https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/top-secrets-experiments--7194034
From chilling psychological manipulations to bizarre medical trials and secret government projects, we expose the hidden truths behind experiments that pushed the boundaries of ethics and human decency. Discover the shocking stories of forbidden research, the controversial figures who led them, and the forgotten lives forever altered by these audacious undertakings. Classified Experiments is your portal to understanding the moral complexities and lasting impact of science gone rogue.

New episodes arrive daily, every single day of the week, Monday through Sunday, promptly at 4:00 AM. Each installment delivers a meticulously researched deep dive into a single, notorious case, offering a compelling narrative without sensationalism.

This podcast is for anyone fascinated by the dark side of scientific ambition, historical controversies, and the ethical dilemmas that continue to haunt our understanding of progress. If you question authority and seek the truth behind closed doors, you've found your next obsession.

Subscribe to Classified Experiments now and uncover what was never meant to be known.]]>enScience© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/037545de71f01db300fffc6eaac8d16f.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/top-secrets-experiments--7194034Thu, 10 Sep 2026 02:35:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comUnlock the darkest chapters of human curiosity. Classified Experiments pulls back the curtain on the most infamous and unethical scientific endeavors ever conceived. From chilling psychological manipulations to bizarre medical trials and secret...
From chilling psychological manipulations to bizarre medical trials and secret government projects, we expose the hidden truths behind experiments that pushed the boundaries of ethics and human decency. Discover the shocking stories of forbidden research, the controversial figures who led them, and the forgotten lives forever altered by these audacious undertakings. Classified Experiments is your portal to understanding the moral complexities and lasting impact of science gone rogue.

New episodes arrive daily, every single day of the week, Monday through Sunday, promptly at 4:00 AM. Each installment delivers a meticulously researched deep dive into a single, notorious case, offering a compelling narrative without sensationalism.

This podcast is for anyone fascinated by the dark side of scientific ambition, historical controversies, and the ethical dilemmas that continue to haunt our understanding of progress. If you question authority and seek the truth behind closed doors, you've found your next obsession.

Subscribe to Classified Experiments now and uncover what was never meant to be known.]]>false38b61fee-39e2-5b66-8597-1c11c7a7d2feepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-u-s-doctors-used-guatemalan-bodies-to-test-syphilis-secretly--73073153
A federal laboratory conversation in 1945 turned into a two-year program that deliberately exposed soldiers, inmates, psychiatric patients, and sex workers in Guatemala to syphilis, gonorrhea, and chancroid without their informed consent - some were paid with cigarettes or soap. How did a casual remark about mandatory health inspections become the blueprint for this covert experiment, and who facilitated the access?

In this episode, we outline the sequence of events, the institutional partnerships, and the specific groups targeted by the program to show how routine public health structures were repurposed for secret research. What decisions and approvals allowed the work to move from Staten Island to Guatemala City?

Person: Juan María Funes Fonseca
Date: 1945-1948
Location: Guatemala City; Staten Island
Institution: U.S. Public Health Service; Venereal Disease Research Laboratory; Venereal Diseases Training and Research Laboratory
Event: Deliberate exposure of human subjects to sexually transmitted pathogens

- Funes was born May 29, 1907, and graduated from the National University of Guatemala in 1938.
- The Terre Haute experiments ran about 10 months from 1943 to July 1944 and failed to reliably induce gonorrhea infections.
- The Guatemala program became operational in August 1946, with research beginning in November 1946.
- Subjects included soldiers from the Brigada Guardia de Honor, inmates at the Penitenciaría Central, psychiatric patients at the Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico, and sex workers from a clinic with mandatory inspections.
- Funding and formal collaboration were channeled through the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and Guatemala’s General Directorate of Public Health under Dr. Luis Galich.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073153Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow U.S. Doctors Used Guatemalan Bodies to Test Syphilis Secretly A federal laboratory conversation in 1945 turned into a two-year program that deliberately exposed soldiers, inmates, psychiatric patients, and sex workers in Guatemala to syphilis,...
A federal laboratory conversation in 1945 turned into a two-year program that deliberately exposed soldiers, inmates, psychiatric patients, and sex workers in Guatemala to syphilis, gonorrhea, and chancroid without their informed consent - some were paid with cigarettes or soap. How did a casual remark about mandatory health inspections become the blueprint for this covert experiment, and who facilitated the access?

In this episode, we outline the sequence of events, the institutional partnerships, and the specific groups targeted by the program to show how routine public health structures were repurposed for secret research. What decisions and approvals allowed the work to move from Staten Island to Guatemala City?

Person: Juan María Funes Fonseca
Date: 1945-1948
Location: Guatemala City; Staten Island
Institution: U.S. Public Health Service; Venereal Disease Research Laboratory; Venereal Diseases Training and Research Laboratory
Event: Deliberate exposure of human subjects to sexually transmitted pathogens

- Funes was born May 29, 1907, and graduated from the National University of Guatemala in 1938.
- The Terre Haute experiments ran about 10 months from 1943 to July 1944 and failed to reliably induce gonorrhea infections.
- The Guatemala program became operational in August 1946, with research beginning in November 1946.
- Subjects included soldiers from the Brigada Guardia de Honor, inmates at the Penitenciaría Central, psychiatric patients at the Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico, and sex workers from a clinic with mandatory inspections.
- Funding and formal collaboration were channeled through the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and Guatemala’s General Directorate of Public Health under Dr. Luis Galich.

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.]]>1324falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nun-study-how-youthful-words-predicted-decades-of-dementia--73073152
A single consent form in 1986 led 678 nuns to promise their brains to science - and a box of autobiographies written around age 22 revealed that the number of ideas per ten words predicted who would develop Alzheimer’s pathology decades later. Could the structure of a young person's language really foreshadow brain changes half a century before symptoms appear?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Nun Study, how researchers paired lifelong cognitive exams with post-mortem brain analysis and scores of early-life essays, and why a measure called idea density became central to predicting Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathologic Change.

Person: David Snowdon
Person: William Markesbery
Date: 1986
Case: Nun Study
Topic: idea density and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathologic Change

- 678 sisters enrolled in the study in 1986.
- Most autobiographies were written around age 22 and archived for over 50 years.
- Idea density was measured as distinct ideas per ten words in each essay.
- Autopsies looked for amyloid beta plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in neocortex and hippocampus.
- Researchers performed annual cognitive and physical examinations on all participants.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073152Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nun Study: How Youthful Words Predicted Decades of Dementia A single consent form in 1986 led 678 nuns to promise their brains to science - and a box of autobiographies written around age 22 revealed that the number of ideas per ten words...
A single consent form in 1986 led 678 nuns to promise their brains to science - and a box of autobiographies written around age 22 revealed that the number of ideas per ten words predicted who would develop Alzheimer’s pathology decades later. Could the structure of a young person's language really foreshadow brain changes half a century before symptoms appear?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Nun Study, how researchers paired lifelong cognitive exams with post-mortem brain analysis and scores of early-life essays, and why a measure called idea density became central to predicting Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathologic Change.

Person: David Snowdon
Person: William Markesbery
Date: 1986
Case: Nun Study
Topic: idea density and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathologic Change

- 678 sisters enrolled in the study in 1986.
- Most autobiographies were written around age 22 and archived for over 50 years.
- Idea density was measured as distinct ideas per ten words in each essay.
- Autopsies looked for amyloid beta plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in neocortex and hippocampus.
- Researchers performed annual cognitive and physical examinations on all participants.

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.]]>1233falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-answer-was-obvious-the-room-said-otherwise-most-people-told-the-truth-anyway--73073151
A clear line, an obvious answer, and yet one man in a room of actors declared a falsehood - and one in three people went along. The Swarthmore conformity tests produced the famous "37%" figure and a quieter paradox: 64.3% of responses were correct and 75% of participants never conceded. Which version of human nature do these numbers truly reveal?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the experimental design, and the surprising distribution of answers from Solomon Asch's Swarthmore study on social pressure and perception. What did Asch report, and what did he quietly emphasize about how most people actually behaved?

Person: Solomon Asch
Location: Swarthmore College
Period: early 1950s
Event: line-comparison conformity experiments
Result: 37% incorrect responses in critical trials

- The left card line measured eight inches and the right comparison was unmistakably shorter.
- In controlled non-social tests, people erred less than 0.7% of the time on the same comparison.
- Each session had eight men with the real subject seated at the end of the row hearing seven unanimous wrong answers.
- Sessions ran eighteen rounds: six control trials and twelve critical trials with unanimous incorrect answers from actors.
- Across critical trials, subjects gave the wrong answer approximately 37% of the time, while 64.3% of responses were correct and 75% of participants were correct on every critical 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073151Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe answer was obvious. The room said otherwise. Most people told the truth anyway A clear line, an obvious answer, and yet one man in a room of actors declared a falsehood - and one in three people went along. The Swarthmore conformity tests...
A clear line, an obvious answer, and yet one man in a room of actors declared a falsehood - and one in three people went along. The Swarthmore conformity tests produced the famous "37%" figure and a quieter paradox: 64.3% of responses were correct and 75% of participants never conceded. Which version of human nature do these numbers truly reveal?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the experimental design, and the surprising distribution of answers from Solomon Asch's Swarthmore study on social pressure and perception. What did Asch report, and what did he quietly emphasize about how most people actually behaved?

Person: Solomon Asch
Location: Swarthmore College
Period: early 1950s
Event: line-comparison conformity experiments
Result: 37% incorrect responses in critical trials

- The left card line measured eight inches and the right comparison was unmistakably shorter.
- In controlled non-social tests, people erred less than 0.7% of the time on the same comparison.
- Each session had eight men with the real subject seated at the end of the row hearing seven unanimous wrong answers.
- Sessions ran eighteen rounds: six control trials and twelve critical trials with unanimous incorrect answers from actors.
- Across critical trials, subjects gave the wrong answer approximately 37% of the time, while 64.3% of responses were correct and 75% of participants were correct on every critical 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.]]>1187falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-wax-casts-of-his-genitals-and-rewrote-sex-laws--73073149
He walked into a physician’s office with a wooden case of hand-colored wax molds of his own genitalia and sold them to doctors - a strategy that turned his body into legal evidence. Those wax casts and a portfolio of contradictory medical reports traveled across German territories and shaped whether he could own property, sign contracts, or choose a profession. How did one man’s self-commissioned specimens force medicine and law to decide what sex meant?

In this episode, we tell the story of Gottlieb Göttlich Dürrge, what he carried in that case, and the chain of medical opinions that made private anatomy a public legal instrument. We trace his examinations, the wax molds he sold, and the consequences those documents had under Prussian law: could the body itself be used to claim civil rights?

Person: Gottlieb Göttlich Dürrge
Date of death: 1835
Birth period: 1770s
Law referenced: Allgemeines Landrecht of 1794
First recorded mold: circa 1810

- Dürrge carried medical reports with conclusions drawn in eleven cities by different physicians.
- Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland at the Charité diagnosed an oversized clitoris and recorded "female."
- The 1835 autopsy reported a penis, a prostate, a partially atrophied testis, fallopian tubes, a uterus, and a vagina.
- Under the Allgemeines Landrecht of 1794, a medical diagnosis of sex determined legal rights like property ownership and contract ability.
- Dürrge began selling a series of hand-colored wax casts of his genitalia, with the first mold recorded around 1810.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073149Sun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold Wax Casts of His Genitals - And Rewrote Sex Laws He walked into a physician’s office with a wooden case of hand-colored wax molds of his own genitalia and sold them to doctors - a strategy that turned his body into legal evidence. Those wax...
He walked into a physician’s office with a wooden case of hand-colored wax molds of his own genitalia and sold them to doctors - a strategy that turned his body into legal evidence. Those wax casts and a portfolio of contradictory medical reports traveled across German territories and shaped whether he could own property, sign contracts, or choose a profession. How did one man’s self-commissioned specimens force medicine and law to decide what sex meant?

In this episode, we tell the story of Gottlieb Göttlich Dürrge, what he carried in that case, and the chain of medical opinions that made private anatomy a public legal instrument. We trace his examinations, the wax molds he sold, and the consequences those documents had under Prussian law: could the body itself be used to claim civil rights?

Person: Gottlieb Göttlich Dürrge
Date of death: 1835
Birth period: 1770s
Law referenced: Allgemeines Landrecht of 1794
First recorded mold: circa 1810

- Dürrge carried medical reports with conclusions drawn in eleven cities by different physicians.
- Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland at the Charité diagnosed an oversized clitoris and recorded "female."
- The 1835 autopsy reported a penis, a prostate, a partially atrophied testis, fallopian tubes, a uterus, and a vagina.
- Under the Allgemeines Landrecht of 1794, a medical diagnosis of sex determined legal rights like property ownership and contract ability.
- Dürrge began selling a series of hand-colored wax casts of his genitalia, with the first mold recorded around 1810.

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.]]>1207falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-the-spymaster-stumbled-dulles-the-hotel-lobby-collision--73073148
Three feet separated Allen Dulles and the exiled Shah of Iran in a Rome hotel lobby on August 18, 1953 - while the CIA-engineered coup to restore the Shah was still failing. How did the longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence end up accidentally face-to-face with the very man whose return he was secretly orchestrating, and what did he do next?

In this episode, we trace Dulles’s path from a Presbyterian parsonage in Watertown to clandestine rooms in Bern and a chance encounter in Rome, covering his family ties to American diplomacy, his missed call from Vladimir Lenin, and the covert operation burning through Tehran - all leading back to the question of how he used power when no one was watching.

Person: Allen Welsh Dulles
Date: August 18, 1953
Location: Hotel Lobby lobby, Rome
Event: CIA-engineered coup attempt in Iran
Birth Date: April 7, 1893

- Dulles stood three feet away from the Shah in a hotel lobby on August 18, 1953.
- The coup to restore the Shah had "just collapsed in its first attempt" while the meeting occurred.
- Dulles was born April 7, 1893, in Watertown, New York.
- At age 19 Dulles taught at a missionary school in India; at 23 he was posted to Bern.
- On April 8, 1917, Dulles chose a tennis match over answering a call from someone who named himself Vladimir Lenin.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073148Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen the Spymaster Stumbled: Dulles, the Hotel Lobby Collision Three feet separated Allen Dulles and the exiled Shah of Iran in a Rome hotel lobby on August 18, 1953 - while the CIA-engineered coup to restore the Shah was still failing. How did the...
Three feet separated Allen Dulles and the exiled Shah of Iran in a Rome hotel lobby on August 18, 1953 - while the CIA-engineered coup to restore the Shah was still failing. How did the longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence end up accidentally face-to-face with the very man whose return he was secretly orchestrating, and what did he do next?

In this episode, we trace Dulles’s path from a Presbyterian parsonage in Watertown to clandestine rooms in Bern and a chance encounter in Rome, covering his family ties to American diplomacy, his missed call from Vladimir Lenin, and the covert operation burning through Tehran - all leading back to the question of how he used power when no one was watching.

Person: Allen Welsh Dulles
Date: August 18, 1953
Location: Hotel Lobby lobby, Rome
Event: CIA-engineered coup attempt in Iran
Birth Date: April 7, 1893

- Dulles stood three feet away from the Shah in a hotel lobby on August 18, 1953.
- The coup to restore the Shah had "just collapsed in its first attempt" while the meeting occurred.
- Dulles was born April 7, 1893, in Watertown, New York.
- At age 19 Dulles taught at a missionary school in India; at 23 he was posted to Bern.
- On April 8, 1917, Dulles chose a tennis match over answering a call from someone who named himself Vladimir Lenin.

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.]]>1347falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-released-a-germ-in-the-nyc-subway-no-one-was-told--73073145
A covert release of Bacillus subtilis var. niger into the New York City subway in June 1966 sent bacterial simulant into air currents used by millions - and internal documents later called the result capable of producing a "city-level epidemic." Who decided to run biological field trials beneath one of the world’s busiest transit systems, and why was no one in the city told?

In this episode, we present the documented record of Project 112 and the specific subway trial it ran in New York City, laying out where the program began, how it operated across countries, and what the internal conclusions were; what does the phrase "city-level epidemic" reveal about the program’s intent?

Project: Project 112
Date: June 1966
Location: New York City subway
Agent: Bacillus subtilis var. niger (simulant)
Scope: more than 50 documented trials

- On June 7, 1966 a technician dropped glass light bulbs filled with Bacillus subtilis var. niger onto subway tracks in New York City.
- The light bulbs shattered and dispersal occurred through train-induced air movement over three days with millions of riders exposed.
- Project 112 ran for over a decade and encompassed more than 50 documented trials across five countries.
- More than 18 documented trials used biological simulants and more than 14 used chemical agents including sarin, VX, and mustard gas.
- Internal documents concluded the subway release “would have produced a city-level epidemic” had a genuine pathogen been used.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073145Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Released a Germ in the NYC Subway - No One Was Told A covert release of Bacillus subtilis var. niger into the New York City subway in June 1966 sent bacterial simulant into air currents used by millions - and internal documents later called...
A covert release of Bacillus subtilis var. niger into the New York City subway in June 1966 sent bacterial simulant into air currents used by millions - and internal documents later called the result capable of producing a "city-level epidemic." Who decided to run biological field trials beneath one of the world’s busiest transit systems, and why was no one in the city told?

In this episode, we present the documented record of Project 112 and the specific subway trial it ran in New York City, laying out where the program began, how it operated across countries, and what the internal conclusions were; what does the phrase "city-level epidemic" reveal about the program’s intent?

Project: Project 112
Date: June 1966
Location: New York City subway
Agent: Bacillus subtilis var. niger (simulant)
Scope: more than 50 documented trials

- On June 7, 1966 a technician dropped glass light bulbs filled with Bacillus subtilis var. niger onto subway tracks in New York City.
- The light bulbs shattered and dispersal occurred through train-induced air movement over three days with millions of riders exposed.
- Project 112 ran for over a decade and encompassed more than 50 documented trials across five countries.
- More than 18 documented trials used biological simulants and more than 14 used chemical agents including sarin, VX, and mustard gas.
- Internal documents concluded the subway release “would have produced a city-level epidemic” had a genuine pathogen been used.

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.]]>1283falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-caltech-chemist-who-put-poison-on-a-prime-minister-s-toothbrush--73073142
A Caltech-educated biochemist carried a glass vial of lethal substance onto a Washington plane in 1960 with orders to target the Congo’s prime minister’s toothbrush - a plot recorded in the congressional record. How did a stuttering, folk-dancing gardener from the Bronx become the architect of MKUltra, and who paid the price for experiments done without consent?

In this episode, we trace the life and career of Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA’s Chief of the Chemical Division, and lay out what surviving files reveal about MKUltra, its approvals, and its human cost. What exactly did the documents show about the program’s methods and the people harmed?

