senior Lecturer at Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Healthhttps://partridgegp.me/DrNickTellisLinkedIn John StronnerChief Executive Officer | Loftus Technology GroupCertified Data Protection Officerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnstronnar/ Dr Nick tellis Bio: Dr Nick Tellis is a specialist GP who has been working in General Practice since 2002 and has owned general practices since 2007. Every Australian should have their own GP and General Practice, and use them regularly and appropriately. If that is PartridgeGP and one of our helping GPs that's even better. We can help! Here to Help - 3 ways!1. You’re a patient wanting a Great GP! Book one of the caring PartridgeGPs online: http://partridgegp.me/makeanappointment You’re a great GP/Allied Health Professional wanting PartridgeGP to provide you awesome services, facilities, and team so you can serve patients to the best of your ability: www.partridgegp.com.auhttps://partridgegp.me/DrNickTellisFB call Mrs Hayley Roberts 08 8295 3200 You’re a small business owner looking to network and grow your amazing business! Coffee and chat with Dr Nick Tellis: https://partridgegp.me/DrNickTellisLinkedIn http://partridgegp.me/networkwithdrnick See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 13, 2020 • 49min
Ep 22 Drugs of Addiction Pathology | Medicinal binds
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** Humans have always had a complex relationship with drugs: some help us; some heal us; and some hurt us. The problem with the drugs of addiction is they can do all of three. However, long term use of these inevitably leads to dependence where, once ceased, will lead to withdraw symptoms. The ‘highs’ and addictiveness combined with the potency of the drugs can have fatal consequences. In this podcast we delve into these Drugs of Addiction (namely Opioids, Amphetamines, Cannabinoids, Cocaine, and Benzodiazepines) to explore their sordid history and discuss how we test for them today. Our special guest: Dr Devika ThomasBSc (Hons), MBBS, M Surg, MAACB, CCD, FRCPA, PhD Clinpath Pathology Medical Director, Executive TeamDirector of Chemical Pathology https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-devika-thomas/ This podcast is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 10, 2020 • 33min
Ep 21 Health Data and Data Governance | Coming of Age
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** Health data is the most personal official records we will ever have. It can contain everything from the medications we regularly take, all the way through to documenting discussions about some of our most troubling times. It does not get any more personal than our own Health Data. This is part of a series of podcasts we are undertaking on Health Information Technology. We look at Governmental Regulation of Health Data and get a sneak peek at the advances in A.I. embryology. The song quoted was written by Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge, Blink-182. Our special guests: Andrew AndrewsVice PresidentData Management Association Australiahttps://au.linkedin.com/in/andrewandrews Dr Michelle PeruginiCo-Founder & CEOPresagen www.Presagen.comhttps://au.linkedin.com/in/michelleperuginiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 7, 2020 • 54min
Ep 20 Helicobacter pylori | The No Acid No Ulcer Fallacy
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** In 1983, Dr Robin Warren and Dr Barry Marshall embarked upon a study to investigate the significance of bacterial found in the stomachs of ulcer patients. This journey would take them over a decade to complete and was riddled with self-doubt, persistent scepticism, and challenging centuries of medical dogma but their persistence ultimately led to the highest accolade in Medicine. Oh, and a bout of bad breath.Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacteria that has evolved with humans. With an estimated worldwide prevalence of up to 50%, this organism has found a survival niche where it is perfectly suited to thrive in the stomach’s highly acidic environment. Unfortunately for those of us who have it, it will cause inflammation (gastritis) but can eventually lead to cancer (gastric adenocarcinoma).Our interview is with Professor Barry Marshall who navigates the lows of persistent knockbacks through to the worldwide tour that lead to the Nobel Prize in 2005. Professor Barry MarshallNobel Prize Laureate and Professor of Clinical Microbiology The discovery by Dr Warren and Professor Marshall has benefited millions of people, maybe saving a million lives over the last 10 or 20 years. Barry James Marshall AC FRACP FRS FAA is an Australian physician, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Western Australia. https://www.uwa.edu.au/profile/barry-marshall Additional links of interest: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)67587-3/fulltext https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/professor-barry-marshall/teacher See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 24, 2020 • 54min
