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  • The jar of oil that had held insecticide poisoned twenty-three children

    The jar of oil that had held insecticide poisoned twenty-three children
    2026/10/23
    A cook smells chemical on a jar of oil in a Bihar school kitchen and is told to use it-how did that jar of oil expose them?

    The jar of oil that had held insecticide poisoned twenty-three children

    In this episode, we follow the morning at Dharmashati Mata primary when a cook raised an alarm about oil that smelled wrong and was ordered to proceed. The story traces who supplied the food, how the Midday Meal routine worked, and what question about oversight and storage remains: how did that jar of oil end up in the curry?

    Person: Panna Devi
    Location: Dharmashati Mata primary school, Gandaman village, Saran district, Bihar
    Date: July 16, 2013
    Topic: Midday Meal Scheme food safety
    Toxic agent: monocrotophos residue in oil container

    - The container of cooking oil came from the headmistress’s private home and had been used to store supplies for the school.
    - The headmistress’s husband owned the grocery where the oil was purchased and managed the informal supply chain.
    - The cook noticed a chemical odour and discoloration, reported it to the headmistress, and was told to cook anyway.
    - Within thirty minutes of the meal being served, dozens of children collapsed with vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhoea.
    - Forensic tests later found the jar had previously held insecticide, and hospital staff noted children emitting toxic vapours.

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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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    14 分
  • The bulldozers shredded the trees that hid asbestos

    The bulldozers shredded the trees that hid asbestos
    2026/10/22
    At 2 a.m. on 15 May 2004, bulldozers stripped trees hiding a century of asbestos at a former factory site-how did that expose them?

    The bulldozers shredded the trees that hid asbestos

    In this episode, we set out the timeline and evidence surrounding the sudden early‑morning clearance of Spodden Valley and the site's long industrial history. We follow the paper trail, local responses, and the unanswered questions about ownership and responsibility that the felling raised.

    Person: Turner Brothers (Turner and Newall)
    Location: Spodden Valley, Rochdale
    Date: 15 May 2004 (bulldozers); 1879 (manufacturing began)
    Event: Tree-felling over former asbestos textile site
    Status: Land sold to MMC Estates and Rathbone Jersey Limited for housing

    - Bulldozers arrived at 2 a.m. and by 7 a.m. tree‑felling had begun on the 72‑acre former asbestos factory site.
    - Turner Brothers began asbestos textile manufacture at Spodden Valley in 1879 and by 1970 it was the world’s largest asbestos textile factory.
    - Official warnings and company records: an 1898 Factory Inspector report, a 1937 internal memo admitting fibre dust danger, and 1950s air measurements far above the company’s claimed safe threshold.
    - Internal records from August 1957 show weekly removal of roughly 6.8 tonnes of asbestos dust from ventilation filters and dust levels on the roof exceeding production areas.
    - After the weaving sheds were demolished in 2001 the land was sold for a 650‑home redevelopment, prompting local residents to form Save Spodden Valley and Rochdale Council to issue an emergency tree protection order.

    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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    17 分
  • The coal stove that consumed bodies and hid twenty-two victims

    The coal stove that consumed bodies and hid twenty-two victims
    2026/10/21
    A physician in occupied Paris offers escape to Jews, but firefighters find a burning coal stove and human remains - how did that expose them?

    The coal stove that consumed bodies and hid twenty-two victims

    In this episode, we follow how a seemingly reputable doctor in occupied Paris became entangled with missing people and suspicious disappearances over two decades. The story traces his medical license, wartime role, and the discoveries that turned neighbors' complaints into a criminal investigation that raised the question: how did those who trusted him vanish?