Person: Sidney Gottlieb
Date: April 13, 1953
Event: Authorization of MKUltra
Location: Washington (plane departure) / Congo (target)
Education: PhD in Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology (June 1943)

- Gottlieb was born August 3, 1918, in the Bronx to parents Fanny and Louis Gottlieb.
- He completed his PhD at Caltech in June 1943; dissertation titled "Studies on a Growth Inhibitor in Guayule."
- Gottlieb was hired by the CIA on July 13, 1951, at age 32 as Chief of the Chemical Division.
- The April 13, 1953 memo co-signed by Richard Helms and Sidney Gottlieb authorized MKUltra.
- Files ordered destroyed in 1973; surviving materials persisted almost by accident and are documented in the congressional record.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073142Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Caltech Chemist Who Put Poison on a Prime Minister's Toothbrush A Caltech-educated biochemist carried a glass vial of lethal substance onto a Washington plane in 1960 with orders to target the Congo’s prime minister’s toothbrush - a plot...
A Caltech-educated biochemist carried a glass vial of lethal substance onto a Washington plane in 1960 with orders to target the Congo’s prime minister’s toothbrush - a plot recorded in the congressional record. How did a stuttering, folk-dancing gardener from the Bronx become the architect of MKUltra, and who paid the price for experiments done without consent?

In this episode, we trace the life and career of Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA’s Chief of the Chemical Division, and lay out what surviving files reveal about MKUltra, its approvals, and its human cost. What exactly did the documents show about the program’s methods and the people harmed?

Person: Sidney Gottlieb
Date: April 13, 1953
Event: Authorization of MKUltra
Location: Washington (plane departure) / Congo (target)
Education: PhD in Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology (June 1943)

- Gottlieb was born August 3, 1918, in the Bronx to parents Fanny and Louis Gottlieb.
- He completed his PhD at Caltech in June 1943; dissertation titled "Studies on a Growth Inhibitor in Guayule."
- Gottlieb was hired by the CIA on July 13, 1951, at age 32 as Chief of the Chemical Division.
- The April 13, 1953 memo co-signed by Richard Helms and Sidney Gottlieb authorized MKUltra.
- Files ordered destroyed in 1973; surviving materials persisted almost by accident and are documented in the congressional record.

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.]]>1348falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-built-a-gas-chamber-beneath-the-hospital-why-he-didn-t-flinch--73073141
A prosecutor asked a licensed physician in 1946 if it had never occurred to him that killing a human being was a terrible crime; the doctor answered no, calmly and without hesitation. Eduard Krebsbach built a gas chamber in the basement of the Mauthausen camp hospital and supervised methods that led to approximately 900 prisoner deaths - how did medical training and zeal transform into this clinical certainty?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Eduard Krebsbach, from his medical schooling to his wartime role, and outline how the hospital’s architecture and medical procedures were used to carry out killings; what drove a licensed physician to confirm at trial that prisoners unable to work and the incurably sick were to be killed?

Person: Eduard Krebsbach
Date of birth: 8 August 1894
Event: Construction of a gas chamber in the basement of the camp hospital
Location: Mauthausen concentration camp, Upper Austria
Count: Approximately 900 prisoners died under his supervision

- He became a licensed physician in 1919 at age 24 after completing medical school.
- He co-founded a branch of the Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund in Freiburg in 1919.
- He served in the Imperial German Army from 1914 to 1918 and received the Iron Cross, Second Class.
- He joined the SS in June 1933 with membership number 106821 and rejoined the Nazi Party in May 1937 with membership number 4,142,556.
- He arrived at Mauthausen in July 1941 and by autumn 1941 held the rank of Standortarzt (garrison doctor).

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073141Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Built a Gas Chamber Beneath the Hospital - Why He Didn't Flinch A prosecutor asked a licensed physician in 1946 if it had never occurred to him that killing a human being was a terrible crime; the doctor answered no, calmly and without...
A prosecutor asked a licensed physician in 1946 if it had never occurred to him that killing a human being was a terrible crime; the doctor answered no, calmly and without hesitation. Eduard Krebsbach built a gas chamber in the basement of the Mauthausen camp hospital and supervised methods that led to approximately 900 prisoner deaths - how did medical training and zeal transform into this clinical certainty?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Eduard Krebsbach, from his medical schooling to his wartime role, and outline how the hospital’s architecture and medical procedures were used to carry out killings; what drove a licensed physician to confirm at trial that prisoners unable to work and the incurably sick were to be killed?

Person: Eduard Krebsbach
Date of birth: 8 August 1894
Event: Construction of a gas chamber in the basement of the camp hospital
Location: Mauthausen concentration camp, Upper Austria
Count: Approximately 900 prisoners died under his supervision

- He became a licensed physician in 1919 at age 24 after completing medical school.
- He co-founded a branch of the Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund in Freiburg in 1919.
- He served in the Imperial German Army from 1914 to 1918 and received the Iron Cross, Second Class.
- He joined the SS in June 1933 with membership number 106821 and rejoined the Nazi Party in May 1937 with membership number 4,142,556.
- He arrived at Mauthausen in July 1941 and by autumn 1941 held the rank of Standortarzt (garrison doctor).

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.]]>1286falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-adjusted-the-pump-how-one-nurse-made-wards-quietly-deadly--73073139
Half the resuscitations and deaths on a cardiac ICU were happening on one nurse's shifts - 58% - and the hospital moved him, not to court. How did empty vials, a glowing reference letter, and a pattern of fatal timing let dozens of patients die before anyone acted?

In this episode, we trace the career moves, ward statistics, and specific incidents that link one nurse to a surge in deaths across two hospitals, and ask how institutional choices turned warning signs into cover. What series of decisions allowed the pattern to persist until prosecutors stepped in?

Person: Niels Högel
Date: June 22, 2005
Location: Delmenhorst Clinic; Oldenburg Clinic; Ward Two Eleven
Event: Court verdict in Oldenburg on June 6, 2019
Statistic: 58% of resuscitations and deaths on Ward Two Eleven occurred on Högel's shifts

- On August 2001 an internal meeting recorded that 58% of all resuscitations and patient deaths on Ward Two Eleven occurred during Högel's shifts.
- Three weeks after that meeting Högel called in sick and deaths on the ward fell to two during his absence.
- On October 10, 2002 the director of nursing at Oldenburg Clinic signed a professional reference describing Högel as "circumspect, diligent and autonomous."
- Four empty vials of ajmaline were found on Högel's ward at Delmenhorst with no prescription or documented physician order.
- On June 6, 2019 a court in Oldenburg issued a verdict that provided legal answers to 85 families.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073139Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Adjusted The Pump: How One Nurse Made Wards Quietly Deadly Half the resuscitations and deaths on a cardiac ICU were happening on one nurse's shifts - 58% - and the hospital moved him, not to court. How did empty vials, a glowing reference...
Half the resuscitations and deaths on a cardiac ICU were happening on one nurse's shifts - 58% - and the hospital moved him, not to court. How did empty vials, a glowing reference letter, and a pattern of fatal timing let dozens of patients die before anyone acted?

In this episode, we trace the career moves, ward statistics, and specific incidents that link one nurse to a surge in deaths across two hospitals, and ask how institutional choices turned warning signs into cover. What series of decisions allowed the pattern to persist until prosecutors stepped in?

Person: Niels Högel
Date: June 22, 2005
Location: Delmenhorst Clinic; Oldenburg Clinic; Ward Two Eleven
Event: Court verdict in Oldenburg on June 6, 2019
Statistic: 58% of resuscitations and deaths on Ward Two Eleven occurred on Högel's shifts

- On August 2001 an internal meeting recorded that 58% of all resuscitations and patient deaths on Ward Two Eleven occurred during Högel's shifts.
- Three weeks after that meeting Högel called in sick and deaths on the ward fell to two during his absence.
- On October 10, 2002 the director of nursing at Oldenburg Clinic signed a professional reference describing Högel as "circumspect, diligent and autonomous."
- Four empty vials of ajmaline were found on Högel's ward at Delmenhorst with no prescription or documented physician order.
- On June 6, 2019 a court in Oldenburg issued a verdict that provided legal answers to 85 families.

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.]]>1254falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-surgeon-who-kept-his-patients-bones-secrets-behind-the-jars--73073134
A routine audit in March 2019 found twenty small pots of human bone dated December 2018 in a Birmingham hospital - but those jars were only the beginning of a decades-long and undocumented practice. How did a decorated orthopaedic surgeon, celebrated for the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, come to retain pieces of patients for what he later said spanned twenty-five years?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries, the career milestones of the surgeon at the center, and the numbers that reframed a routine pathology audit into a national medical controversy - what really happened to the bodies placed in his care?

Person: Derek McMinn
Event: Audit found twenty pots of human bone in March 2019
Date: First Birmingham Hip Resurfacing implant July 1997
Approval: FDA approved Birmingham Hip Resurfacing on 9 May 2006
Claimed period: McMinn later claimed collecting tissue since 1994

- Twenty small pots of human bone were discovered during a routine audit at a Birmingham hospital in March 2019.
- The jars discovered were dated December 2018.
- Derek McMinn implanted the first Birmingham Hip Resurfacing device in July 1997.
- The FDA approved the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing on 9 May 2006.
- McMinn later disclosed in August 2019 that he had been collecting tissue since 1994, a period he claimed spanned twenty-five years.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073134Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Surgeon Who Kept His Patients' Bones: Secrets Behind the Jars A routine audit in March 2019 found twenty small pots of human bone dated December 2018 in a Birmingham hospital - but those jars were only the beginning of a decades-long and...
A routine audit in March 2019 found twenty small pots of human bone dated December 2018 in a Birmingham hospital - but those jars were only the beginning of a decades-long and undocumented practice. How did a decorated orthopaedic surgeon, celebrated for the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, come to retain pieces of patients for what he later said spanned twenty-five years?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries, the career milestones of the surgeon at the center, and the numbers that reframed a routine pathology audit into a national medical controversy - what really happened to the bodies placed in his care?

Person: Derek McMinn
Event: Audit found twenty pots of human bone in March 2019
Date: First Birmingham Hip Resurfacing implant July 1997
Approval: FDA approved Birmingham Hip Resurfacing on 9 May 2006
Claimed period: McMinn later claimed collecting tissue since 1994

- Twenty small pots of human bone were discovered during a routine audit at a Birmingham hospital in March 2019.
- The jars discovered were dated December 2018.
- Derek McMinn implanted the first Birmingham Hip Resurfacing device in July 1997.
- The FDA approved the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing on 9 May 2006.
- McMinn later disclosed in August 2019 that he had been collecting tissue since 1994, a period he claimed spanned twenty-five years.

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.]]>1302falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-syrup-that-silenced-twenty-children-dok-1-max-exposed--73073132
A trusted cough syrup on Uzbek shelves killed twenty children after it contained roughly 300 times the legal limit of toxic chemicals-diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol-and warnings sat unread in a government inbox for nearly two weeks. How did an ordinary over‑the‑counter remedy become a silent poison, and why did a written alert fail to stop the deaths?

In this episode, we tell what happened, who wrote the warning, how the supply chain and testing failures fit together, and why families had no way of knowing the danger on the label. What broke down between the clinic letter and the pharmacy shelves?

Person: Mamatqul Azizov
Person: Davronbek Jumaniozov
Product: Dok-1 Max
Manufacturer: Marion Biotech
Supplier: Maya Chemtech India

- Twenty children died after taking Dok-1 Max in late December 2022.
- The toxic contaminants (diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol) were present at about 300 times the legal limit.
- Dok-1 Max had been registered in 2006 and on Uzbek pharmacy shelves since 2012.
- The alert letter from Mamatqul Azizov was sent on December 15, 2022, and Dok-1 Max remained on shelves for 13 more days.
- Fifteen of the twenty deceased children were under three years old.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073132Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Syrup That Silenced Twenty Children: Dok-1 Max Exposed A trusted cough syrup on Uzbek shelves killed twenty children after it contained roughly 300 times the legal limit of toxic chemicals-diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol-and warnings sat...
A trusted cough syrup on Uzbek shelves killed twenty children after it contained roughly 300 times the legal limit of toxic chemicals-diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol-and warnings sat unread in a government inbox for nearly two weeks. How did an ordinary over‑the‑counter remedy become a silent poison, and why did a written alert fail to stop the deaths?

In this episode, we tell what happened, who wrote the warning, how the supply chain and testing failures fit together, and why families had no way of knowing the danger on the label. What broke down between the clinic letter and the pharmacy shelves?

Person: Mamatqul Azizov
Person: Davronbek Jumaniozov
Product: Dok-1 Max
Manufacturer: Marion Biotech
Supplier: Maya Chemtech India

- Twenty children died after taking Dok-1 Max in late December 2022.
- The toxic contaminants (diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol) were present at about 300 times the legal limit.
- Dok-1 Max had been registered in 2006 and on Uzbek pharmacy shelves since 2012.
- The alert letter from Mamatqul Azizov was sent on December 15, 2022, and Dok-1 Max remained on shelves for 13 more days.
- Fifteen of the twenty deceased children were under three years old.

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.]]>1239falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-the-brain-cheats-time-the-250ms-secret-of-speech--73073130
Every spoken sentence hides a 250-millisecond gap where the brain is quietly doing the impossible: overlapping what you just said with what you’re about to say. In experiments from late 1950s Leningrad, volunteers reliably shadowed speech with a 250 ms delay, while a subgroup with strong left-hemisphere dominance managed 150 ms - so what exactly is packed into that quarter-second?

In this episode, we present the original experiments by Ludmilla Chistovich and Valerij Kozhevnikov, the simple palate sensor and lip electrodes they used, and the surprising timing patterns that overturned linear models of speech processing - how consonants, vowels, and brain lateralization changed everything about the moment a word is formed.

Person: Ludmilla Chistovich
Person: Valerij Kozhevnikov
Date: late 1950s
Location: Leningrad
Method: palate sensor and lip electrodes

- Volunteers asked to listen and repeat showed a consistent shadowing delay of 250 milliseconds.
- A subset of participants with strong left-hemisphere language dominance shadowed at 150 milliseconds.
- The artificial palate clock started at the instant the tongue made contact with the roof of the mouth.
- Consonants registered faster than vowels across every participant and session.
- Vowel reaction time varied depending on the preceding consonant (e.g., faster after a hard stop than after a fricative).

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073130Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen the Brain Cheats Time: The 250ms Secret of Speech Every spoken sentence hides a 250-millisecond gap where the brain is quietly doing the impossible: overlapping what you just said with what you’re about to say. In experiments from late 1950s...
Every spoken sentence hides a 250-millisecond gap where the brain is quietly doing the impossible: overlapping what you just said with what you’re about to say. In experiments from late 1950s Leningrad, volunteers reliably shadowed speech with a 250 ms delay, while a subgroup with strong left-hemisphere dominance managed 150 ms - so what exactly is packed into that quarter-second?

In this episode, we present the original experiments by Ludmilla Chistovich and Valerij Kozhevnikov, the simple palate sensor and lip electrodes they used, and the surprising timing patterns that overturned linear models of speech processing - how consonants, vowels, and brain lateralization changed everything about the moment a word is formed.

Person: Ludmilla Chistovich
Person: Valerij Kozhevnikov
Date: late 1950s
Location: Leningrad
Method: palate sensor and lip electrodes

- Volunteers asked to listen and repeat showed a consistent shadowing delay of 250 milliseconds.
- A subset of participants with strong left-hemisphere language dominance shadowed at 150 milliseconds.
- The artificial palate clock started at the instant the tongue made contact with the roof of the mouth.
- Consonants registered faster than vowels across every participant and session.
- Vowel reaction time varied depending on the preceding consonant (e.g., faster after a hard stop than after a fricative).

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.]]>1331falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-were-measured-for-genius-still-watched-a-century-later--73073126
The filing cabinet full of detailed records on 1,444 children sat unlocked for decades, and more than 200 of those children were still enrolled in the study in 2003 - the study never closed. How did a project that began to prove inherited genius become a century-long experiment that shaped the lives it claimed merely to observe?

In this episode, we tell the story of a long-running study and the people it followed across lifetimes, showing what the data recorded, how the sample was selected, and the consequences of the researchers' ongoing interventions. What does a century of measurement reveal about intelligence when the act of measuring becomes a form of influence?

Person: Lewis Terman
Event: Genetic Studies of Genius (Termites study)
Date start: 1921
Sample size: 1,444 (expanded to 1,528 by 1928)
Demographics: 95-99% white, mostly upper- or middle-class Californians

- 1,444 children were initially enrolled after teacher nominations and intelligence testing in 1921.
- By 1928 the sample had expanded to 1,528 subjects born between 1900 and 1925.
- Between 95% and 99% of the participants were white and predominantly from upper- or middle-class families.
- In 2003, more than 200 original subjects, then in their eighties and nineties, remained enrolled in the study.
- Researchers recorded detailed measures including heights, eyesight scores, hobbies, parents' occupations, and number of books in the home.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073126Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Were Measured for Genius - Still Watched a Century Later The filing cabinet full of detailed records on 1,444 children sat unlocked for decades, and more than 200 of those children were still enrolled in the study in 2003 - the study never...
The filing cabinet full of detailed records on 1,444 children sat unlocked for decades, and more than 200 of those children were still enrolled in the study in 2003 - the study never closed. How did a project that began to prove inherited genius become a century-long experiment that shaped the lives it claimed merely to observe?

In this episode, we tell the story of a long-running study and the people it followed across lifetimes, showing what the data recorded, how the sample was selected, and the consequences of the researchers' ongoing interventions. What does a century of measurement reveal about intelligence when the act of measuring becomes a form of influence?

Person: Lewis Terman
Event: Genetic Studies of Genius (Termites study)
Date start: 1921
Sample size: 1,444 (expanded to 1,528 by 1928)
Demographics: 95-99% white, mostly upper- or middle-class Californians

- 1,444 children were initially enrolled after teacher nominations and intelligence testing in 1921.
- By 1928 the sample had expanded to 1,528 subjects born between 1900 and 1925.
- Between 95% and 99% of the participants were white and predominantly from upper- or middle-class families.
- In 2003, more than 200 original subjects, then in their eighties and nineties, remained enrolled in the study.
- Researchers recorded detailed measures including heights, eyesight scores, hobbies, parents' occupations, and number of books in the home.

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.]]>1341falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-drove-a-nail-into-a-child-then-sat-through-the-funeral--73073124
A ten-centimeter nail driven into a three-year-old's temple, and the killer sat through the funeral that same night - then walked away crying when the nail was removed. How did a string of public attacks, rescues by bystanders, and two-month stints in reformatories fail to stop a boy who would become Argentina's first documented serial killer?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of Cayetano Santos Godino's crimes and the social conditions that let them continue: his family's background, repeated attacks on toddlers, brief institutional responses, and the questions left by missing victims and official indifference. What pattern of neglect and social fear allowed these assaults to repeat for years?