Ep 19 Endometriosis Pathology | The tragedy of the wandering womb
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** Since ancient times, all manner of diseases have been attributed to the uterus. Theories range from a wandering womb yearning for motherhood to the psychological disorder of hysteria that was contagious. The treatment of women with these 'diseases' were reprehensible and the some of the outcomes were nothing short of tragic. Fortunately, we have come a long way to understanding the plethora of gynaecological conditions and treatments. In this episode, we examine the pathology of endometriosis. What the world needs more of right now, is everyone talking about women's health. Steve Davis and Dr Travis Brown discuss this history from antiquity to the twenty-first century. However, they did call on special guest Dr Nicole Sladden to keep them in check. This podcast episode is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting. Dr Nicole SladdenMBBS, FRCPA Bio Link: https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-nicole-sladden/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 19, 2020 • 36min
Ep 18 CML | Cancer's Magic bul-Let
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** 'You have cancer' It must be the most dreaded sentence in modern society. Our fear of cancer is well founded and for those suffering from Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), before 1999, there was only a slim chance of survival. Caused by a single translocation called the Philadelphia chromosome, it took only 40 years to go from a chemotherapy resistant and often fatal disease to a manageable condition with an oral tablet. This is a remarkable story of science, persistence and triumph. As Dr Travis Brown says, "When chromosomes were discovered in the late 1800’s, their nature and function was unclear.In 1910, Thomas Hunt Morgan identified the link between chromosomes and inheritance.In 1959, Peter Nowell & David Hungerford discovered CMLs Philadelphia chromosome, but where had the segment of chr 22 gone?In 1973, Dr Janet Rowley found it.In 1999, Dr Brian Druker treated it."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 5, 2020 • 55min
Ep 17 Alcohol Disorders Pathology | The Intemperance Of Humankind
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** Our love affair with alcohol is as old as civilization itself. Every culture and religion have traditions, attitudes and laws that ranges from governing celebrations to issuing punishments. With only have sporadic cases of excessive drinking from historical figures, it becomes apparent that alcohol use disorder and dependency are modern diagnoses. The urgency for testing alcohol intoxication arrived with the increasing popularity of cars that shifted the automobile from a form of transport to a potential weapon. This led to a revolution in public health measures and has saved countless lives. However, it is not until one starts to examine the prevalence of risky alcohol drinking behaviour and alcohol use disorder in modern society that we realise this love affair comes with a price. Image Interference – The Animal "Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is"ShakespeareSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 26, 2020 • 33min
Ep 16 Tuberculosis Pathology | TB Downunder
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** Tuberculosis has had many names throughout human history: Phthisis, Robber of youth, the white plague, consumption. It wasn’t until 1865 that Jean Antonine Villemin proved it was an infectious disease and 1882 that Robert Koch identified the causative agent: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (he called it Tubercle bacillus). Via the first ever Pathology Report from Melbourne Hospital (now Royal Melbourne Hospital), we explore this infectious disease that continues to have a devastating impact to this day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 18, 2020 • 31min
Ep 15 Diabetes Mellitus Pathology | The Honey Siphon
** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode ** Sugar is as addictive as nicotine and as toxic as … well, sugar. Diabetes mellitus is the fastest growing chronic disease and the not-so-silent potentially ignorable epidemic sweeping our nation. This is a disease known about since antiquity and often fatal to those afflicted in history. With the discovery of insulin in 1922 and exponential growth in our understanding, we now have the resources to manage and even potentially prevent this disease; but will we choose to do so? The Episode has a special guest collaboration with Dr James Meucke AM “AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR”. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Muecke LinkedIn and bio: www.linkedin.com/in/james-muecke-am-a1621812 This Episode includes an interview with Dr Devika Thomas Bio: www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-devika-thomas/ and is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.