    Person: Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot
    Date: March 11, 1944
    Location: 21 Rue Le Sueur, Paris
    Event: Firefighters find human remains and a burning coal stove in the basement
    Topic: Disappearances of people seeking escape during German occupation

    - Firefighters responded to a foul smell and forced entry to find body parts fed into a still-burning coal stove.
    - Investigators cataloged suitcases, clothing, shoes, and personal effects stacked in every room, including children's pyjamas.
    - Petiot practiced medicine in Paris using false credentials, issued death certificates, and held the authority to move through occupied city life.
    - Rumors circulated through networks that "Dr. Eugène" could arrange escape to Argentina via Portugal for a fee of 25,000 francs.
    - Records show decades of thefts, psychiatric evaluations, illegal abortions, narcotics overprescribing, and prior disappearances linked to Petiot's movements.

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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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    17 分
  • The Pillow That Smothered an Old Man and Unleased a Serial Killer

    The Pillow That Smothered an Old Man and Unleased a Serial Killer
    2026/10/20
    An orderly at a Cincinnati hospital smothers a patient and toxicology finds cyanide-how did that lead to a string of hospital murders tied to one man?

    The Pillow That Smothered an Old Man and Unleased a Serial Killer

    In this episode, we follow the case that began with cyanide in a dying man's blood and expanded into a decades-long trail across hospitals. It covers Donald Harvey's work history, the patterns nurses noticed, and the institutional blind spots that let deaths go unexamined-what connected the deaths and who finally followed the thread?

    Person: Donald Harvey
    Date: April 15, 1952 (birth)
    Location: Drake Memorial Hospital, Cincinnati
    Event: Autopsy toxicology showing cyanide
    Period: 1970s-1980s

    - Harvey began as an orderly at Marymount Hospital in 1970, where patients depended entirely on staff for care
    - In May 1970, a stroke patient, Logan Evans, was smothered with a pillow during a care routine
    - Harvey later worked at the Cincinnati VA as an autopsy assistant and was forced to resign for stealing body parts
    - Nurses at Drake Memorial noticed deaths spiked during Harvey's shifts and reported concerns to administrators
    - The cardiac ward’s high baseline mortality and Harvey’s unsupervised access created conditions that masked unusual deaths

    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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    15 分
  • The Confidential Severance That Let a Doctor Vanish

    The Confidential Severance That Let a Doctor Vanish
    2026/10/19
    A hospital paid a neurologist €250,000 and sealed his exit; he moved to Germany and kept seeing patients-how did that confidential severance let him vanish?

    The Confidential Severance That Let a Doctor Vanish

    In this episode, we lay out the sequence of decisions, documents and moves that allowed a Dutch neurologist to continue practicing across a border after a secret settlement. What choices did hospitals, the health inspectorate and colleagues make that kept questions unanswered?

    Person: Ernst Nicolaas Herman Jansen Steur
    Date: resignation and settlement in 2004; trial opened 28 November 2012
    Location: Medisch Spectrum Twente (Netherlands); Heilbronn and clinics in Germany
    Event: voluntary withdrawal from Dutch medical register and confidentiality agreement
    Amount: €250,000

    - A pattern of fabricated diagnoses, falsified questionnaires, switched radiology images and altered lab results accumulated from at least 1992 onward.
    - By 2004 the hospital had documented concerns and negotiated a settlement: resignation, removal from the register, payment and secrecy.
    - The Dutch Health Inspectorate accepted the voluntary withdrawal and did not pursue criminal referral at the time.
    - With no criminal record and a severance agreement, Jansen Steur crossed into Germany and took positions at private clinics between 2004 and 2013.
    - Internal and external reviews later reached conflicting conclusions about who knew what and why the process lasted so long.

    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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    15 分
  • The syringe that forced nitric acid into her mouth and ruined her jaw

    The syringe that forced nitric acid into her mouth and ruined her jaw
    2026/10/18
    A trusted surgeon syringed nitric acid into a four‑year‑old’s mouth in Glasgow, leaving her jaw ruined - how did that expose him?