Person: Cayetano Santos Godino
Date: October 31, 1896 (birth)
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Event: Nail driven into three-year-old Gesualdo Giordano on December 3, 1912
Case: First documented serial killer in Argentine investigations

- On December 3, 1912, three-year-old Gesualdo Giordano was found dead with a ten-centimeter nail driven into his temple.
- The killer attended the child's funeral that same night and walked away crying when someone removed the nail.
- On September 28, 1904, seven-year-old Godino attacked two-year-old Miguel Depaola; a police officer rescued Miguel and no formal action followed.
- On March 29, 1906, nine-year-old Godino strangled three-year-old María Rosa Face and buried her alive; her body was never recovered.
- Godino spent two months in a reformatory after María Rosa, then was returned to the same household and neighborhood where attacks resumed.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073124Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Drove a Nail Into a Child - Then Sat Through the Funeral A ten-centimeter nail driven into a three-year-old's temple, and the killer sat through the funeral that same night - then walked away crying when the nail was removed. How did a string of...
A ten-centimeter nail driven into a three-year-old's temple, and the killer sat through the funeral that same night - then walked away crying when the nail was removed. How did a string of public attacks, rescues by bystanders, and two-month stints in reformatories fail to stop a boy who would become Argentina's first documented serial killer?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of Cayetano Santos Godino's crimes and the social conditions that let them continue: his family's background, repeated attacks on toddlers, brief institutional responses, and the questions left by missing victims and official indifference. What pattern of neglect and social fear allowed these assaults to repeat for years?

Person: Cayetano Santos Godino
Date: October 31, 1896 (birth)
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Event: Nail driven into three-year-old Gesualdo Giordano on December 3, 1912
Case: First documented serial killer in Argentine investigations

- On December 3, 1912, three-year-old Gesualdo Giordano was found dead with a ten-centimeter nail driven into his temple.
- The killer attended the child's funeral that same night and walked away crying when someone removed the nail.
- On September 28, 1904, seven-year-old Godino attacked two-year-old Miguel Depaola; a police officer rescued Miguel and no formal action followed.
- On March 29, 1906, nine-year-old Godino strangled three-year-old María Rosa Face and buried her alive; her body was never recovered.
- Godino spent two months in a reformatory after María Rosa, then was returned to the same household and neighborhood where attacks resumed.

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.]]>1442falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-four-questions-became-a-global-law-the-five-safes-quiet-betrayal--73073123
A single civil servant wrote four questions on a desk in winter 2002 and those questions now underpin laws across two continents, shaping cancer research access and government data sharing. The framework began as training, not policy-so how did a classroom tool become embedded in legislation and later judged to have failed in 2025?

In this episode, we trace the origin and spread of the Five Safes, from a UK Office for National Statistics classroom to laws that govern patient and citizen data worldwide, and ask why the deliberately excluded question of Safe Data mattered enough to later condemn the legal structure.

Person: Felix Ritchie
Date: Winter 2002
Event: Creation of the Four Questions / Five Safes origin
Location: UK Office for National Statistics
Status: 2025 government review declared the law built around them had failed

- The original framework consisted of four dimensions: Safe Projects, Safe People, Safe Settings, and Safe Outputs.
- Safe Data was deliberately omitted inside the Virtual Microdata Laboratory because the other controls were judged sufficient.
- The Five Safes framework was first used in 2003 as part of a training course for researchers at the ONS.
- A similar idea, Chuck Humphrey’s "continuum of access," appeared in Canada in 2001 with no documented connection to Ritchie’s work.
- By 2025, the law built around the Five Safes had been embedded in three pieces of legislation across two continents and was judged to have failed.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073123Wed, 26 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow Four Questions Became a Global Law: The Five Safes' Quiet Betrayal A single civil servant wrote four questions on a desk in winter 2002 and those questions now underpin laws across two continents, shaping cancer research access and government...
A single civil servant wrote four questions on a desk in winter 2002 and those questions now underpin laws across two continents, shaping cancer research access and government data sharing. The framework began as training, not policy-so how did a classroom tool become embedded in legislation and later judged to have failed in 2025?

In this episode, we trace the origin and spread of the Five Safes, from a UK Office for National Statistics classroom to laws that govern patient and citizen data worldwide, and ask why the deliberately excluded question of Safe Data mattered enough to later condemn the legal structure.

Person: Felix Ritchie
Date: Winter 2002
Event: Creation of the Four Questions / Five Safes origin
Location: UK Office for National Statistics
Status: 2025 government review declared the law built around them had failed

- The original framework consisted of four dimensions: Safe Projects, Safe People, Safe Settings, and Safe Outputs.
- Safe Data was deliberately omitted inside the Virtual Microdata Laboratory because the other controls were judged sufficient.
- The Five Safes framework was first used in 2003 as part of a training course for researchers at the ONS.
- A similar idea, Chuck Humphrey’s "continuum of access," appeared in Canada in 2001 with no documented connection to Ritchie’s work.
- By 2025, the law built around the Five Safes had been embedded in three pieces of legislation across two continents and was judged to have failed.

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.]]>1260falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-let-mosquitoes-feed-on-prisoners-one-man-died-weeks-later--73073118
They photographed men in prison clothes holding out their arms while Anopheles mosquitoes fed on them and called it patriotism - yet days after high-dose compounds were given, one subject died. Who decided it was acceptable to infect inmates with the quinine-resistant Chesson strain of Plasmodium vivax, and what did “consent” mean inside Stateville’s walls?

In this episode, we tell the documented history of the Stateville malaria experiments conducted in 1944, describing who ran the studies, how subjects were recruited and paid, and how a prison became a laboratory - ending with the unresolved question of consent and accountability that followed the death.

Person: Alf Alving
Person: Nathan Leopold
Date: 1944
Location: Stateville Penitentiary, near Joliet, Illinois
Strain: Chesson strain of Plasmodium vivax

- Mosquito species used: Anopheles quadrimaculatus brought in and bred by University of Chicago doctors.
- Payment to subjects ranged from $25 to $100 each (roughly $460-$1,860 in today’s dollars).
- At least one subject received a high dose of an untested compound and died days later.
- Researchers selected exclusively white male prisoners serving long sentences to create a “controllable” study population.
- Subjects were told participation would be considered during parole evaluations as an incentive to enroll.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073118Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Let Mosquitoes Feed on Prisoners - One Man Died Weeks Later They photographed men in prison clothes holding out their arms while Anopheles mosquitoes fed on them and called it patriotism - yet days after high-dose compounds were given, one...
They photographed men in prison clothes holding out their arms while Anopheles mosquitoes fed on them and called it patriotism - yet days after high-dose compounds were given, one subject died. Who decided it was acceptable to infect inmates with the quinine-resistant Chesson strain of Plasmodium vivax, and what did “consent” mean inside Stateville’s walls?

In this episode, we tell the documented history of the Stateville malaria experiments conducted in 1944, describing who ran the studies, how subjects were recruited and paid, and how a prison became a laboratory - ending with the unresolved question of consent and accountability that followed the death.

Person: Alf Alving
Person: Nathan Leopold
Date: 1944
Location: Stateville Penitentiary, near Joliet, Illinois
Strain: Chesson strain of Plasmodium vivax

- Mosquito species used: Anopheles quadrimaculatus brought in and bred by University of Chicago doctors.
- Payment to subjects ranged from $25 to $100 each (roughly $460-$1,860 in today’s dollars).
- At least one subject received a high dose of an untested compound and died days later.
- Researchers selected exclusively white male prisoners serving long sentences to create a “controllable” study population.
- Subjects were told participation would be considered during parole evaluations as an incentive to enroll.

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.]]>1258falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/her-cells-their-profit-the-secret-life-of-hela-bodies--73073115
A chilling medical milestone began with one unconsenting biopsy in 1951 and turned a young mother's cells into an immortal commodity; those HeLa cells still divide in labs worldwide - but her family went seventy-two years before hearing any legal acknowledgment. How did a single sample become indispensable to science while remaining hidden from the person it came from and her descendants?

In this episode, we tell the chain of events connecting a 1951 hospital visit to centuries of exploitation, tracing how Henrietta Lacks’s cells became the HeLa cell line and how similar patterns of using Black bodies without consent stretch back to earlier abuses. What does the history of those cells reveal about consent, profit, and medical authority?

Person: Henrietta Lacks
Date: 1951
Location: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
Event: Biopsy taken that produced HeLa cell line
Period: Seventeenth to twentieth centuries (historical background)

- Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five and died in October 1951 in her early thirties.
- Her tumor cells were sent to Dr. George Gey, who successfully grew cells that never died and named them HeLa.
- Seventy-two years passed between the biopsy and any legal acknowledgment to Lacks’s family.
- Sarah Baartman was exhibited in Europe for approximately five years and died in 1815; her body parts were preserved and displayed afterward.
- James Marion Sims performed repeated experimental surgeries without anesthesia on enslaved women named Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey in the 1840s.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073115Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaHer Cells, Their Profit: The Secret Life of HeLa Bodies A chilling medical milestone began with one unconsenting biopsy in 1951 and turned a young mother's cells into an immortal commodity; those HeLa cells still divide in labs worldwide - but her...
A chilling medical milestone began with one unconsenting biopsy in 1951 and turned a young mother's cells into an immortal commodity; those HeLa cells still divide in labs worldwide - but her family went seventy-two years before hearing any legal acknowledgment. How did a single sample become indispensable to science while remaining hidden from the person it came from and her descendants?

In this episode, we tell the chain of events connecting a 1951 hospital visit to centuries of exploitation, tracing how Henrietta Lacks’s cells became the HeLa cell line and how similar patterns of using Black bodies without consent stretch back to earlier abuses. What does the history of those cells reveal about consent, profit, and medical authority?

Person: Henrietta Lacks
Date: 1951
Location: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
Event: Biopsy taken that produced HeLa cell line
Period: Seventeenth to twentieth centuries (historical background)

- Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five and died in October 1951 in her early thirties.
- Her tumor cells were sent to Dr. George Gey, who successfully grew cells that never died and named them HeLa.
- Seventy-two years passed between the biopsy and any legal acknowledgment to Lacks’s family.
- Sarah Baartman was exhibited in Europe for approximately five years and died in 1815; her body parts were preserved and displayed afterward.
- James Marion Sims performed repeated experimental surgeries without anesthesia on enslaved women named Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey in the 1840s.

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.]]>1202falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-the-u-s-watched-men-die-the-belmont-report-s-origin-story--73073114
The United States government knowingly withheld an effective treatment for forty years while watching Black men die of syphilis, and that official decision directly produced the Belmont Report - a document born from four days in a converted mansion that still governs human research today. How did decades of deliberate harm collapse into a four-day conversation that reshaped research ethics forever?

In this episode, we trace the chain of events from the 1932 Public Health Service study in Tuskegee to the 1976 meeting at the Belmont Report Center, detailing the decisions, the dates, and the people that turned systemic failure into a guiding moral framework. What exactly did the commission decide during those four days that made principles, not rules, the backbone of modern human-subject protections?

Person: Public Health Service
Event: Tuskegee syphilis study began in 1932
Date: Study ran until 1972
Location: Belmont Report Center, Elkridge, Maryland
Period: Four-day commission meeting in February 1976

- 1932: The Public Health Service launched the Tuskegee syphilis study to observe untreated syphilis.
- 1940s: Penicillin became a reliable, effective treatment for syphilis but was not given to study subjects.
- 1972: The Tuskegee study was exposed and terminated after running for forty years.
- July 12, 1974: President Nixon signed the National Research Act creating the National Commission.
- Four days in February 1976: Eleven commissioners met at Belmont and articulated three principles - Respect for Persons, Beneficence, Justice.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073114Sun, 23 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow the U.S. Watched Men Die: The Belmont Report's Origin Story The United States government knowingly withheld an effective treatment for forty years while watching Black men die of syphilis, and that official decision directly produced the...
The United States government knowingly withheld an effective treatment for forty years while watching Black men die of syphilis, and that official decision directly produced the Belmont Report - a document born from four days in a converted mansion that still governs human research today. How did decades of deliberate harm collapse into a four-day conversation that reshaped research ethics forever?

In this episode, we trace the chain of events from the 1932 Public Health Service study in Tuskegee to the 1976 meeting at the Belmont Report Center, detailing the decisions, the dates, and the people that turned systemic failure into a guiding moral framework. What exactly did the commission decide during those four days that made principles, not rules, the backbone of modern human-subject protections?

Person: Public Health Service
Event: Tuskegee syphilis study began in 1932
Date: Study ran until 1972
Location: Belmont Report Center, Elkridge, Maryland
Period: Four-day commission meeting in February 1976

- 1932: The Public Health Service launched the Tuskegee syphilis study to observe untreated syphilis.
- 1940s: Penicillin became a reliable, effective treatment for syphilis but was not given to study subjects.
- 1972: The Tuskegee study was exposed and terminated after running for forty years.
- July 12, 1974: President Nixon signed the National Research Act creating the National Commission.
- Four days in February 1976: Eleven commissioners met at Belmont and articulated three principles - Respect for Persons, Beneficence, Justice.

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.]]>1243falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-cut-more-than-a-lesion-the-doctor-who-ignored-warnings--73073112
The image of a routine twenty-minute lesion removal turning into an unauthorized clitoridectomy grips with a visible cruelty: thirty-five formal complaints, a five-year ban from obstetrics, and a woman who was anesthetized before she could refuse. How did a doctor with a documented prohibition back on duty in underserved NSW towns and performing a procedure without informed consent?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events as recorded in hospital files, complaint records, and court proceedings, tracing how warnings were documented and yet ignored - and asking how institutional checks failed Carolyn and others.

Person: Graeme Stephen Reeves
Date of birth: 1949
Event: Prohibition from practicing obstetrics (Professional Standards Committee order, August 1997)
Complaints: Thirty-five formal complaints filed between 1986 and 2001
Victim: Carolyn DeWaegeneire - lesion removed and clitoridectomy performed without informed consent

- Reeves was appointed visiting medical officer at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital on 20 December 1985.
- From June 1986 onward, thirty-five complaints were filed by doctors, nurses, midwives, and patients.
- In May 1996 a patient died of septicemia at The Hills Private Hospital after Reeves withheld antibiotics, prompting suspension of privileges.
- In August 1997 the Professional Standards Committee prohibited Reeves from practicing obstetrics.
- In April 2002 a hiring reference check discovered the 1997 restriction, but the contract to work in Pambula and Bega had already been processed.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073112Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Cut More Than a Lesion: The Doctor Who Ignored Warnings The image of a routine twenty-minute lesion removal turning into an unauthorized clitoridectomy grips with a visible cruelty: thirty-five formal complaints, a five-year ban from obstetrics,...
The image of a routine twenty-minute lesion removal turning into an unauthorized clitoridectomy grips with a visible cruelty: thirty-five formal complaints, a five-year ban from obstetrics, and a woman who was anesthetized before she could refuse. How did a doctor with a documented prohibition back on duty in underserved NSW towns and performing a procedure without informed consent?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events as recorded in hospital files, complaint records, and court proceedings, tracing how warnings were documented and yet ignored - and asking how institutional checks failed Carolyn and others.

Person: Graeme Stephen Reeves
Date of birth: 1949
Event: Prohibition from practicing obstetrics (Professional Standards Committee order, August 1997)
Complaints: Thirty-five formal complaints filed between 1986 and 2001
Victim: Carolyn DeWaegeneire - lesion removed and clitoridectomy performed without informed consent

- Reeves was appointed visiting medical officer at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital on 20 December 1985.
- From June 1986 onward, thirty-five complaints were filed by doctors, nurses, midwives, and patients.
- In May 1996 a patient died of septicemia at The Hills Private Hospital after Reeves withheld antibiotics, prompting suspension of privileges.
- In August 1997 the Professional Standards Committee prohibited Reeves from practicing obstetrics.
- In April 2002 a hiring reference check discovered the 1997 restriction, but the contract to work in Pambula and Bega had already been processed.

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.]]>1173falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-used-his-own-sperm-94-children-a-doctor-s-secret-revealed--73073108
A voicemail under three minutes upended decades of trust: a fertility doctor admitted to using his own sperm to inseminate patients and later asked his biological daughter to help save his marriage - raising the question of how 94 children went undetected for years. How could a trusted physician, with credentials from Indiana University and a clinic in Indianapolis, evade legal accountability while so many families remained unaware?

In this episode, we tell the story of what happened at an Indianapolis fertility clinic, how consumer DNA testing cracked the case, and why state law failed to name the harm - asking whether justice can catch up to a secret revealed by a $29 test.

Person: Donald Lee Cline
Date: born December 10, 1938
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Event: donor insemination using doctor's sperm between ~1974 and ~1987
Case: first formal complaint filed 2015 after consumer DNA matches

- 94 children were fathered by the doctor according to evidence from donor procedures between approximately 1974 and 1987.
- The doctor opened his clinic in 1979 at 2020 West 86th Street and practiced for 30 years, retiring in 2009.
- A consumer DNA kit purchased in 2014 for about $29 produced eight initial half-sibling matches for Jacoba Ballard.
- The Indiana Attorney General's office reviewed a 2015 complaint and concluded there was no applicable law to charge the doctor.
- In a voicemail lasting less than three minutes, the doctor admitted he had used his own sperm "nine or ten times" and said he thought he was "doing the right thing."

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073108Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Used His Own Sperm: 94 Children, A Doctor's Secret Revealed A voicemail under three minutes upended decades of trust: a fertility doctor admitted to using his own sperm to inseminate patients and later asked his biological daughter to help save...
A voicemail under three minutes upended decades of trust: a fertility doctor admitted to using his own sperm to inseminate patients and later asked his biological daughter to help save his marriage - raising the question of how 94 children went undetected for years. How could a trusted physician, with credentials from Indiana University and a clinic in Indianapolis, evade legal accountability while so many families remained unaware?

In this episode, we tell the story of what happened at an Indianapolis fertility clinic, how consumer DNA testing cracked the case, and why state law failed to name the harm - asking whether justice can catch up to a secret revealed by a $29 test.

Person: Donald Lee Cline
Date: born December 10, 1938
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Event: donor insemination using doctor's sperm between ~1974 and ~1987
Case: first formal complaint filed 2015 after consumer DNA matches

- 94 children were fathered by the doctor according to evidence from donor procedures between approximately 1974 and 1987.
- The doctor opened his clinic in 1979 at 2020 West 86th Street and practiced for 30 years, retiring in 2009.
- A consumer DNA kit purchased in 2014 for about $29 produced eight initial half-sibling matches for Jacoba Ballard.
- The Indiana Attorney General's office reviewed a 2015 complaint and concluded there was no applicable law to charge the doctor.
- In a voicemail lasting less than three minutes, the doctor admitted he had used his own sperm "nine or ten times" and said he thought he was "doing the right thing."

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.]]>1190falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/residents-die-after-paying-her-the-amy-archer-gilligan-case--73073105
Danger hid behind warmth: a trusted caretaker called "Sister Amy" collected extra payments and within weeks residents were dead - sixty people in roughly ten years at a home that rarely held more than a dozen. How did families accept gastric ulcers and acute bilious attacks while a pattern of payments preceded deaths, and who finally noticed?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events and documented facts about Amy Archer-Gilligan's life, family, and the Archer Home for the Elderly and Infirm, following the trail from household care to suspicious mortality and the sister whose letters started the inquiry. Will the pattern of payments and timing of deaths explain what authorities initially missed?

