In this episode of The Cadaver’s Lessons, hosts B and Sam tackle the complex—and often deeply misunderstood—history of HIV and AIDS. From the medical basics to the societal fallout, this conversation centers on why understanding these conditions requires more than just science.

The episode opens with a clear breakdown of what HIV is, how it’s transmitted, and how it differs from AIDS, laying the groundwork for a discussion that extends far beyond physiology. B and Sam explore how fear, misinformation, and a lack of medical understanding fueled stigma during the height of the epidemic—and how that stigma continues to impact patients today.

The hosts examine how blame was historically assigned to marginalized communities, particularly the LGBTQ+ population and people who use intravenous drugs, and how those narratives shaped public policy, healthcare access, and patient outcomes. They emphasize the critical role of a supportive, informed healthcare system, where trust between providers and patients can mean the difference between isolation and survival.

This episode is a reminder that medicine does not exist in a vacuum—and that the legacy of HIV and AIDS is as much about compassion, accountability, and advocacy as it is about virology.

Remember main episodes drop on Mondays and companion case files drop Fridays, thanks for listening!

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Class is dismissed.

📚 References

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2024). HIV and AIDS. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
2. National Institutes of Health, HIVinfo. (2025, January 14). HIV treatment basics.
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2024). Title of the work from NBK539787
4. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. (2025, July 10). Global HIV & AIDS statistics — Fact sheet.
5. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Pneumocystis pneumonia – HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections.
6. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2024). Title of the work from NBK441877
7. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Cryptococcosis – HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections.
8. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2024).
9. University of California, San Francisco. (2021, June). 40 years of AIDS: A timeline of the epidemic.
10. amfAR. (n.d.). Snapshots of an epidemic: HIV/AIDS.
11. History.com Editors. (2025, May 28). How AIDS remained an unspoken — but deadly — epidemic for years. History.