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  • Twelve volunteers wore strangers' scabies-infected underwear - and chose to be there

    Twelve volunteers wore strangers' scabies-infected underwear - and chose to be there
    2026/07/26
    Twelve volunteers wore strangers' scabies-infected underwear - and chose to be there

    Tension replaces curiosity the moment you imagine twelve young men pulling on unwashed underwear still warm from strangers infected with scabies - and doing it by choice. The experiment helped reshape military health policy, but what does consenting to deliberate infection tell us about the boundary between sacrifice and suffering?

    In this episode, we present the story of the Sorby Research Institute and the volunteers who lived there, describing the experiments, daily life in the house, and the consequences for public health and the men involved - and ask whether consent alone can justify the harms they endured.

    Person: Kenneth Mellanby
    Person: Walter Bartley
    Person: John Pemberton
    Location: Sheffield
    Period: 1941-1946

    - 12 men initially pulled on unwashed underwear worn by people infected with scabies in the first experiment.
    - 35 volunteers in total participated at the institute, including 3 women.
    - Volunteers ranged in age from 17 to 34.
    - Kenneth Mellanby left in 1943 and Hans Adolf Krebs took over management.
    - In 2006 John Pemberton published an analysis after locating only 4 of the original 35 volunteers.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • When My Wife Vanished Into MKULTRA: A Congressman's Secret Case

    When My Wife Vanished Into MKULTRA: A Congressman's Secret Case
    2026/07/25
    When My Wife Vanished Into MKULTRA: A Congressman's Secret Case

    Fear and disbelief collide: a longtime MP’s wife was secretly dosed with LSD and subjected to brainwashing tapes at a Montreal institute tied to MKULTRA - and the revelation only surfaced when CIA files hit the New York Times in 1977. How did a man who never left a file unfinished sit on the truth for almost two years, and what followed when he finally decided to act?

    In this episode, we tell the story of David Orlikow, his wife Velma’s treatment at the Allan Memorial Institute, and the moment the MKULTRA scandal became public; we follow the gap between discovery and action and ask what that delay reveals about the stakes they faced.

    Person: David Orlikow
    Person: Velma (Val) Orlikow
    Event: New York Times publication revealing MKULTRA - August 2, 1977
    Location: Allan Memorial Institute, Montreal
    Lawyers contacted: Joseph Rauh and Jim Turner

    - David Orlikow served 26 years as Member of Parliament for Winnipeg North.
    - David was born April 20, 1918, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
    - David and Velma married on June 1, 1946, and had one daughter, Leslie.
    - Velma was treated in the 1950s at the Allan Memorial Institute and was given LSD without her knowledge.
    - The New York Times published John Marks’s findings about MKULTRA on August 2, 1977, after he used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain CIA documents.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • He Lay Still: Mosquito, Consent, and the Man Who Saved Millions

    He Lay Still: Mosquito, Consent, and the Man Who Saved Millions
    2026/07/24
    He Lay Still: Mosquito, Consent, and the Man Who Saved Millions

    A single jar, a mosquito that had fed on a dying patient, and a man who signed a paper admitting he might not survive - and yet held perfectly still. The autumn experiments at a tented camp in 1900 would overturn decades of public-health doctrine and lead to measures that saved millions; how did a bedside jar and a handful of volunteers change the world?

    In this episode, we tell the story of the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission and the events at Camp Lazear, following Walter Reed from frontier posts to Johns Hopkins and then to Cuba, and we track how one controversial experiment answered whether yellow fever was spread by fomites or by mosquitoes - but what made men volunteer to lie down for a jar?

    Person: Walter Reed
    Date: September 13, 1851 (birth)
    Location: Cuba (Camp Lazear)
    Event: U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission experiments, autumn 1900
    Topic: Transmission of yellow fever (fomites vs. mosquito vector)

    - Reed received his first medical degree at age 17 and a second degree from Bellevue at age 18.
    - Reed spent 16 years (1875-1891) serving at isolated frontier posts including Fort Apache and Fort Lowell.
    - In 1898 Reed reported that typhoid among troops in Cuba was transmitted via fecal matter and flies, not air or water.
    - Carlos Finlay had published his mosquito transmission theory in 1881 identifying Aedes aegypti as the probable vector.
    - The man who proved the mosquito theory died within two years of the experiments, from a burst appendix, not yellow fever.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • They Knew the Cure but Let Men Die: The Tuskegee Betrayal

    They Knew the Cure but Let Men Die: The Tuskegee Betrayal
    2026/07/23
    They Knew the Cure but Let Men Die: The Tuskegee Betrayal

    They let an effective, inexpensive cure sit unused while three hundred and ninety-nine men died, their families infected, and the study ran for twenty-five more years; how could government doctors continue sending pills and checkups while withholding treatment? This episode traces the chain from a 1937 antifreeze-tainted drug disaster to the Nuremberg Code and the shocking continuity of experiments without consent-so who in the system allowed it to happen?

    In this episode, we follow the historical timeline that connects the Elixir Sulfanilamide deaths, the gaps in U.S. law, the Nuremberg response, and the ongoing Tuskegee Syphilis Study, asking at each turn why regulation and ethics failed to stop the harm.