Person: Amy Archer-Gilligan
Date: May 29, 1914
Location: Windsor, Connecticut
Event: Sixty deaths at the Archer Home between 1907 and 1916
Case: Letters by Nellie Pierce prompting investigation

- On May 29, 1914, Franklin Andrews was healthy in the morning planting in the garden and dead that evening; cause recorded as gastric ulcer.
- Amy Archer-Gilligan was born October 31, 1873, in Milton, Connecticut, as Amy Duggan and was the eighth of ten children.
- The Archer Home had twelve deaths from 1907-1910 and forty-eight deaths from 1911-1916, totaling sixty deaths in roughly ten years.
- Amy took out a life insurance policy on James Archer shortly before his death in 1910; his recorded cause was Bright's disease.
- Michael W. Gilligan died February 20, 1914, three months after marrying Amy; his cause was listed as an acute bilious attack and his will was later found to be forged.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073105Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaResidents Die After Paying Her: The Amy Archer-Gilligan Case Danger hid behind warmth: a trusted caretaker called "Sister Amy" collected extra payments and within weeks residents were dead - sixty people in roughly ten years at a home that rarely...
Danger hid behind warmth: a trusted caretaker called "Sister Amy" collected extra payments and within weeks residents were dead - sixty people in roughly ten years at a home that rarely held more than a dozen. How did families accept gastric ulcers and acute bilious attacks while a pattern of payments preceded deaths, and who finally noticed?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events and documented facts about Amy Archer-Gilligan's life, family, and the Archer Home for the Elderly and Infirm, following the trail from household care to suspicious mortality and the sister whose letters started the inquiry. Will the pattern of payments and timing of deaths explain what authorities initially missed?

Person: Amy Archer-Gilligan
Date: May 29, 1914
Location: Windsor, Connecticut
Event: Sixty deaths at the Archer Home between 1907 and 1916
Case: Letters by Nellie Pierce prompting investigation

- On May 29, 1914, Franklin Andrews was healthy in the morning planting in the garden and dead that evening; cause recorded as gastric ulcer.
- Amy Archer-Gilligan was born October 31, 1873, in Milton, Connecticut, as Amy Duggan and was the eighth of ten children.
- The Archer Home had twelve deaths from 1907-1910 and forty-eight deaths from 1911-1916, totaling sixty deaths in roughly ten years.
- Amy took out a life insurance policy on James Archer shortly before his death in 1910; his recorded cause was Bright's disease.
- Michael W. Gilligan died February 20, 1914, three months after marrying Amy; his cause was listed as an acute bilious attack and his will was later found to be forged.

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.]]>1112falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-deleted-40-of-trial-data-did-a-scientist-trade-memory-for-fame--73073104
A celebrated neuroscientist and Olympic silver medalist removed data from 40% of trial volunteers after learning who got the drug and who got the placebo, leaving Phase Two results that investors, regulators, and families relied on. How did a career that produced Olympic medals, a Cambridge PhD, and papers in The Journal of Neuroscience end with retractions and federal charges?

In this episode, we tell the story of Lindsay H. Burns and the sequence of events around simufilam that led to SEC filings, DOJ indictments, and resignations, and ask whether ambition, loyalty, or scientific misconduct explains the missing data and altered record.

Person: Lindsay H. Burns
Event: Removal of data from 40% of trial volunteers
Company: Cassava Sciences
Drug: simufilam (formerly PTI-125)
Filing: SEC filing in September 2024; DOJ indictment reported three months earlier

- Burns removed data from forty percent of the trial volunteers after she learned treatment assignments.
- Two months before the SEC filing, Hoau-Yan Wang was indicted for allegedly falsifying data on $16,000,000 in NIH grant applications.
- Burns and Cassava founder Remi Barbier resigned from Cassava the same day Wang’s indictment was reported.
- Every paper co-authored by Burns and Wang on the drug now carries either a retraction or an expression of concern.
- Simufilam had reached Phase Two trials by 2022, with Phase Two results informing investors, regulators, and families.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073104Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Deleted 40% of Trial Data - Did a Scientist Trade Memory for Fame? A celebrated neuroscientist and Olympic silver medalist removed data from 40% of trial volunteers after learning who got the drug and who got the placebo, leaving Phase Two...
A celebrated neuroscientist and Olympic silver medalist removed data from 40% of trial volunteers after learning who got the drug and who got the placebo, leaving Phase Two results that investors, regulators, and families relied on. How did a career that produced Olympic medals, a Cambridge PhD, and papers in The Journal of Neuroscience end with retractions and federal charges?

In this episode, we tell the story of Lindsay H. Burns and the sequence of events around simufilam that led to SEC filings, DOJ indictments, and resignations, and ask whether ambition, loyalty, or scientific misconduct explains the missing data and altered record.

Person: Lindsay H. Burns
Event: Removal of data from 40% of trial volunteers
Company: Cassava Sciences
Drug: simufilam (formerly PTI-125)
Filing: SEC filing in September 2024; DOJ indictment reported three months earlier

- Burns removed data from forty percent of the trial volunteers after she learned treatment assignments.
- Two months before the SEC filing, Hoau-Yan Wang was indicted for allegedly falsifying data on $16,000,000 in NIH grant applications.
- Burns and Cassava founder Remi Barbier resigned from Cassava the same day Wang’s indictment was reported.
- Every paper co-authored by Burns and Wang on the drug now carries either a retraction or an expression of concern.
- Simufilam had reached Phase Two trials by 2022, with Phase Two results informing investors, regulators, and families.

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.]]>1213falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/thud-the-fake-patients-who-broke-psychiatry-s-trust--73073101
A Stanford psychologist walked into a psychiatric hospital in 1972, said one word-“thud”-and did not leave for nearly two months; his claim that eight healthy people were admitted across twelve hospitals would later reshape how diagnosis was seen, but new papers reopened doubts about what actually happened. How could trained staff miss voices that were faked and interpret ordinary actions as symptoms?

In this episode, we tell what the experiment reported and what it documents about hospitals, staff, and diagnosis, and we ask whether the record supports the conclusions Rosenhan published in 1973.

Person: David Rosenhan
Date: 1972
Event: Pseudopatient admissions across twelve hospitals
Publication: Science, 1973
Symptom reported: voices saying “empty,” “hollow,” “thud”

- Eight pseudopatients were recruited and presented only one false symptom: hearing voices that said “empty,” “hollow,” and “thud.”
- All eight pseudopatients were admitted to hospitals; seven were diagnosed with schizophrenia and one with manic-depressive psychosis.
- The twelve hospitals included underfunded rural public facilities, urban hospitals with academic reputations, and one private institution.
- Rosenhan remained inside a ward for close to two months while recording observations and ceased reporting symptoms after admission.
- The study reported that patients on the wards averaged 6.8 minutes of meaningful contact with doctors per day.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073101Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThud: The Fake Patients Who Broke Psychiatry's Trust A Stanford psychologist walked into a psychiatric hospital in 1972, said one word-“thud”-and did not leave for nearly two months; his claim that eight healthy people were admitted across twelve...
A Stanford psychologist walked into a psychiatric hospital in 1972, said one word-“thud”-and did not leave for nearly two months; his claim that eight healthy people were admitted across twelve hospitals would later reshape how diagnosis was seen, but new papers reopened doubts about what actually happened. How could trained staff miss voices that were faked and interpret ordinary actions as symptoms?

In this episode, we tell what the experiment reported and what it documents about hospitals, staff, and diagnosis, and we ask whether the record supports the conclusions Rosenhan published in 1973.

Person: David Rosenhan
Date: 1972
Event: Pseudopatient admissions across twelve hospitals
Publication: Science, 1973
Symptom reported: voices saying “empty,” “hollow,” “thud”

- Eight pseudopatients were recruited and presented only one false symptom: hearing voices that said “empty,” “hollow,” and “thud.”
- All eight pseudopatients were admitted to hospitals; seven were diagnosed with schizophrenia and one with manic-depressive psychosis.
- The twelve hospitals included underfunded rural public facilities, urban hospitals with academic reputations, and one private institution.
- Rosenhan remained inside a ward for close to two months while recording observations and ceased reporting symptoms after admission.
- The study reported that patients on the wards averaged 6.8 minutes of meaningful contact with doctors per day.

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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.]]>1269falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-man-who-despised-franklin-lent-him-a-book-and-became-his-closest-friend--73073100
A rare book, a grudging loan, and a political enemy transformed into an enduring friend - all because a man asked a favor. This episode reveals how one small request in a colonial assembly hall, described in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, maps onto decades of experiments that suggest asking someone for a favor can make them like you more - but why did the same action fail if an intermediary handled the exchange?

In this episode, we trace Franklin’s story and modern laboratory replications to show what happened, how researchers recreated the moment in 1969, and the competing psychological explanations that followed. Which mechanism explains why a direct favor can change feelings while the same favor given through a secretary does not?

Person: Benjamin Franklin
Event: book loan in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly
Source: Franklin's autobiography
Study: Jecker and Landy, 1969 laboratory replication
Research question: direct request versus intermediary effect

- Franklin borrowed a "very scarce and curious" book from an assemblyman and returned it after roughly one week.
- After returning the book with a note of thanks, the assemblyman approached Franklin civilly for the first time and they became friends until the man's death.
- Jecker and Landy's 1969 experiment used a knowledge competition with real money and three conditions: researcher request, secretary request, and no request.
- Participants who returned money directly to the researcher rated him highest in liking; those who handed money to a secretary rated him lowest; those who kept the money rated him in between.
- Yu Niiya proposed that a direct request signals vulnerability and trust, explaining why the intermediary erased the liking effect.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073100Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaA man who despised Franklin lent him a book - and became his closest friend A rare book, a grudging loan, and a political enemy transformed into an enduring friend - all because a man asked a favor. This episode reveals how one small request in a...
A rare book, a grudging loan, and a political enemy transformed into an enduring friend - all because a man asked a favor. This episode reveals how one small request in a colonial assembly hall, described in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, maps onto decades of experiments that suggest asking someone for a favor can make them like you more - but why did the same action fail if an intermediary handled the exchange?

In this episode, we trace Franklin’s story and modern laboratory replications to show what happened, how researchers recreated the moment in 1969, and the competing psychological explanations that followed. Which mechanism explains why a direct favor can change feelings while the same favor given through a secretary does not?

Person: Benjamin Franklin
Event: book loan in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly
Source: Franklin's autobiography
Study: Jecker and Landy, 1969 laboratory replication
Research question: direct request versus intermediary effect

- Franklin borrowed a "very scarce and curious" book from an assemblyman and returned it after roughly one week.
- After returning the book with a note of thanks, the assemblyman approached Franklin civilly for the first time and they became friends until the man's death.
- Jecker and Landy's 1969 experiment used a knowledge competition with real money and three conditions: researcher request, secretary request, and no request.
- Participants who returned money directly to the researcher rated him highest in liking; those who handed money to a secretary rated him lowest; those who kept the money rated him in between.
- Yu Niiya proposed that a direct request signals vulnerability and trust, explaining why the intermediary erased the liking effect.

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.]]>1045falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hidden-files-how-u-s-doctors-infected-guatemala-s-prisoners--73073099
A historian accidentally uncovered files showing that between 1946 and 1948 U.S. researchers deliberately infected confined patients in Guatemala with gonorrhea and syphilis - a program affecting about 1,500 people and kept hidden in plain sight for sixty-two years. How did records like these survive untouched while no institution ever disclosed them, and what does that say about the system that made the experiments possible?

In this episode, we walk through the archive discovery, the methods used to infect and spread disease among psychiatric patients who could not consent, and the broader pattern of experiments that targeted people stripped of the ability to refuse. What links Guatemala’s program to other mid-century human experiments, and why did accountability never arrive?

Person: Susan Reverby
Date: 1946-1948
Location: Guatemala National Mental Health Hospital
Topic: Deliberate infection with gonorrhea and syphilis
Scale: Approximately 1,500 patients

- A historian found the program files in 2010 while researching a different experiment.
- The program ran for two years, from 1946 through 1948.
- Researchers deliberately infected psychiatric patients by injection and by encouraging transmission between patients.
- The U.S. government funded and directed the program while the Guatemalan government cooperated.
- The files remained undiscovered and unreported for sixty-two years.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073099Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Hidden Files: How U.S. Doctors Infected Guatemala's Prisoners A historian accidentally uncovered files showing that between 1946 and 1948 U.S. researchers deliberately infected confined patients in Guatemala with gonorrhea and syphilis - a...
A historian accidentally uncovered files showing that between 1946 and 1948 U.S. researchers deliberately infected confined patients in Guatemala with gonorrhea and syphilis - a program affecting about 1,500 people and kept hidden in plain sight for sixty-two years. How did records like these survive untouched while no institution ever disclosed them, and what does that say about the system that made the experiments possible?

In this episode, we walk through the archive discovery, the methods used to infect and spread disease among psychiatric patients who could not consent, and the broader pattern of experiments that targeted people stripped of the ability to refuse. What links Guatemala’s program to other mid-century human experiments, and why did accountability never arrive?

Person: Susan Reverby
Date: 1946-1948
Location: Guatemala National Mental Health Hospital
Topic: Deliberate infection with gonorrhea and syphilis
Scale: Approximately 1,500 patients

- A historian found the program files in 2010 while researching a different experiment.
- The program ran for two years, from 1946 through 1948.
- Researchers deliberately infected psychiatric patients by injection and by encouraging transmission between patients.
- The U.S. government funded and directed the program while the Guatemalan government cooperated.
- The files remained undiscovered and unreported for sixty-two years.

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.]]>1271falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/passport-to-arlene-the-hidden-trips-of-candy-jones--73073098
A famous model woke to find a passport in another name tucked beneath a wig - and a phone message booking a Tokyo flight for someone called Cynthia who did not exist. The documents are real, the hypnotic tapes record an alternate personality named Arlene, and Congress later confirmed a program like the one she described; what did those hidden trips actually involve?

In this episode, we present the life and strange claims of Candy Jones, tracing her career, her hypnotic sessions recorded by her husband, and the documents that contradict her conscious memory - could a passport and recorded testimony reveal covert travel she could not recall?

Person: Jessica Arline Wilcox (Candy Jones)
Date: December 31, 1925 (birth)
Event: USO tour to the Philippines (1945)
Person: Long John Nebel (husband and recording host)
Case: Passport issued in the name Arlene Grant

- Candy Jones appeared on eleven magazine covers in a single month in 1943.
- A phone message on July 3, 1973 reserved Flight 5, Kennedy to Tokyo, departing July 6, with an onward option to Taipei, for a caller identifying as Cynthia.
- A passport bearing Candy Jones’s photo but issued in the name Arlene Grant was found in her apartment.
- Jessica Arline Wilcox was born on December 31, 1925 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
- Hundreds of hours of hypnotic sessions were recorded by her husband, documenting an alternate personality called Arlene.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073098Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaPassport to Arlene: The Hidden Trips of Candy Jones A famous model woke to find a passport in another name tucked beneath a wig - and a phone message booking a Tokyo flight for someone called Cynthia who did not exist. The documents are real, the...
A famous model woke to find a passport in another name tucked beneath a wig - and a phone message booking a Tokyo flight for someone called Cynthia who did not exist. The documents are real, the hypnotic tapes record an alternate personality named Arlene, and Congress later confirmed a program like the one she described; what did those hidden trips actually involve?

In this episode, we present the life and strange claims of Candy Jones, tracing her career, her hypnotic sessions recorded by her husband, and the documents that contradict her conscious memory - could a passport and recorded testimony reveal covert travel she could not recall?

Person: Jessica Arline Wilcox (Candy Jones)
Date: December 31, 1925 (birth)
Event: USO tour to the Philippines (1945)
Person: Long John Nebel (husband and recording host)
Case: Passport issued in the name Arlene Grant

- Candy Jones appeared on eleven magazine covers in a single month in 1943.
- A phone message on July 3, 1973 reserved Flight 5, Kennedy to Tokyo, departing July 6, with an onward option to Taipei, for a caller identifying as Cynthia.
- A passport bearing Candy Jones’s photo but issued in the name Arlene Grant was found in her apartment.
- Jessica Arline Wilcox was born on December 31, 1925 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
- Hundreds of hours of hypnotic sessions were recorded by her husband, documenting an alternate personality called Arlene.

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.]]>1333falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-jumped-with-a-dead-glove-surviving-the-edge-of-space--73073097
Nineteen miles above New Mexico the sky goes black and the Earth curves; Captain Joseph Kittinger stood in an open gondola with a numb, swollen right hand because his glove’s pressure seal had failed - and he told no one on the ground. How far will a man push himself and his team’s mission when the only thing between success and death is what he chooses to reveal?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of Project Excelsior’s tests and Kittinger’s three high-altitude jumps, outlining the technical fixes, the near-fatal spin in Excelsior I, and the silence about his failed glove that shaped the final record-setting leap. What did the Air Force need proved, and what did Kittinger calculate when he stepped into near-vacuum?

Person: Joseph Kittinger
Event: Excelsior III jump
Date: August 16, 1960
Altitude: 102,800 feet
Program: Project Excelsior

- The balloon carried approximately three million cubic feet of helium and stood nearly 200 feet tall.
- Kittinger’s ascent to 102,800 feet took one hour and thirty-one minutes in an open gondola.
- On November 16, 1959 (Excelsior I) he entered a 120 rpm spin and lost consciousness before the automatic main parachute opened at 10,000 feet.
- Excelsior II on December 11, 1959 launched from 74,700 feet and resulted in a 55,000-foot free fall with a safe landing.
- Project Excelsior’s earlier record to beat was 101,516 feet set in 1957 by Major David Simons.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073097Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Jumped with a Dead Glove: Surviving the Edge of Space Nineteen miles above New Mexico the sky goes black and the Earth curves; Captain Joseph Kittinger stood in an open gondola with a numb, swollen right hand because his glove’s pressure seal...
Nineteen miles above New Mexico the sky goes black and the Earth curves; Captain Joseph Kittinger stood in an open gondola with a numb, swollen right hand because his glove’s pressure seal had failed - and he told no one on the ground. How far will a man push himself and his team’s mission when the only thing between success and death is what he chooses to reveal?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of Project Excelsior’s tests and Kittinger’s three high-altitude jumps, outlining the technical fixes, the near-fatal spin in Excelsior I, and the silence about his failed glove that shaped the final record-setting leap. What did the Air Force need proved, and what did Kittinger calculate when he stepped into near-vacuum?