    The syringe that forced nitric acid into her mouth and ruined her jaw

    In this episode, we follow the documented life and testimony of Elizabeth Storie, the child whose face and jaw were destroyed after a local surgeon administered repeated treatments. We outline the medical actions, the family's response, and the pieces of evidence that turned a domestic tragedy into a legal and moral question: what did the records expose?

    Person: Elizabeth Storie
    Date: 1822
    Location: Glasgow
    Person: Robert Falconer
    Person: John Campbell

    - A four‑year‑old Elizabeth received daily calomel doses for three weeks that blackened her mouth.
    - Surgeon Robert Falconer later returned with a syringe and twice injected nitric acid into her mouth.
    - The acid caused tongue detachment, tooth loss, jaw bone destruction, and lifelong inability to eat conventionally.
    - Family sent the powder Falconer offered as a cure to three physicians, who found a large quantity of arsenic.
    - Physician John Campbell formally recorded Falconer’s actions as medical negligence and the family prepared to sue.

    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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    17 分
  • The EKG That Found His Arrhythmia and Failed Care

    The EKG That Found His Arrhythmia and Failed Care
    2026/10/17
    A cotton bale crushes J. W. Gamble in a Texas prison and an EKG finds an arrhythmia-how did prison medical care still refuse him?

    The EKG That Found His Arrhythmia and Failed Care

    In this episode, we walk through the record of J. W. Gamble’s injury, medical visits, disciplinary hearings, and the missed opportunities that followed. What do the logs, prescriptions, and delays in care reveal about the prison medical system and its choices?

    Date: November 9, 1973
    Person: J. W. Gamble
    Location: Texas Department of Corrections
    Event: cotton bale accident, back injury, later arrhythmia on EKG
    Status: two documented refusals to see a doctor after EKG

    - A cotton bale fell on Gamble on November 9, 1973; he finished his shift and then sought medical attention.
    - Medical assistants and prison doctors issued and extended cell-passes, removed them, and treated him for back strain and hypertension across November-December.
    - Gamble faced two disciplinary hearings for refusing to work on December 5 and January 31 despite ongoing medical entries.
    - On February 5 an EKG performed by Dr. Heaton showed an irregular cardiac rhythm; Quinidine was prescribed February 6.
    - Guards logged and denied Gamble’s requests to see a doctor on February 7 and 8 before Dr. Heaton examined him again on February 9.

    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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    13 分
  • The business card that linked a painter to a bank massacre

    The business card that linked a painter to a bank massacre
    2026/10/16
    A painter in Tokyo is arrested after a business card links him to the Imperial Bank poisonings - can a lost card and unexplained cash expose him?

    The business card that linked a painter to a bank massacre

    In this episode, we lay out the facts of the Imperial Bank case and the evidence that put Sadamichi Hirasawa on trial. What role did a business card, witness IDs, and unexplained money play in sending a tempera painter to death row?

    Person: Sadamichi Hirasawa
    Date: January 26, 1948
    Location: Imperial Bank branch, Shiinamachi, Toshima, Tokyo
    Event: Poisoning of bank staff after a man posing as a public health official administered pills
    Case: Arrest on August 21, 1948; death sentence in 1950 confirmed by Supreme Court in 1955

    - A man wearing a white armband entered the bank at 3:45 p.m., claimed to be an American occupation public health official, and gave pills and liquid to sixteen people.
    - Twelve bank employees died that day; the stranger left with 160,000 yen and was never conclusively identified.
    - Investigators found unexplained cash on Hirasawa comparable to the stolen 160,000 yen and a business card he said belonged to Shigeru Matsui.
    - Matsui had exchanged cards with 593 people; 100 cards matched the bank poisoner’s type, 8 remained with Matsui, 92 were unaccounted for, and Hirasawa was among those whose card was never located.
    - Forty witnesses viewed a lineup; two identified Hirasawa, and his pattern of confessions and retractions, plus claims of Korsakoff's syndrome and alleged interrogation torture, became central to the trial.

    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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    15 分