    Person: Henry K. Beecher
    Date: 1937
    Location: Macon County, Alabama
    Event: Tuskegee Syphilis Study
    Topic: Elixir Sulfanilamide deaths

    - 1937: Elixir Sulfanilamide containing diethylene glycol caused over 100 deaths nationwide.
    - 1938: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act passed with limited reforms after public outrage.
    - 1947: An effective, inexpensive cure for syphilis was already standard medical practice.
    - 1932-1966+: The Tuskegee study ran for decades and continued after the Nuremberg Code was introduced.
    - 1966: Henry K. Beecher published a paper documenting more than 20 nonconsensual human experiments.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • The Doctor Who Smiled as Patients Secretly Turned to Dust

    The Doctor Who Smiled as Patients Secretly Turned to Dust
    2026/07/22
    The Doctor Who Smiled as Patients Secretly Turned to Dust

    A strand of hair sent from Zimbabwe to a lab in Pretoria led Interpol to a doctor at O'Hare in June 1997 - not a confession, not a witness. He had worked across the United States and southern Africa, patients died around him, estimates reached as high as sixty; how did institutions repeatedly let him pass until federal agents stopped him at the gate?

    In this episode, we tell how the case unfolded across hospitals, ambulance corps, military service, and courtrooms, tracing the poison and the paperwork that protected him - what happened between 1983 and 1997 that left so many deaths unresolved?

    Person: James Michael Swango
    Date (arrest at O'Hare): June 1997
    Conviction: aggravated battery, August 23, 1985
    Sentence: five years in prison
    Court event: judge read defendant's words on September 6, 2000

    - Hair clippings from a woman in Zimbabwe tested positive for toxic arsenic at a Pretoria laboratory.
    - Swango graduated medical school in 1983 and began an internship at Ohio State Medical Center that same year.
    - At least five patients assigned to him died during his medical training at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
    - Swango was convicted on August 23, 1985, and sentenced to five years, then released in 1989.
    - The courtroom event where a judge read his own words occurred on September 6, 2000.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    23 分
  • The Night a Cardiologist Gave Michael Jackson Surgical Anesthesia to Sleep

    The Night a Cardiologist Gave Michael Jackson Surgical Anesthesia to Sleep
    2026/07/21
    The Night a Cardiologist Gave Michael Jackson Surgical Anesthesia to Sleep

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led to Jackson's death and outline the relationship between doctor and patient, the repeated use of a hospital-grade anesthetic as a sleep aid, and the circumstances that made it possible. What choices and pressures allowed propofol to become a routine remedy in a bedroom rather than a hospital?

    Person: Michael Jackson
    Person: Conrad Murray
    Date: June 25, 2009
    Location: rented house in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles
    Event: death ruled homicide by coroner's office

    - The IV line delivered a milky white liquid identified as propofol directly into Jackson's arm.
    - Jackson was fifty years old and eleven days away from the planned opening night of the This Is It concert residency.
    - Conrad Murray had over $600,000 in judgments against him and filed bankruptcy in California in 2002.
    - Reported proposed compensation for Murray's role was $150,000 per month paid by AEG Live, though no finalized contract and Murray was never paid.
    - Murray had attempted other sedatives - chloral hydrate, lorazepam, midazolam - before propofol became a nightly treatment.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    22 分
  • Thirteen Times Too Many: Babies Dying Inside Toronto's Trusted Hospital

    Thirteen Times Too Many: Babies Dying Inside Toronto's Trusted Hospital
    2026/07/20
    Thirteen Times Too Many: Babies Dying Inside Toronto's Trusted Hospital

    The blood of a dead baby showed a digoxin level thirteen times normal at Toronto’s premier children’s hospital, and that result sat in a file for two months while more children died-twenty deaths in roughly two months, the death rate jumping from about one per week to five. How did a world-class hospital respond by calling it a “morale problem,” leaving a drug cabinet unlocked, and keeping critical autopsy results from the coroner?

    In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events inside the Hospital for Sick Children between June 30, 1980 and March 1981, following nurses’ warnings, internal investigations, withheld autopsy findings, and the coroner’s entry after a distraught parent’s reaction-what finally pulled outside authorities into the ward and what questions still remained?

    Person: Janice Estrella
    Person: Kevin Pacsai
    Person: Kevin Pacsai
    Location: Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
    Period: June 30, 1980-March 22, 1981

    - Digoxin concentration in one dead baby measured at 13 times the normal level.
    - Approximately 20 children died within roughly two months on the cardiac ward.
    - Baseline death rate was about one death per week, which rose to about five per week.
    - Janice Estrella’s autopsy result sat in a hospital file and was not disclosed to the coroner until March 20, 1981-nearly two months after it was obtained.
    - Kevin Pacsai, age three weeks, died on March 12, 1981, prompting the coroner’s immediate involvement.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    22 分
  • When Life-Saving Vials Turned Deadly: The Blood Betrayal of 1982

    When Life-Saving Vials Turned Deadly: The Blood Betrayal of 1982
    2026/07/20
    When Life-Saving Vials Turned Deadly: The Blood Betrayal of 1982

    A tiny cluster of three hemophiliacs triggered a federal report in July 1982 that linked their immune collapse to the very clotting medicines keeping them alive - and internal memos later used the word "strong" to describe transmission through plasma products. How did pooled plasma from thousands of donors become a global vector, and who knew it before the public did?

    In this episode, we tell how clotting factor concentrate transformed hemophilia care, why pooled plasma manufacturing mattered, and when companies and public health agencies learned that blood products were transmitting immune failure - could corporate decisions have allowed the risk to spread across countries?

    Person: Centers for Disease Control
    Date: July 16, 1982
    Event: CDC report linking immune collapse to clotting factor medication
    Company: Cutter Biological
    Phrase in memo: "strong"
    Intervention: heat-treated product released by a competitor in May 1983

    - The CDC published its initial report on three hemophiliacs on July 16, 1982.
    - Clotting factor concentrate batches were pooled from thousands to tens of thousands of individual plasma donors.
    - Estimated users of clotting factor concentrate in the early 1980s: 6,000-10,000 in the United States.
    - Cutter Biological internal letter dated January 1983 stated evidence of transmission through plasma products was "strong."
    - In May 1983, a competitor released a heat-treated clotting product before Cutter.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分