Person: Joseph Kittinger
Event: Excelsior III jump
Date: August 16, 1960
Altitude: 102,800 feet
Program: Project Excelsior

- The balloon carried approximately three million cubic feet of helium and stood nearly 200 feet tall.
- Kittinger’s ascent to 102,800 feet took one hour and thirty-one minutes in an open gondola.
- On November 16, 1959 (Excelsior I) he entered a 120 rpm spin and lost consciousness before the automatic main parachute opened at 10,000 feet.
- Excelsior II on December 11, 1959 launched from 74,700 feet and resulted in a 55,000-foot free fall with a safe landing.
- Project Excelsior’s earlier record to beat was 101,516 feet set in 1957 by Major David Simons.

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.]]>1157falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-wore-boots-laced-with-fungi-no-one-told-them-why--73073095
Inside a Philadelphia prison in the summer of 1951 men were made to wear boots deliberately contaminated with ringworm fungi and kept in them for a week without being told why - how could such an experiment run for two decades with university, corporate, and military sponsors attached? What happened to the roughly twelve hundred men who were enrolled, most Black and many awaiting trial, and why did accountability never follow?

In this episode, we tell the story of the experiments at Holmesburg Prison, who ran them, who paid for them, and what the prisoners endured - and we return to the central question: why were these men used as research subjects without informed consent?

Person: Albert Kligman
Date: 1951-approximately two decades afterward
Location: Holmesburg Prison, Philadelphia
Sponsor: Thirty-three corporate and government entities including Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical, and the United States Army
Subjects: Approximately twelve hundred inmates, many Black and many pretrial detainees

- In the summer of 1951 prisoners at Holmesburg were made to wear boots pre-infected with ringworm fungi for one week without being told the purpose.
- Albert Kligman began treating a 1950s athlete’s foot outbreak at Holmesburg and later ran experiments there without formal authorization.
- Thirty-three corporate and government sponsors funded the Holmesburg program, including Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical, and the U.S. Army.
- An estimated 80-90% of Holmesburg’s population were experimented on at some point during the program’s roughly twenty-year operation.
- When former subjects sued in 2000, a federal court dismissed every claim, and Philadelphia issued an apology only in 2022.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073095Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:35 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Wore Boots Laced With Fungi - No One Told Them Why Inside a Philadelphia prison in the summer of 1951 men were made to wear boots deliberately contaminated with ringworm fungi and kept in them for a week without being told why - how could such...
Inside a Philadelphia prison in the summer of 1951 men were made to wear boots deliberately contaminated with ringworm fungi and kept in them for a week without being told why - how could such an experiment run for two decades with university, corporate, and military sponsors attached? What happened to the roughly twelve hundred men who were enrolled, most Black and many awaiting trial, and why did accountability never follow?

In this episode, we tell the story of the experiments at Holmesburg Prison, who ran them, who paid for them, and what the prisoners endured - and we return to the central question: why were these men used as research subjects without informed consent?

Person: Albert Kligman
Date: 1951-approximately two decades afterward
Location: Holmesburg Prison, Philadelphia
Sponsor: Thirty-three corporate and government entities including Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical, and the United States Army
Subjects: Approximately twelve hundred inmates, many Black and many pretrial detainees

- In the summer of 1951 prisoners at Holmesburg were made to wear boots pre-infected with ringworm fungi for one week without being told the purpose.
- Albert Kligman began treating a 1950s athlete’s foot outbreak at Holmesburg and later ran experiments there without formal authorization.
- Thirty-three corporate and government sponsors funded the Holmesburg program, including Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical, and the U.S. Army.
- An estimated 80-90% of Holmesburg’s population were experimented on at some point during the program’s roughly twenty-year operation.
- When former subjects sued in 2000, a federal court dismissed every claim, and Philadelphia issued an apology only in 2022.

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.]]>1288falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-rope-by-the-inch-the-doctor-who-bought-death--73073094
Thirty thousand people watched William Palmer die and pieces of his noose were sold across England and Scotland for five shillings a length-yet many suspicious deaths around him were never charged. Who profited, who covered it up, and how did a prescription sit undiscovered for ninety years?

In this episode, we tell the chain of events that led from a grateful market-town doctor to a public execution, covering the deaths, insurance policies, forged signatures, and a single prescription that later opened the case anew. How did the coincidences of inheritance, racecourse winnings, and missing medical records stack up to a murder conviction?

Person: William Palmer
Date: June 14, 1856
Location: Rugeley
Event: Execution by hanging
Topic: Poisoning allegations and insurance claims

- 30,000 people attended William Palmer's execution on June 14, 1856.
- Rope pieces from Palmer's noose were sold for five shillings a length across England and Scotland.
- William Palmer insured his wife Ann for £13,000 with a premium of £750; antimony was later found in her body.
- John Parsons Cook won approximately £3,000 at Shrewsbury; Palmer collected about £1,200 of those winnings on Cook's behalf.
- By November 3, 1855, Palmer's bank balance had fallen to £9 and he was borrowing at 60% interest.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073094Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold Rope by the Inch: The Doctor Who Bought Death Thirty thousand people watched William Palmer die and pieces of his noose were sold across England and Scotland for five shillings a length-yet many suspicious deaths around him were never...
Thirty thousand people watched William Palmer die and pieces of his noose were sold across England and Scotland for five shillings a length-yet many suspicious deaths around him were never charged. Who profited, who covered it up, and how did a prescription sit undiscovered for ninety years?

In this episode, we tell the chain of events that led from a grateful market-town doctor to a public execution, covering the deaths, insurance policies, forged signatures, and a single prescription that later opened the case anew. How did the coincidences of inheritance, racecourse winnings, and missing medical records stack up to a murder conviction?

Person: William Palmer
Date: June 14, 1856
Location: Rugeley
Event: Execution by hanging
Topic: Poisoning allegations and insurance claims

- 30,000 people attended William Palmer's execution on June 14, 1856.
- Rope pieces from Palmer's noose were sold for five shillings a length across England and Scotland.
- William Palmer insured his wife Ann for £13,000 with a premium of £750; antimony was later found in her body.
- John Parsons Cook won approximately £3,000 at Shrewsbury; Palmer collected about £1,200 of those winnings on Cook's behalf.
- By November 3, 1855, Palmer's bank balance had fallen to £9 and he was borrowing at 60% interest.

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.]]>1282falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/doctor-uses-own-sperm-on-patients-the-cecil-jacobson-case--73073093
A fertility doctor used hormone injections and fabricated ultrasound images to create false pregnancies, and DNA later tied at least 15 children to him-how could so many women be deceived for so long? What happened between a black-and-white ultrasound and a courtroom conviction that changed dozens of lives?

In this episode, we tell the story of a reproductive genetics doctor whose university title and patient trust masked a pattern of deception, covering real births and manufactured pregnancies alike, and we ask how medical authority and desperation combined to enable his fraud.

Person: Cecil Jacobson
Date of birth: October 2, 1936
Conviction year: 1992
Confirmed children by DNA: 15
Suspected children: up to 75

- He held the position of chief of the Reproductive Genetics Unit at George Washington University Medical School in the 1960s.
- He claimed an unpublished baboon abdominal sperm injection pregnancy that lasted four months with no peer-reviewed evidence.
- He was convicted in 1992 on 52 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and perjury.
- He administered hCG injections to patients to induce positive pregnancy tests and pregnancy-like symptoms.
- Investigators confirmed DNA links between Jacobson and at least 15 children; the suspected total reaches as high as 75.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073093Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaDoctor Uses Own Sperm on Patients: The Cecil Jacobson Case A fertility doctor used hormone injections and fabricated ultrasound images to create false pregnancies, and DNA later tied at least 15 children to him-how could so many women be deceived...
A fertility doctor used hormone injections and fabricated ultrasound images to create false pregnancies, and DNA later tied at least 15 children to him-how could so many women be deceived for so long? What happened between a black-and-white ultrasound and a courtroom conviction that changed dozens of lives?

In this episode, we tell the story of a reproductive genetics doctor whose university title and patient trust masked a pattern of deception, covering real births and manufactured pregnancies alike, and we ask how medical authority and desperation combined to enable his fraud.

Person: Cecil Jacobson
Date of birth: October 2, 1936
Conviction year: 1992
Confirmed children by DNA: 15
Suspected children: up to 75

- He held the position of chief of the Reproductive Genetics Unit at George Washington University Medical School in the 1960s.
- He claimed an unpublished baboon abdominal sperm injection pregnancy that lasted four months with no peer-reviewed evidence.
- He was convicted in 1992 on 52 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and perjury.
- He administered hCG injections to patients to induce positive pregnancy tests and pregnancy-like symptoms.
- Investigators confirmed DNA links between Jacobson and at least 15 children; the suspected total reaches as high as 75.

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.]]>1254falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nurse-who-watched-ivs-kill-how-insulin-hid-in-plain-sight--73073092
A single transparent saline bag hid a lethal secret: someone had been filling ordinary IV bags with insulin, causing sudden, inexplicable hypoglycaemia across a hospital ward. Sixty detectives, four years and twenty-two poisoned patients - but who was actually responsible?

In this episode, we tell how a nurse’s pattern-spotting in the summer of 2011 transformed Stepping Hill Hospital into a crime scene and launched one of the largest poisoning inquiries in British medical history; could a routine bag of saline really conceal a method so invisible it escaped detection for months?

Person: Rebecca Leighton
Location: Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport
Date: July 2011
Event: Multiple patients poisoned via saline IV bags
Status: Investigation with arrests and four-year inquiry

- Sixty detectives were assigned to the poisoning investigation.
- Four years was the duration of the formal inquiry.
- Twenty-two patients were confirmed poisoned across Wards A1 and A3.
- Seven patients died as a result of the insulin contamination.
- Rebecca Leighton, age twenty-seven, was arrested on 20 July 2011 and charged on 22 July 2011.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073092Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:06 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nurse Who Watched IVs Kill: How Insulin Hid in Plain Sight A single transparent saline bag hid a lethal secret: someone had been filling ordinary IV bags with insulin, causing sudden, inexplicable hypoglycaemia across a hospital ward. Sixty...
A single transparent saline bag hid a lethal secret: someone had been filling ordinary IV bags with insulin, causing sudden, inexplicable hypoglycaemia across a hospital ward. Sixty detectives, four years and twenty-two poisoned patients - but who was actually responsible?

In this episode, we tell how a nurse’s pattern-spotting in the summer of 2011 transformed Stepping Hill Hospital into a crime scene and launched one of the largest poisoning inquiries in British medical history; could a routine bag of saline really conceal a method so invisible it escaped detection for months?

Person: Rebecca Leighton
Location: Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport
Date: July 2011
Event: Multiple patients poisoned via saline IV bags
Status: Investigation with arrests and four-year inquiry

- Sixty detectives were assigned to the poisoning investigation.
- Four years was the duration of the formal inquiry.
- Twenty-two patients were confirmed poisoned across Wards A1 and A3.
- Seven patients died as a result of the insulin contamination.
- Rebecca Leighton, age twenty-seven, was arrested on 20 July 2011 and charged on 22 July 2011.

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.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-took-a-standby-pill-why-one-dose-destroyed-a-brain--73073090
A quiet artist swallowed a pill and, within hours, imaging showed deep, bilateral brain damage that would never reverse for one volunteer. The trial drug BIA 10‑2474 was given at doses forty times the level needed to fully inhibit its target - so how did a routine dosing schedule become lethal?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from screening to coma and the trial halt, laying out the timeline, the drug's intended mechanism, and the unanswered question at the center of the case: how much was known about accumulation and risk before volunteers were dosed?

Person: Guillaume Molinet
Age: 49
Location: Guilliers, Morbihan, Brittany
Compound: BIA 10‑2474 (FAAH inhibitor)
Approval date: ANSM approved June 26, 2015

- Five men in the 50 mg group dosed on January 6, 2016; Guillaume hospitalized the night of January 10 and comatose by morning.
- At 08:00 on January 11 the remaining five men took their sixth dose; Rennes University Hospital called Biotrial at 10:00.
- 116 people participated in the trial; 84 had received lower doses without serious adverse events.
- ANSM expert committee determined complete FAAH inhibition achievable at 1.25 mg/day; the 50 mg dose was 40 times that threshold.
- At doses between 40 mg and 100 mg the drug's elimination became saturated, causing accumulation with each daily dose.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073090Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Took a Standby Pill - Why One Dose Destroyed a Brain A quiet artist swallowed a pill and, within hours, imaging showed deep, bilateral brain damage that would never reverse for one volunteer. The trial drug BIA 10‑2474 was given at doses forty...
A quiet artist swallowed a pill and, within hours, imaging showed deep, bilateral brain damage that would never reverse for one volunteer. The trial drug BIA 10‑2474 was given at doses forty times the level needed to fully inhibit its target - so how did a routine dosing schedule become lethal?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from screening to coma and the trial halt, laying out the timeline, the drug's intended mechanism, and the unanswered question at the center of the case: how much was known about accumulation and risk before volunteers were dosed?

Person: Guillaume Molinet
Age: 49
Location: Guilliers, Morbihan, Brittany
Compound: BIA 10‑2474 (FAAH inhibitor)
Approval date: ANSM approved June 26, 2015

- Five men in the 50 mg group dosed on January 6, 2016; Guillaume hospitalized the night of January 10 and comatose by morning.
- At 08:00 on January 11 the remaining five men took their sixth dose; Rennes University Hospital called Biotrial at 10:00.
- 116 people participated in the trial; 84 had received lower doses without serious adverse events.
- ANSM expert committee determined complete FAAH inhibition achievable at 1.25 mg/day; the 50 mg dose was 40 times that threshold.
- At doses between 40 mg and 100 mg the drug's elimination became saturated, causing accumulation with each daily dose.

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.]]>1141falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-day-11-words-became-one-sound-how-a-stadium-whisper-died-into-haaaaa--73073089
A stadium crowd of 1,330 transformed an 11-word sentence into a single drawn-out vowel over two hours and four minutes - and the result was not random noise but a systematic collapse into simplicity. What exactly happened in that chain of whispers, and why did meaning evaporate into one sound?

In this episode, we tell the story behind that event and how the centuries-old whispering game reveals patterns in transmission, memory, and sound that stretch from Medici courts to modern online experiments. Can a playground game explain why information, rumors, and even AI outputs simplify as they pass between minds?

Person: Alishah Novin
Date: 2008
Location: Emirates Stadium, London
Event: 2 hours and 4 minutes transmission resulting in "haaaaa"
Prior record: 1,083 people in Chengdu, China (2006)

- Original phrase consisted of eleven words: "together we will make a world of difference"
- Crowd size at Emirates Stadium: 1,330 people
- Duration of the chain at the stadium: 2 hours and 4 minutes
- Previous world record in Chengdu (2006): 1,083 participants
- Earliest documented origin traced to Medici-era Florence as "the game of the ear"

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073089Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Day 11 Words Became One Sound: How a Stadium Whisper Died into Haaaaa A stadium crowd of 1,330 transformed an 11-word sentence into a single drawn-out vowel over two hours and four minutes - and the result was not random noise but a systematic...
A stadium crowd of 1,330 transformed an 11-word sentence into a single drawn-out vowel over two hours and four minutes - and the result was not random noise but a systematic collapse into simplicity. What exactly happened in that chain of whispers, and why did meaning evaporate into one sound?

In this episode, we tell the story behind that event and how the centuries-old whispering game reveals patterns in transmission, memory, and sound that stretch from Medici courts to modern online experiments. Can a playground game explain why information, rumors, and even AI outputs simplify as they pass between minds?

Person: Alishah Novin
Date: 2008
Location: Emirates Stadium, London
Event: 2 hours and 4 minutes transmission resulting in "haaaaa"
Prior record: 1,083 people in Chengdu, China (2006)

- Original phrase consisted of eleven words: "together we will make a world of difference"
- Crowd size at Emirates Stadium: 1,330 people
- Duration of the chain at the stadium: 2 hours and 4 minutes
- Previous world record in Chengdu (2006): 1,083 participants
- Earliest documented origin traced to Medici-era Florence as "the game of the ear"

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.]]>1214falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gandhi-slept-on-a-roof-in-working-class-bow-the-room-is-still-there--73073088
A preserved rooftop room no bigger than a prison cell held Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 while he negotiated the future of 300 million people with the British government - and before he left he wrote four words in the visitors' book that still define the building. Why would a man with open doors in Mayfair choose a rooftop cell in one of the poorest neighborhoods of East London?

In this episode, we tell the story of Kingsley Hall and the Lester family who built it, tracing three generations from an eight-year-old bricklayer's labourer to a community hall opened in 1928, and we ask what those four final words reveal about the hall's purpose and legacy.

Person: Mahatma Gandhi
Date: 1931
Location: Kingsley Hall, Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow
Event: Round Table Conference (London)
Founders: Doris and Muriel Lester

- Henry Lester began working as a bricklayer's labourer at the age of eight.
- Henry Lester Junior began work at Thames Ironworks at the age of ten.
- Doris and Muriel opened a nursery school in 1912 charging one shilling (five pence) a day.
- Nineteen people laid bricks at the foundation ceremony on 14 July 1927.
- Kingsley Hall opened on 15 September 1928.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073088Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaGandhi slept on a roof in working-class Bow - the room is still there A preserved rooftop room no bigger than a prison cell held Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 while he negotiated the future of 300 million people with the British government - and before he...
A preserved rooftop room no bigger than a prison cell held Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 while he negotiated the future of 300 million people with the British government - and before he left he wrote four words in the visitors' book that still define the building. Why would a man with open doors in Mayfair choose a rooftop cell in one of the poorest neighborhoods of East London?

In this episode, we tell the story of Kingsley Hall and the Lester family who built it, tracing three generations from an eight-year-old bricklayer's labourer to a community hall opened in 1928, and we ask what those four final words reveal about the hall's purpose and legacy.

Person: Mahatma Gandhi
Date: 1931
Location: Kingsley Hall, Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow
Event: Round Table Conference (London)
Founders: Doris and Muriel Lester

- Henry Lester began working as a bricklayer's labourer at the age of eight.
- Henry Lester Junior began work at Thames Ironworks at the age of ten.
- Doris and Muriel opened a nursery school in 1912 charging one shilling (five pence) a day.
- Nineteen people laid bricks at the foundation ceremony on 14 July 1927.
- Kingsley Hall opened on 15 September 1928.

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.]]>1297falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-a-wire-made-a-man-s-face-fall-apart-the-electric-brain--73073087
The moment a thin wire in a living brain made a man’s nose drift left proved that electricity can speak the language of the mind; a surgeon on a twentieth‑century operating table used an electrode to displace a single facial feature while the patient watched and reported every change. How did experiments from Galvani’s frog legs to stereotactic frames lead researchers to control movement, sensation, and identity with current?

In this episode, we trace the experiments and inventions that let researchers send electricity into the human brain and hear what it answered. From eighteenth‑century demonstrations on dead frog legs to nineteenth‑ and twentieth‑century human cortical stimulation and deep brain electrodes, we follow the developments that raised the question: what happens when you speak to the brain in its own language?

Person: Luigi Galvani
Date: 1770s (Galvani’s experiments described as late eighteenth century)
Person: Robert Bartholow
Person: Victor Horsley
Person: Walter Rudolf Hess
Event: Human cortical stimulation with electrode during surgery

- A metal probe touching a dissected frog’s exposed nerve produced a full, coordinated kick in Galvani’s experiment.
- The patient on a twentieth‑century surgical table had his skull open and an electrode planted inside his living brain while awake.
- When a researcher stimulated a single point with a thin wire, only the patient’s nose went slack and drifted left while everything else remained unchanged.
- Eduard Hitzig and Gustav Fritsch (1870s) mapped the motor cortex by showing stimulation at different points produced movement in different limbs.
- Victor Horsley invented the stereotactic frame that fixed the skull in three‑dimensional coordinates to guide a needle‑thin electrode to deep brain targets without direct visualization.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073087Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen a Wire Made a Man's Face Fall Apart: The Electric Brain The moment a thin wire in a living brain made a man’s nose drift left proved that electricity can speak the language of the mind; a surgeon on a twentieth‑century operating table used an...
The moment a thin wire in a living brain made a man’s nose drift left proved that electricity can speak the language of the mind; a surgeon on a twentieth‑century operating table used an electrode to displace a single facial feature while the patient watched and reported every change. How did experiments from Galvani’s frog legs to stereotactic frames lead researchers to control movement, sensation, and identity with current?

In this episode, we trace the experiments and inventions that let researchers send electricity into the human brain and hear what it answered. From eighteenth‑century demonstrations on dead frog legs to nineteenth‑ and twentieth‑century human cortical stimulation and deep brain electrodes, we follow the developments that raised the question: what happens when you speak to the brain in its own language?

Person: Luigi Galvani
Date: 1770s (Galvani’s experiments described as late eighteenth century)
Person: Robert Bartholow
Person: Victor Horsley
Person: Walter Rudolf Hess
Event: Human cortical stimulation with electrode during surgery

- A metal probe touching a dissected frog’s exposed nerve produced a full, coordinated kick in Galvani’s experiment.
- The patient on a twentieth‑century surgical table had his skull open and an electrode planted inside his living brain while awake.
- When a researcher stimulated a single point with a thin wire, only the patient’s nose went slack and drifted left while everything else remained unchanged.
- Eduard Hitzig and Gustav Fritsch (1870s) mapped the motor cortex by showing stimulation at different points produced movement in different limbs.
- Victor Horsley invented the stereotactic frame that fixed the skull in three‑dimensional coordinates to guide a needle‑thin electrode to deep brain targets without direct visualization.

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.]]>1274falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-injected-plutonium-into-him-who-signed-off-on-that--73073085
Fear of being used as data without consent runs through this episode: a hospital patient in Oak Ridge received 4.7 micrograms of plutonium in April 1945 and a five-year-old boy in Indiana was given a dose of radiation that left a permanent wound on his skull - so who authorized treating human bodies as research material, and how widespread was the practice?

In this episode, we walk through declassified records, institutional links, and specific cases to show how federal agencies and research hospitals obtained human subjects and remains without meaningful consent, and we ask whom the chain of command ultimately protected as these programs operated. What did the files reveal about who signed off on the experiments?

Person: Ebb Cade
Date: April 10, 1945
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Person: Vertus Hardiman
Event: Project Sunshine

- 4.7 micrograms of plutonium were injected into Ebb Cade on April 10, 1945.
- More than 1.5 million pages of classified records were opened in 1994 about these programs.
- Project Sunshine, launched from 1955 onward, collected bones of deceased children to measure strontium-90.
- Over 90 pregnant women in Aberdeen, Hammersmith, and Liverpool were given radioactive iodine in the 1950s.
- Approximately 45,000 people were positioned around a detonation at Totskoye in 1954 during a Soviet military exercise.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073085Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Injected Plutonium into Him - Who Signed Off on That? Fear of being used as data without consent runs through this episode: a hospital patient in Oak Ridge received 4.7 micrograms of plutonium in April 1945 and a five-year-old boy in Indiana...
Fear of being used as data without consent runs through this episode: a hospital patient in Oak Ridge received 4.7 micrograms of plutonium in April 1945 and a five-year-old boy in Indiana was given a dose of radiation that left a permanent wound on his skull - so who authorized treating human bodies as research material, and how widespread was the practice?

In this episode, we walk through declassified records, institutional links, and specific cases to show how federal agencies and research hospitals obtained human subjects and remains without meaningful consent, and we ask whom the chain of command ultimately protected as these programs operated. What did the files reveal about who signed off on the experiments?

Person: Ebb Cade
Date: April 10, 1945
Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Person: Vertus Hardiman
Event: Project Sunshine

- 4.7 micrograms of plutonium were injected into Ebb Cade on April 10, 1945.
- More than 1.5 million pages of classified records were opened in 1994 about these programs.
- Project Sunshine, launched from 1955 onward, collected bones of deceased children to measure strontium-90.
- Over 90 pregnant women in Aberdeen, Hammersmith, and Liverpool were given radioactive iodine in the 1950s.
- Approximately 45,000 people were positioned around a detonation at Totskoye in 1954 during a Soviet military exercise.

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.]]>1071falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-teenagers-built-a-movement-no-orders-needed--73073083
Power can arrive as posture and a three-word slogan: in five days a Palo Alto teacher turned a history class into a movement that filled hallways, issued membership cards, and waited for a presidential endorsement that never came - what happened next exposed how easily ordinary people hand over authority. Could a classroom experiment become something students refused to stop?

In this episode, we tell how a teacher's lesson about the Holocaust became a live demonstration of conformity and organization, following thirty students who transformed into the Third Wave and then swelled to forty-three members by the third day - how did a salute and a name create such momentum?

Person: Ron Jones
Date: April 1967
Location: Cubberley High School, Palo Alto, California
Topic: The Third Wave classroom experiment
Status: Student movement formed and expanded over five days

- On Day 1, Jones wrote "Strength Through Discipline" and required students to sit at attention and limit answers to three words.
- By Day 2 he added "Strength Through Community" and created a cupped-hand salute used in hallways.
- By Day 3 membership rose from 30 to 43 students, an increase of 13 participants.
- Jones was 25 years old and teaching Contemporary World History to seniors in spring 1967.
- The students chanted the three-line slogan and awaited a presidential candidate on a television that never appeared.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073083Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen Teenagers Built a Movement - No Orders Needed Power can arrive as posture and a three-word slogan: in five days a Palo Alto teacher turned a history class into a movement that filled hallways, issued membership cards, and waited for a...
Power can arrive as posture and a three-word slogan: in five days a Palo Alto teacher turned a history class into a movement that filled hallways, issued membership cards, and waited for a presidential endorsement that never came - what happened next exposed how easily ordinary people hand over authority. Could a classroom experiment become something students refused to stop?

In this episode, we tell how a teacher's lesson about the Holocaust became a live demonstration of conformity and organization, following thirty students who transformed into the Third Wave and then swelled to forty-three members by the third day - how did a salute and a name create such momentum?

Person: Ron Jones
Date: April 1967
Location: Cubberley High School, Palo Alto, California
Topic: The Third Wave classroom experiment
Status: Student movement formed and expanded over five days

- On Day 1, Jones wrote "Strength Through Discipline" and required students to sit at attention and limit answers to three words.
- By Day 2 he added "Strength Through Community" and created a cupped-hand salute used in hallways.
- By Day 3 membership rose from 30 to 43 students, an increase of 13 participants.
- Jones was 25 years old and teaching Contemporary World History to seniors in spring 1967.
- The students chanted the three-line slogan and awaited a presidential candidate on a television that never appeared.

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.]]>1201falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-dosed-him-he-fell-the-cia-s-quiet-murder-experiment--73073081
A man fell from a hotel window after being secretly dosed with LSD, and the official explanation-he was asleep in the next bed-was accepted for decades. Thirty-seven-year-old Frank Olson drank a spiked cocktail nine days before his fall; who decided to give him the drug despite documented suicidal tendencies, and why was the truth buried for so long?

In this episode, we present the documented events surrounding Frank Olson's involvement with a CIA program and the timeline from dosing to his death, asking whether his fall was a cover-up or something else. What did the files later uncovered in the 1970s reveal about the institution behind those decisions?

Date: November 28, 1953
Person: Frank Olson
Program: MKUltra / Project Artichoke
Drug: LSD
Budget: over $10 million (historical), about $87 million in today's value

- Frank Olson was 37 years old in 1951 and worked as a U.S. Army biochemist and biological weapons researcher.
- Sidney Gottlieb dissolved a dose of LSD into a bottle of Cointreau at a CIA retreat and did not inform participants until about 20 minutes after consumption.
- Olson was observed to become agitated, paranoid, and distressed in the nine days after being dosed.
- At 2:55 AM on November 28, 1953, Frank Olson fell through a hotel window from the thirteenth floor of a New York City hotel.
- Freedom of Information Act documents revealed MKUltra funded 153 subprojects across 80 institutions with an estimated budget over $10 million.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073081Mon, 03 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Dosed Him, He Fell: The CIA's Quiet Murder Experiment A man fell from a hotel window after being secretly dosed with LSD, and the official explanation-he was asleep in the next bed-was accepted for decades. Thirty-seven-year-old Frank Olson...
A man fell from a hotel window after being secretly dosed with LSD, and the official explanation-he was asleep in the next bed-was accepted for decades. Thirty-seven-year-old Frank Olson drank a spiked cocktail nine days before his fall; who decided to give him the drug despite documented suicidal tendencies, and why was the truth buried for so long?

In this episode, we present the documented events surrounding Frank Olson's involvement with a CIA program and the timeline from dosing to his death, asking whether his fall was a cover-up or something else. What did the files later uncovered in the 1970s reveal about the institution behind those decisions?

Date: November 28, 1953
Person: Frank Olson
Program: MKUltra / Project Artichoke
Drug: LSD
Budget: over $10 million (historical), about $87 million in today's value

- Frank Olson was 37 years old in 1951 and worked as a U.S. Army biochemist and biological weapons researcher.
- Sidney Gottlieb dissolved a dose of LSD into a bottle of Cointreau at a CIA retreat and did not inform participants until about 20 minutes after consumption.
- Olson was observed to become agitated, paranoid, and distressed in the nine days after being dosed.
- At 2:55 AM on November 28, 1953, Frank Olson fell through a hotel window from the thirteenth floor of a New York City hotel.
- Freedom of Information Act documents revealed MKUltra funded 153 subprojects across 80 institutions with an estimated budget over $10 million.

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.]]>1378falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/three-dead-no-autopsies-how-puerto-rico-became-a-test-site--73073080
A hidden human experiment in Puerto Rico handed women pills with ten milligrams of synthetic hormone-more than one hundred times what later became acceptable-and three participants died with no autopsies performed. Who authorized trials on an impoverished population and why were their side-effect reports dismissed?

In this episode, we tell how early birth control trials were organized, who funded and designed them, and what women in Río Piedras experienced and reported during the study. How did researchers justify continuing despite documented adverse reactions and deaths?

Person: Gregory Pincus
Person: John Rock
Person: Person who funded research: Katharine McCormick
Location: Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Date: 1955

- Package given door-to-door contained ten milligrams of norethynodrel plus a synthetic estrogen compound.
- Researchers later considered that dose more than one hundred times higher than what scientists would later deem acceptable.
- Three women died during the trials and no autopsies were conducted on their bodies.
- Local physician Edris Rice-Wray documented side effects including nausea, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, and blood clots and reported the pill caused too many side effects.
- Parallel trials were conducted at a psychiatric institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, where patients and medical students were recruited with reported pressure to participate.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073080Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThree Dead, No Autopsies: How Puerto Rico Became a Test Site A hidden human experiment in Puerto Rico handed women pills with ten milligrams of synthetic hormone-more than one hundred times what later became acceptable-and three participants died...
A hidden human experiment in Puerto Rico handed women pills with ten milligrams of synthetic hormone-more than one hundred times what later became acceptable-and three participants died with no autopsies performed. Who authorized trials on an impoverished population and why were their side-effect reports dismissed?

In this episode, we tell how early birth control trials were organized, who funded and designed them, and what women in Río Piedras experienced and reported during the study. How did researchers justify continuing despite documented adverse reactions and deaths?

Person: Gregory Pincus
Person: John Rock
Person: Person who funded research: Katharine McCormick
Location: Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Date: 1955

- Package given door-to-door contained ten milligrams of norethynodrel plus a synthetic estrogen compound.
- Researchers later considered that dose more than one hundred times higher than what scientists would later deem acceptable.
- Three women died during the trials and no autopsies were conducted on their bodies.
- Local physician Edris Rice-Wray documented side effects including nausea, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, and blood clots and reported the pill caused too many side effects.
- Parallel trials were conducted at a psychiatric institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, where patients and medical students were recruited with reported pressure to participate.

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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.]]>1284falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-surgeon-the-acid-and-the-tin-that-fed-her-pain--73073078
A child of four had her mouth burned with nitric acid after taking mercury-based calomel for three weeks; her tongue and teeth fell out and a hole remained in her jaw that she used to eat for seventy-three years. How did routine Victorian medicines and one surgeon’s choices leave Elizabeth Storie with chronic pain, repeated surgeries, and a lifetime of eating through a tin?

In this episode, we tell the life story of Elizabeth Storie from her birth in July 1818 to the publication of her autobiography in 1859, tracing the medical treatments, the powders and syringes left by the family friend and surgeon Robert Falconer, and the legal and medical responses that followed - could those medicines have been intended as cures or were they medical neglect?

Person: Elizabeth Storie
Date: Born July 1818; autobiography published 1859
Location: Glasgow
Person: Robert Falconer
Event: Analysis of powder found to contain arsenic

- Elizabeth took mercury-based calomel daily for approximately three weeks at age four.
- Falconer injected aquafortis (nitric acid) into Elizabeth’s mouth twice during a single visit.
- After treatment, Elizabeth’s tongue and teeth fell out and part of her jaw was destroyed, leaving a permanent hole.
- More than twenty surgeries were performed over her lifetime to remove and soften damaged bone.
- A court ordered £1,000 in compensation, which Falconer refused to pay and was never collected before the plaintiff’s death.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073078Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Surgeon, The Acid, and the Tin That Fed Her Pain A child of four had her mouth burned with nitric acid after taking mercury-based calomel for three weeks; her tongue and teeth fell out and a hole remained in her jaw that she used to eat for...
A child of four had her mouth burned with nitric acid after taking mercury-based calomel for three weeks; her tongue and teeth fell out and a hole remained in her jaw that she used to eat for seventy-three years. How did routine Victorian medicines and one surgeon’s choices leave Elizabeth Storie with chronic pain, repeated surgeries, and a lifetime of eating through a tin?

In this episode, we tell the life story of Elizabeth Storie from her birth in July 1818 to the publication of her autobiography in 1859, tracing the medical treatments, the powders and syringes left by the family friend and surgeon Robert Falconer, and the legal and medical responses that followed - could those medicines have been intended as cures or were they medical neglect?

Person: Elizabeth Storie
Date: Born July 1818; autobiography published 1859
Location: Glasgow
Person: Robert Falconer
Event: Analysis of powder found to contain arsenic

- Elizabeth took mercury-based calomel daily for approximately three weeks at age four.
- Falconer injected aquafortis (nitric acid) into Elizabeth’s mouth twice during a single visit.
- After treatment, Elizabeth’s tongue and teeth fell out and part of her jaw was destroyed, leaving a permanent hole.
- More than twenty surgeries were performed over her lifetime to remove and soften damaged bone.
- A court ordered £1,000 in compensation, which Falconer refused to pay and was never collected before the plaintiff’s death.

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.]]>1084falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-clinic-that-kept-prescribing-child-at-risk-court-found--73073077
A High Court found that a child was at risk of sudden death from thromboembolic disease while prescribed hormones by GenderGP, and the clinic remained operating despite two GMC suspensions, a Hong Kong ownership transfer, and an undercover investigation. How did a service created to bypass NHS waiting lists become the subject of one of the most damning judicial findings in recent British healthcare history?

In this episode, we lay out the documented timeline and decisions that let GenderGP continue prescribing: the founders’ backgrounds, regulatory actions, ownership changes, and the specific clinical failures that led a consulting endocrinologist to tell a judge the child’s testosterone was dangerously high. What went wrong at each step, and why did the clinic keep running?

Person: Helen Webberley
Person: Mike Webberley
Date: May 2024
Event: High Court ruling finding child at risk of sudden death from thromboembolic disease
Location: United Kingdom

- GenderGP was founded in 2015 as a private telemedicine service by Helen and Mike Webberley.
- In May 2017 the General Medical Council suspended Helen Webberley.
- Mike Webberley, a retired gastroenterologist, took over consultations after the 2017 suspension.
- In May 2019 the GMC tribunal removed Mike Webberley from the medical register for treating seven patients outside his competence.
- Ownership of GenderGP transferred to Harland International, a company registered in Hong Kong, before the May 2024 High Court ruling.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073077Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Clinic That Kept Prescribing - Child at Risk, Court Found A High Court found that a child was at risk of sudden death from thromboembolic disease while prescribed hormones by GenderGP, and the clinic remained operating despite two GMC...
A High Court found that a child was at risk of sudden death from thromboembolic disease while prescribed hormones by GenderGP, and the clinic remained operating despite two GMC suspensions, a Hong Kong ownership transfer, and an undercover investigation. How did a service created to bypass NHS waiting lists become the subject of one of the most damning judicial findings in recent British healthcare history?

In this episode, we lay out the documented timeline and decisions that let GenderGP continue prescribing: the founders’ backgrounds, regulatory actions, ownership changes, and the specific clinical failures that led a consulting endocrinologist to tell a judge the child’s testosterone was dangerously high. What went wrong at each step, and why did the clinic keep running?

Person: Helen Webberley
Person: Mike Webberley
Date: May 2024
Event: High Court ruling finding child at risk of sudden death from thromboembolic disease
Location: United Kingdom

- GenderGP was founded in 2015 as a private telemedicine service by Helen and Mike Webberley.
- In May 2017 the General Medical Council suspended Helen Webberley.
- Mike Webberley, a retired gastroenterologist, took over consultations after the 2017 suspension.
- In May 2019 the GMC tribunal removed Mike Webberley from the medical register for treating seven patients outside his competence.
- Ownership of GenderGP transferred to Harland International, a company registered in Hong Kong, before the May 2024 High Court ruling.

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.]]>1161falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-washcloth-that-sent-five-women-to-prison--73073076
A nurse's aide folding a washcloth once, pressing it over the face of a woman who could not lift her arms to stop it - five elderly women died at Alpine Manor Nursing Home in early 1987 and no one heard a thing. The deaths were recorded as expected until a phone call and one woman's testimony turned a routine pattern of nursing-home mortality into a murder case built with no physical evidence. How did a single testimony, a missing washcloth, and a love affair become the basis for five life sentences?

In this episode, we lay out the events, people, and gaps that transformed the deaths at Alpine Manor into a decades-long legal puzzle. You will hear who the residents were, who the aides were, how the accusations emerged from a private phone call, and why the missing washcloth mattered to prosecutors and scholars - but could that testimony alone explain five consecutive life terms?

Person: Gwendolyn Gail Graham
Person: Catherine May Wood
Location: Alpine Manor Nursing Home, Walker, Michigan
Period: January 1987-1988 (initial deaths and aftermath)
Event: Testimony-led investigation based on a phone call

- Five elderly women died at Alpine Manor in the early weeks of 1987.
- Victims named in the transcript: Mae Mason (79), Edith Cook (98), Marguerite Chambers (60), Myrtle Luce (95), Belle Burkhard (74).
- Gwendolyn Gail Graham arrived at Alpine Manor in 1986 at age 23 and was born in Texas.
- Catherine May Wood was born in 1962, was 24 when Graham arrived, and served as Graham's supervisor and lover.
- The washcloth described in Wood's testimony was never found in Alpine Manor or among Graham's possessions.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073076Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Washcloth That Sent Five Women to Prison A nurse's aide folding a washcloth once, pressing it over the face of a woman who could not lift her arms to stop it - five elderly women died at Alpine Manor Nursing Home in early 1987 and no one heard...
A nurse's aide folding a washcloth once, pressing it over the face of a woman who could not lift her arms to stop it - five elderly women died at Alpine Manor Nursing Home in early 1987 and no one heard a thing. The deaths were recorded as expected until a phone call and one woman's testimony turned a routine pattern of nursing-home mortality into a murder case built with no physical evidence. How did a single testimony, a missing washcloth, and a love affair become the basis for five life sentences?

In this episode, we lay out the events, people, and gaps that transformed the deaths at Alpine Manor into a decades-long legal puzzle. You will hear who the residents were, who the aides were, how the accusations emerged from a private phone call, and why the missing washcloth mattered to prosecutors and scholars - but could that testimony alone explain five consecutive life terms?

Person: Gwendolyn Gail Graham
Person: Catherine May Wood
Location: Alpine Manor Nursing Home, Walker, Michigan
Period: January 1987-1988 (initial deaths and aftermath)
Event: Testimony-led investigation based on a phone call

- Five elderly women died at Alpine Manor in the early weeks of 1987.
- Victims named in the transcript: Mae Mason (79), Edith Cook (98), Marguerite Chambers (60), Myrtle Luce (95), Belle Burkhard (74).
- Gwendolyn Gail Graham arrived at Alpine Manor in 1986 at age 23 and was born in Texas.
- Catherine May Wood was born in 1962, was 24 when Graham arrived, and served as Graham's supervisor and lover.
- The washcloth described in Wood's testimony was never found in Alpine Manor or among Graham's possessions.

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.]]>1319falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-infected-her-twice-the-box-that-exposed-u-s-medical-crimes--73073074
A dying woman named Berta was infected with syphilis by American doctors in 1948 - and infected again on the same day while she lay in a Guatemalan psychiatric asylum; those detailed clinical field notes stayed hidden inside a cardboard box for almost sixty years. How did written records that logged every infection, complication, and death remain unpublished for decades, and what did their emergence force a U.S. president to acknowledge?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the people, institutions, and records connected to the Guatemala syphilis experiments, explaining who was involved, what the records showed, and why the discovery mattered - could a historian’s chance find of a box finally give names and dates to victims previously reduced to case numbers?

Person: Berta
Period: 1946-1948
Event: Guatemala syphilis experiments
Case: 1,308 human beings intentionally infected
Author: United States Public Health Service field staff

- The program infected 1,308 people intentionally with syphilis, gonorrhea, or chancroid.
- Subjects ranged in age from 10 to 72 years old and included prisoners, soldiers, psychiatric patients, sex workers, orphans, and patients from a leprosy ward.
- No subject gave direct individual consent; in some cases commanders or supervising physicians consented for soldiers, and no meaningful consent was recorded for psychiatric patients.
- Funding came from the National Institutes of Health, routed through the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and Guatemalan health ministries, and the United States government paid for it.
- Field notes recorded every infection, every complication, and every death alongside the date, and those notes remained hidden in a cardboard box for almost sixty years.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073074Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Infected Her Twice: The Box That Exposed U.S. Medical Crimes A dying woman named Berta was infected with syphilis by American doctors in 1948 - and infected again on the same day while she lay in a Guatemalan psychiatric asylum; those detailed...
A dying woman named Berta was infected with syphilis by American doctors in 1948 - and infected again on the same day while she lay in a Guatemalan psychiatric asylum; those detailed clinical field notes stayed hidden inside a cardboard box for almost sixty years. How did written records that logged every infection, complication, and death remain unpublished for decades, and what did their emergence force a U.S. president to acknowledge?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the people, institutions, and records connected to the Guatemala syphilis experiments, explaining who was involved, what the records showed, and why the discovery mattered - could a historian’s chance find of a box finally give names and dates to victims previously reduced to case numbers?

Person: Berta
Period: 1946-1948
Event: Guatemala syphilis experiments
Case: 1,308 human beings intentionally infected
Author: United States Public Health Service field staff

- The program infected 1,308 people intentionally with syphilis, gonorrhea, or chancroid.
- Subjects ranged in age from 10 to 72 years old and included prisoners, soldiers, psychiatric patients, sex workers, orphans, and patients from a leprosy ward.
- No subject gave direct individual consent; in some cases commanders or supervising physicians consented for soldiers, and no meaningful consent was recorded for psychiatric patients.
- Funding came from the National Institutes of Health, routed through the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and Guatemalan health ministries, and the United States government paid for it.
- Field notes recorded every infection, every complication, and every death alongside the date, and those notes remained hidden in a cardboard box for almost sixty years.

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.]]>1313falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/your-hand-moved-100ms-before-your-brain-registered-the-signal-and-you-never-knew--73073072
A hidden visual signal that lasts less than a blink can steer your hand before your conscious mind knows it existed, and in some experiments the weaker that unseen signal becomes, the stronger its pull on movement - so how can two systems push behavior in opposite directions at once?

In this episode, we lay out the classic masked-prime laboratory setup, the surprising measurements that split decades of thinking in cognitive science, and the central puzzle researchers still chase: why does a completely invisible prime sometimes produce larger motor effects than a barely visible one?

Person: Ernst Fehrer and Raab
Date: 1962
Case: masked prime priming paradigm
Event: Klotz and Neumann visibility-versus-priming finding
Topic: stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) effects

- The prime stimulus was displayed for less than 30 milliseconds before being overwritten by a mask.
- Participants' fingers sometimes initiated movement toward the masked (invisible) shape before correcting to the visible target.
- Priming effects increased as the stimulus onset asynchrony (time between prime and target) increased.
- In Klotz and Neumann's measurements, visibility decreased while priming effects increased as masking intensified.
- The initial 1962 finding showed people could produce timed responses to invisible targets with response times as fast as to visible targets.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073072Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaYour hand moved 100ms before your brain registered the signal - and you never knew A hidden visual signal that lasts less than a blink can steer your hand before your conscious mind knows it existed, and in some experiments the weaker that unseen...
A hidden visual signal that lasts less than a blink can steer your hand before your conscious mind knows it existed, and in some experiments the weaker that unseen signal becomes, the stronger its pull on movement - so how can two systems push behavior in opposite directions at once?

In this episode, we lay out the classic masked-prime laboratory setup, the surprising measurements that split decades of thinking in cognitive science, and the central puzzle researchers still chase: why does a completely invisible prime sometimes produce larger motor effects than a barely visible one?

Person: Ernst Fehrer and Raab
Date: 1962
Case: masked prime priming paradigm
Event: Klotz and Neumann visibility-versus-priming finding
Topic: stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) effects

- The prime stimulus was displayed for less than 30 milliseconds before being overwritten by a mask.
- Participants' fingers sometimes initiated movement toward the masked (invisible) shape before correcting to the visible target.
- Priming effects increased as the stimulus onset asynchrony (time between prime and target) increased.
- In Klotz and Neumann's measurements, visibility decreased while priming effects increased as masking intensified.
- The initial 1962 finding showed people could produce timed responses to invisible targets with response times as fast as to visible targets.

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.]]>1274falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-woman-whose-body-became-a-medical-spectacle-who-chose-her-pose--73073071
A patient’s body unfolded into a public lesson: a real woman photographed, drawn, and painted into a nearly three‑meter canvas shown in Paris on May 1, 1887 - yet she may never have consented to the posture that defined her. How did a single pose, traced in charcoal nine years earlier, become the enduring image of hysteria and whose authority fixed it in place?

In this episode, we trace how a hospital, a celebrated physician, and an array of medical professionals turned Marie Wittman into an object of clinical display and artistic reproduction, and we ask whether the images captured her experience or erased it.

Person: Marie Wittman
Location: Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, Paris
Date: May 1, 1887 (painting exhibited); 1878 (Richer drawing)
Author: André Brouillet (painter); Paul Richer (artist of drawing)
Event: Charcot’s Tuesday lectures / clinical demonstrations

- The original canvas was nearly three meters wide and assembled from thirty individual portrait studies.
- The lithograph that hung above Freud’s couch measured 38.5 by 54 centimeters and remained there for fifty-two years.
- Paul Richer’s drawing "Période de contortions" was made in 1878 from a photograph taken inside the Salpêtrière.
- André Brouillet exhibited his painting in Paris on May 1, 1887, calling it a clinical lesson.
- Marie Wittman, known at the hospital as Blanche, arrived as a teenager and became central to Charcot’s demonstrations of the "grande hystérie."

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073071Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Woman Whose Body Became a Medical Spectacle - Who Chose Her Pose? A patient’s body unfolded into a public lesson: a real woman photographed, drawn, and painted into a nearly three‑meter canvas shown in Paris on May 1, 1887 - yet she may never...
A patient’s body unfolded into a public lesson: a real woman photographed, drawn, and painted into a nearly three‑meter canvas shown in Paris on May 1, 1887 - yet she may never have consented to the posture that defined her. How did a single pose, traced in charcoal nine years earlier, become the enduring image of hysteria and whose authority fixed it in place?

In this episode, we trace how a hospital, a celebrated physician, and an array of medical professionals turned Marie Wittman into an object of clinical display and artistic reproduction, and we ask whether the images captured her experience or erased it.

Person: Marie Wittman
Location: Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, Paris
Date: May 1, 1887 (painting exhibited); 1878 (Richer drawing)
Author: André Brouillet (painter); Paul Richer (artist of drawing)
Event: Charcot’s Tuesday lectures / clinical demonstrations

- The original canvas was nearly three meters wide and assembled from thirty individual portrait studies.
- The lithograph that hung above Freud’s couch measured 38.5 by 54 centimeters and remained there for fifty-two years.
- Paul Richer’s drawing "Période de contortions" was made in 1878 from a photograph taken inside the Salpêtrière.
- André Brouillet exhibited his painting in Paris on May 1, 1887, calling it a clinical lesson.
- Marie Wittman, known at the hospital as Blanche, arrived as a teenager and became central to Charcot’s demonstrations of the "grande hystérie."

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.]]>1261falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/twelve-volunteers-wore-strangers-scabies-infected-underwear-and-chose-to-be-there--73073070
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.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073070Sun, 26 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTwelve 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...
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.

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.]]>1260falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-my-wife-vanished-into-mkultra-a-congressman-s-secret-case--73073069
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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073069Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen 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...
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.

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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.]]>1068falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-lay-still-mosquito-consent-and-the-man-who-saved-millions--73073068
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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073068Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe 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...
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.]]>1283falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-knew-the-cure-but-let-men-die-the-tuskegee-betrayal--73073065
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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073065Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey 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...
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.]]>1238falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-doctor-who-smiled-as-patients-secretly-turned-to-dust--73073063
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.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073063Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe 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...
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.]]>1372falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-night-a-cardiologist-gave-michael-jackson-surgical-anesthesia-to-sleep--73073062
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.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073062Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe 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...
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.]]>1314falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/thirteen-times-too-many-babies-dying-inside-toronto-s-trusted-hospital--73073058
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.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073058Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaThirteen 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...
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.]]>1344falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-life-saving-vials-turned-deadly-the-blood-betrayal-of-1982--73073055
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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073055Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen 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...
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.]]>1157falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/twelve-children-vaccinated-to-be-protected-twelve-dead-within-twenty-four-hours--73073053
It began as trust in a free immunisation program and ended with twelve children dead within a day: eleven by sunrise and the twelfth later that same day. How did a routine tetanus antitoxin injection given in Bundaberg on January 27, 1928, become a rapid, deadly collapse for children who were healthy that morning?

In this episode, we tell the events in Bundaberg in January 1928, describing who was involved, how the clinic unfolded, and the sequence of illness and deaths that followed the injections; what role the tetanus antitoxin bottles and multi-dose vials played, and why the answer had to be found inside the serum itself.

Person: Ewing Thomson
Event: Bundaberg inoculation clinic, January 27, 1928
Topic: Tetanus antitoxin (TAT) multi-dose vials
Location: Bundaberg, Queensland
Investigator: Egmont Schmidt (post-mortems)

- Twelve children were inoculated in Bundaberg and twelve died within twenty-four hours, eleven by sunrise on January 28 and the twelfth later that day.
- Twenty-one children were inoculated that morning; within seven hours eighteen of the twenty-one were seriously ill.
- The children ranged in age from one year old to nine years old.
- The tetanus antitoxin batch had also been distributed to other towns with no reported illnesses or deaths.
- Ewing Thomson, the chief medical officer who ran the program, brought his own son to be inoculated in the same session; his son survived.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073053Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaTwelve children vaccinated to be protected - twelve dead within twenty-four hours It began as trust in a free immunisation program and ended with twelve children dead within a day: eleven by sunrise and the twelfth later that same day. How did a...
It began as trust in a free immunisation program and ended with twelve children dead within a day: eleven by sunrise and the twelfth later that same day. How did a routine tetanus antitoxin injection given in Bundaberg on January 27, 1928, become a rapid, deadly collapse for children who were healthy that morning?

In this episode, we tell the events in Bundaberg in January 1928, describing who was involved, how the clinic unfolded, and the sequence of illness and deaths that followed the injections; what role the tetanus antitoxin bottles and multi-dose vials played, and why the answer had to be found inside the serum itself.

Person: Ewing Thomson
Event: Bundaberg inoculation clinic, January 27, 1928
Topic: Tetanus antitoxin (TAT) multi-dose vials
Location: Bundaberg, Queensland
Investigator: Egmont Schmidt (post-mortems)

- Twelve children were inoculated in Bundaberg and twelve died within twenty-four hours, eleven by sunrise on January 28 and the twelfth later that day.
- Twenty-one children were inoculated that morning; within seven hours eighteen of the twenty-one were seriously ill.
- The children ranged in age from one year old to nine years old.
- The tetanus antitoxin batch had also been distributed to other towns with no reported illnesses or deaths.
- Ewing Thomson, the chief medical officer who ran the program, brought his own son to be inoculated in the same session; his son survived.

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.]]>1202falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-dogs-stopped-trying-the-experiment-that-broke-hope--73073052
A young scientist watched dogs who could easily jump a low barrier lie down and endure shocks instead - because they had learned that trying made no difference. The 1967 University of Pennsylvania study that coined "learned helplessness" later echoed through classrooms, care homes, poverty research, and even interrogation manuals; how did a lab finding about dogs become a prototype for human despair?

In this episode, we tell the story of the experiment, the curare control that ruled out physical explanations, and the unsettling implications the researchers themselves struggled to name: could a mind conclude that action is pointless even when escape is visible?

Person: Martin Seligman
Person: Overmier
Person: Steven Maier
Date: 1967
Location: University of Pennsylvania

- Group Three dogs received inescapable shocks while a separate paired dog’s lever stopped the shock for the pair.
- Dogs that had an operable lever learned to jump a low barrier in a shuttle box and escaped shocks quickly.
- Dogs exposed to inescapable shocks later lay down and did not jump over a low barrier despite being physically able.
- Maier paralyzed Phase One dogs with curare so they could not attempt escape, then observed the same passive behavior after recovery.
- Researchers offered food rewards, loud sounds, and demonstrations by other dogs; none caused Group Three dogs to escape.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073052Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen Dogs Stopped Trying: The Experiment That Broke Hope A young scientist watched dogs who could easily jump a low barrier lie down and endure shocks instead - because they had learned that trying made no difference. The 1967 University of...
A young scientist watched dogs who could easily jump a low barrier lie down and endure shocks instead - because they had learned that trying made no difference. The 1967 University of Pennsylvania study that coined "learned helplessness" later echoed through classrooms, care homes, poverty research, and even interrogation manuals; how did a lab finding about dogs become a prototype for human despair?

In this episode, we tell the story of the experiment, the curare control that ruled out physical explanations, and the unsettling implications the researchers themselves struggled to name: could a mind conclude that action is pointless even when escape is visible?

Person: Martin Seligman
Person: Overmier
Person: Steven Maier
Date: 1967
Location: University of Pennsylvania

- Group Three dogs received inescapable shocks while a separate paired dog’s lever stopped the shock for the pair.
- Dogs that had an operable lever learned to jump a low barrier in a shuttle box and escaped shocks quickly.
- Dogs exposed to inescapable shocks later lay down and did not jump over a low barrier despite being physically able.
- Maier paralyzed Phase One dogs with curare so they could not attempt escape, then observed the same passive behavior after recovery.
- Researchers offered food rewards, loud sounds, and demonstrations by other dogs; none caused Group Three dogs to escape.

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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.]]>1182falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-catatonic-man-unreachable-for-years-recovered-after-five-deliberate-seizures-in-january-1934--73073051
A doctor in Budapest injected a thirty-three-year-old man with a treatment never tried on a human being, and after five deliberate seizures the previously mute, immobilized patient began to recover. The method grew from an unexpected microscopic finding linking epilepsy and schizophrenia - but why it worked remains unanswered; did the seizures reset the brain, or was something else at play?

In this episode, we tell how a years‑long study of dead brains and ward patients led one clinician to try a radical intervention, and we follow the case that changed psychiatric practice while leaving its mechanism mysterious.

Person: Ladislas Joseph Meduna
Date: January 23, 1934
Location: Budapest
Age: 33
Institution: Psychiatric Institute (Lipotmező hospital)

- On January 23, 1934, Meduna administered an injection that had never been tried on a human being.
- The patient had not spoken, recognized a face, or responded to his name for years before the treatment.
- After five induced seizures in January 1934, the previously catatonic patient recovered and began to speak.
- Meduna’s hypothesis originated from post-mortem examinations showing abundant glial cells in epileptic brains and depleted glial cells in schizophrenic brains.
- Statistical observation: patients with epilepsy rarely presented with schizophrenia, and patients with schizophrenia rarely developed seizures.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073051Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:35 +0000Creator at ObomediaA catatonic man, unreachable for years, recovered after five deliberate seizures in January 1934 A doctor in Budapest injected a thirty-three-year-old man with a treatment never tried on a human being, and after five deliberate seizures the...
A doctor in Budapest injected a thirty-three-year-old man with a treatment never tried on a human being, and after five deliberate seizures the previously mute, immobilized patient began to recover. The method grew from an unexpected microscopic finding linking epilepsy and schizophrenia - but why it worked remains unanswered; did the seizures reset the brain, or was something else at play?

In this episode, we tell how a years‑long study of dead brains and ward patients led one clinician to try a radical intervention, and we follow the case that changed psychiatric practice while leaving its mechanism mysterious.

Person: Ladislas Joseph Meduna
Date: January 23, 1934
Location: Budapest
Age: 33
Institution: Psychiatric Institute (Lipotmező hospital)

- On January 23, 1934, Meduna administered an injection that had never been tried on a human being.
- The patient had not spoken, recognized a face, or responded to his name for years before the treatment.
- After five induced seizures in January 1934, the previously catatonic patient recovered and began to speak.
- Meduna’s hypothesis originated from post-mortem examinations showing abundant glial cells in epileptic brains and depleted glial cells in schizophrenic brains.
- Statistical observation: patients with epilepsy rarely presented with schizophrenia, and patients with schizophrenia rarely developed seizures.

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.]]>1309falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-child-died-in-a-drug-trial-no-one-ever-asked-her-permission--73073048
A ten-year-old girl in Kano, Nigeria, was enrolled in a 1996 meningitis drug trial without being told what was happening, and she died during the study; why were decades-old protections for children not applied, and who decided silence was acceptable? The case centers on documented choices and legal arguments that treated established pediatric consent norms as nonbinding - and it asks: how did rules built after Nuremberg fail her?

In this episode, we tell how existing international and U.S. regulatory frameworks around informed consent and child assent related to that 1996 trial, what the documented corporate position was, and how those choices shaped the fate of roughly two hundred children - could established protections have changed the outcome?

Person: ten-year-old girl
Location: Kano, Nigeria
Date: 1996
Event: meningitis drug trial involving trovafloxacin (Trovan)
Status: eleven children died during the trial

- Approximately 200 children were enrolled in the trial in Kano during a 1996 meningitis outbreak.
- Half of the trial participants received the experimental antibiotic trovafloxacin (Trovan); the other half received a comparison treatment.
- Eleven children died during the trial.
- The ten-year-old who died was within the Rule of Sevens range (ages seven to fourteen) considered capable of meaningful assent.
- Pfizer’s documented legal position argued no binding international norm required obtaining informed consent from pediatric subjects in Nigeria in 1996.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073048Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:32 +0000Creator at ObomediaA child died in a drug trial. No one ever asked her permission A ten-year-old girl in Kano, Nigeria, was enrolled in a 1996 meningitis drug trial without being told what was happening, and she died during the study; why were decades-old protections...
A ten-year-old girl in Kano, Nigeria, was enrolled in a 1996 meningitis drug trial without being told what was happening, and she died during the study; why were decades-old protections for children not applied, and who decided silence was acceptable? The case centers on documented choices and legal arguments that treated established pediatric consent norms as nonbinding - and it asks: how did rules built after Nuremberg fail her?

In this episode, we tell how existing international and U.S. regulatory frameworks around informed consent and child assent related to that 1996 trial, what the documented corporate position was, and how those choices shaped the fate of roughly two hundred children - could established protections have changed the outcome?

Person: ten-year-old girl
Location: Kano, Nigeria
Date: 1996
Event: meningitis drug trial involving trovafloxacin (Trovan)
Status: eleven children died during the trial

- Approximately 200 children were enrolled in the trial in Kano during a 1996 meningitis outbreak.
- Half of the trial participants received the experimental antibiotic trovafloxacin (Trovan); the other half received a comparison treatment.
- Eleven children died during the trial.
- The ten-year-old who died was within the Rule of Sevens range (ages seven to fourteen) considered capable of meaningful assent.
- Pfizer’s documented legal position argued no binding international norm required obtaining informed consent from pediatric subjects in Nigeria in 1996.

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.]]>1208falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-government-s-promise-how-600-men-were-betrayed-for-science--73073047
A government-sealed letter promised "Special Free Treatment" and drew six hundred Black men into a four-decade experiment where a cure existed but was withheld; how did free meals, rides, and funeral insurance become tools of deception, and who decided their worth was research data? Discover why a spinal tap billed as treatment became a diagnostic trap, and how the study continued openly in medical journals for forty years.

In this episode, we tell the story of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, outlining how the program recruited Black sharecroppers in Macon County with offers of free exams and burial insurance, how staff like Nurse Eunice Rivers maintained trust, and how officials engineered a no-treatment design that lasted from 1932 into the 1960s - so why did the government keep the cure from these men?

Person: Raymond A. Vonderlehr
Person: Nurse Eunice Rivers
Date: 1932
Location: Macon County, Alabama
Case: Tuskegee Syphilis Study

- 600 men were recruited, of whom 399 had latent syphilis and 201 were uninfected controls.
- The study, planned for 6-12 months, ran for 40 years.
- A letter titled "Last Chance for Special Free Treatment" was sent in 1942 on U.S. Public Health Service letterhead to recruit men for spinal taps.
- The men were promised free medical exams, free rides to the clinic, free hot meals, and free burial insurance.
- A cure was discovered halfway through the study, but officials chose to withhold it; a 1965 letter calling the practice "brazen unethical practice" received no reply.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073047Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:28 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Government's Promise: How 600 Men Were Betrayed for Science A government-sealed letter promised "Special Free Treatment" and drew six hundred Black men into a four-decade experiment where a cure existed but was withheld; how did free meals,...
A government-sealed letter promised "Special Free Treatment" and drew six hundred Black men into a four-decade experiment where a cure existed but was withheld; how did free meals, rides, and funeral insurance become tools of deception, and who decided their worth was research data? Discover why a spinal tap billed as treatment became a diagnostic trap, and how the study continued openly in medical journals for forty years.

In this episode, we tell the story of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, outlining how the program recruited Black sharecroppers in Macon County with offers of free exams and burial insurance, how staff like Nurse Eunice Rivers maintained trust, and how officials engineered a no-treatment design that lasted from 1932 into the 1960s - so why did the government keep the cure from these men?

Person: Raymond A. Vonderlehr
Person: Nurse Eunice Rivers
Date: 1932
Location: Macon County, Alabama
Case: Tuskegee Syphilis Study

- 600 men were recruited, of whom 399 had latent syphilis and 201 were uninfected controls.
- The study, planned for 6-12 months, ran for 40 years.
- A letter titled "Last Chance for Special Free Treatment" was sent in 1942 on U.S. Public Health Service letterhead to recruit men for spinal taps.
- The men were promised free medical exams, free rides to the clinic, free hot meals, and free burial insurance.
- A cure was discovered halfway through the study, but officials chose to withhold it; a 1965 letter calling the practice "brazen unethical practice" received no reply.

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.]]>1252falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/seventeen-watched-and-shaped-harvard-s-secret-abuse-trials--73073046
The idea that a celebrated Harvard psychologist ran sessions he called "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" is chilling when one of his subjects was a seventeen-year-old with the highest mathematics aptitude scores in the country. Those sessions included filmed confrontations and forced viewings of the footage - so what did they actually do to the young men inside them?

In this episode, we tell who was in the room, what Murray's study procedures involved, and how those procedures intersected with a future violent figure; we ask whether those filmed, repetitive assaults on identity helped shape outcomes in ways the record still won't answer.

Person: Henry Alexander Murray
Date: 1959-1962
Case: Study on 22 Harvard undergraduates
Person: Ted Kaczynski
Event: Filmed confrontational sessions with repeated playback

- Murray described the sessions as "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" in his own words.
- At least one of the 22 participants in Murray's study was a minor.
- Ted Kaczynski entered Harvard in autumn 1959 at age 17 carrying the highest mathematics aptitude scores in the country.
- The sessions involved a camera recording the young man while a figure across the table attacked his specific personal beliefs and identity.
- The recorded footage was played back to subjects repeatedly so they would watch themselves while their sense of self was broken.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073046Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaSeventeen, Watched and Shaped: Harvard's Secret Abuse Trials The idea that a celebrated Harvard psychologist ran sessions he called "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" is chilling when one of his subjects was a seventeen-year-old with the...
The idea that a celebrated Harvard psychologist ran sessions he called "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" is chilling when one of his subjects was a seventeen-year-old with the highest mathematics aptitude scores in the country. Those sessions included filmed confrontations and forced viewings of the footage - so what did they actually do to the young men inside them?

In this episode, we tell who was in the room, what Murray's study procedures involved, and how those procedures intersected with a future violent figure; we ask whether those filmed, repetitive assaults on identity helped shape outcomes in ways the record still won't answer.

Person: Henry Alexander Murray
Date: 1959-1962
Case: Study on 22 Harvard undergraduates
Person: Ted Kaczynski
Event: Filmed confrontational sessions with repeated playback

- Murray described the sessions as "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" in his own words.
- At least one of the 22 participants in Murray's study was a minor.
- Ted Kaczynski entered Harvard in autumn 1959 at age 17 carrying the highest mathematics aptitude scores in the country.
- The sessions involved a camera recording the young man while a figure across the table attacked his specific personal beliefs and identity.
- The recorded footage was played back to subjects repeatedly so they would watch themselves while their sense of self was broken.

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.]]>1329falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-were-treated-or-turned-into-human-radiation-targets--73073045
A bronze plaque and a demolished hospital hide a program that irradiated at least ninety patients - three of them children - with single-session doses equivalent to roughly twenty thousand chest X-rays, under a Department of Defense contract the patients did not know about. How did routine cancer care become a military study that never warned patients they might die?

In this episode, we present the documented record of the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments and the people involved, laying out who the patients were, what the study measured, and how the project was funded and reported - can a public hospital’s cancer treatments also have been human tests for battlefield radiation tolerance?

Person: Dr. Eugene L. Saenger
Date: May 24, 1960-1972
Location: Cincinnati Radiation Hospital
Event: Radiation Targets Study
Country: United States

- Total documented patients in medical records: at least 90
- Additional individuals named only in DOD reports and not in medical records: 10
- Doses administered in single sessions: range 25 to 300 rad; plans existed for up to 600 rad
- Funding requested in 1958: $25,085; total contract over 11 years: $671,482.79
- Early mortality: 21 died within 30 days; 25% dead within two months; over 75% did not survive one year

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073045Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Were Treated - Or Turned Into Human Radiation Targets? A bronze plaque and a demolished hospital hide a program that irradiated at least ninety patients - three of them children - with single-session doses equivalent to roughly twenty thousand...
A bronze plaque and a demolished hospital hide a program that irradiated at least ninety patients - three of them children - with single-session doses equivalent to roughly twenty thousand chest X-rays, under a Department of Defense contract the patients did not know about. How did routine cancer care become a military study that never warned patients they might die?

In this episode, we present the documented record of the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments and the people involved, laying out who the patients were, what the study measured, and how the project was funded and reported - can a public hospital’s cancer treatments also have been human tests for battlefield radiation tolerance?

Person: Dr. Eugene L. Saenger
Date: May 24, 1960-1972
Location: Cincinnati Radiation Hospital
Event: Radiation Targets Study
Country: United States

- Total documented patients in medical records: at least 90
- Additional individuals named only in DOD reports and not in medical records: 10
- Doses administered in single sessions: range 25 to 300 rad; plans existed for up to 600 rad
- Funding requested in 1958: $25,085; total contract over 11 years: $671,482.79
- Early mortality: 21 died within 30 days; 25% dead within two months; over 75% did not survive one year

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.]]>1267falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-sued-because-her-baby-was-born-the-choice-stolen--73073044
A Texas court in 1975 allowed a mother to sue because her child was born after the doctor failed to disclose a known risk - not for a surgical error but for lost information that would have allowed a different decision. What happens when the harm is the denial of choice, not a physical injury, and how much does that reframe the law and the value of a disabled life?

In this episode, we tell the story of Dortha and her daughter Lesli, and the Keels family, to show how nondisclosure about rubella and genetic risk became the center of a legal shift: could a physician be held liable for failing to provide information that might have led a patient to terminate a pregnancy?

Person: Dortha
Person: Lesli
Person: Keels family
Date: 1975
Topic: Failure to disclose medical risk

- In 1975 a Texas appellate court ruled a physician could be sued for depriving a patient of information that might have led her to end a pregnancy.
- Dortha contracted rubella during pregnancy, a condition known by the 1970s to cause severe fetal abnormalities when contracted in the first trimester.
- Lesli was born severely disabled with conditions the medical record attributed to prenatal rubella exposure.
- The Keels family had a first child who died at age six from a degenerative condition and were reassured by a physician that the risk would not repeat, but their second child was born with the same condition.
- The court’s ruling did not claim the physicians biologically caused the disabilities, but that failure to disclose removed the parents’ chance to decide.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073044Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:19 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Sued Because Her Baby Was Born - The Choice Stolen A Texas court in 1975 allowed a mother to sue because her child was born after the doctor failed to disclose a known risk - not for a surgical error but for lost information that would have...
A Texas court in 1975 allowed a mother to sue because her child was born after the doctor failed to disclose a known risk - not for a surgical error but for lost information that would have allowed a different decision. What happens when the harm is the denial of choice, not a physical injury, and how much does that reframe the law and the value of a disabled life?

In this episode, we tell the story of Dortha and her daughter Lesli, and the Keels family, to show how nondisclosure about rubella and genetic risk became the center of a legal shift: could a physician be held liable for failing to provide information that might have led a patient to terminate a pregnancy?

Person: Dortha
Person: Lesli
Person: Keels family
Date: 1975
Topic: Failure to disclose medical risk

- In 1975 a Texas appellate court ruled a physician could be sued for depriving a patient of information that might have led her to end a pregnancy.
- Dortha contracted rubella during pregnancy, a condition known by the 1970s to cause severe fetal abnormalities when contracted in the first trimester.
- Lesli was born severely disabled with conditions the medical record attributed to prenatal rubella exposure.
- The Keels family had a first child who died at age six from a degenerative condition and were reassured by a physician that the risk would not repeat, but their second child was born with the same condition.
- The court’s ruling did not claim the physicians biologically caused the disabilities, but that failure to disclose removed the parents’ chance to decide.

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.]]>1143falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dollar-that-made-children-disappear-quebec-s-duplessis-secret--73073042
A bureaucratic savings of one dollar and fifty cents per child per day turned orphans into psychiatric patients on paper - and fed a system that swallowed thousands of lives into institutions run by Catholic orders. How did a small subsidy gap, a 1909 asylum law and a 1949 decree signed by the premier conspire to erase children’s identities and make institutions eligible for federal money?

In this episode, we trace the policy choices, institutional actors, and legal instruments that converted orphanages into hospitals and explore the human cost recorded in ledgers, psychiatric reports and survivor testimony. What does it mean that no one was ever charged despite the detailed documentation of the scheme?

Person: Maurice Duplessis
Date: 1949
Law: Loi sur les Asiles d'aliénés (1909)
Subsidy difference: $1.50 per child per day
Report year: 1999

- Orphanage funding rate from the provincial government was $1.25 per child per day.
- Psychiatric hospitals received $2.75 per patient per day from the federal government.
- Maurice Duplessis signed the decree reclassifying orphanages as hospitals in 1949.
- Investigators estimated religious groups received the equivalent of $70 million (valued at 1999 rates) from the reclassification.
- The provincial government reportedly saved an estimated $37 million from reclassifying a single orphanage.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073042Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:16 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dollar That Made Children Disappear: Quebec's Duplessis Secret A bureaucratic savings of one dollar and fifty cents per child per day turned orphans into psychiatric patients on paper - and fed a system that swallowed thousands of lives into...
A bureaucratic savings of one dollar and fifty cents per child per day turned orphans into psychiatric patients on paper - and fed a system that swallowed thousands of lives into institutions run by Catholic orders. How did a small subsidy gap, a 1909 asylum law and a 1949 decree signed by the premier conspire to erase children’s identities and make institutions eligible for federal money?

In this episode, we trace the policy choices, institutional actors, and legal instruments that converted orphanages into hospitals and explore the human cost recorded in ledgers, psychiatric reports and survivor testimony. What does it mean that no one was ever charged despite the detailed documentation of the scheme?

Person: Maurice Duplessis
Date: 1949
Law: Loi sur les Asiles d'aliénés (1909)
Subsidy difference: $1.50 per child per day
Report year: 1999

- Orphanage funding rate from the provincial government was $1.25 per child per day.
- Psychiatric hospitals received $2.75 per patient per day from the federal government.
- Maurice Duplessis signed the decree reclassifying orphanages as hospitals in 1949.
- Investigators estimated religious groups received the equivalent of $70 million (valued at 1999 rates) from the reclassification.
- The provincial government reportedly saved an estimated $37 million from reclassifying a single orphanage.

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.]]>1303falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-basement-passage-how-a-friendly-kitchen-hand-slipped-past-everyone--73073041
The basement passage was not just a shortcut; it was a concealed route used routinely in the early morning for months, connecting the kitchen directly to the patients' rooms. Eighteen people died at the Kearsley Home between October 1981 and August 1983, yet twelve deaths remain unresolved-how did a friendly nineteen-year-old kitchen worker exploit that route without anyone noticing?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events inside the Kearsley Home and the moments that finally broke the silence, describing the deaths, the staff’s assumptions, and the single decision that forced a reexamination. What did a physician see on July 19, 1983, that changed everything?

Person: Anthony Joyner, born May 26, 1962
Location: Kearsley Home, Christ Church Hospital campus, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Period: October 1981-August 1983
Event: Eighteen resident deaths; six confirmed murders
Outcome: Autopsies on July 19, 1983 confirmed rape and homicide for two victims

- Eighteen people died at the Kearsley Home between October 1981 and August 1983.
- Six deaths were confirmed murders; twelve deaths remain unresolved.
- Anthony Joyner was hired at age 19 in October 1981 as an assistant nutritionist/kitchen staff member.
- Four initial deaths named: Margaret Eckard (92) on January 12, 1983; Kathryn Maxwell (85) on February 12, 1983; Elizabeth Monroe (86) in February 1983; Lily Amlie (89) on June 1, 1983.
- On July 19, 1983, autopsies confirmed Eugenia Borda (90) had been strangled and Mildred Alston (83) had been suffocated, and both had been raped.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073041Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Basement Passage: How a Friendly Kitchen Hand Slipped Past Everyone The basement passage was not just a shortcut; it was a concealed route used routinely in the early morning for months, connecting the kitchen directly to the patients' rooms....
The basement passage was not just a shortcut; it was a concealed route used routinely in the early morning for months, connecting the kitchen directly to the patients' rooms. Eighteen people died at the Kearsley Home between October 1981 and August 1983, yet twelve deaths remain unresolved-how did a friendly nineteen-year-old kitchen worker exploit that route without anyone noticing?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events inside the Kearsley Home and the moments that finally broke the silence, describing the deaths, the staff’s assumptions, and the single decision that forced a reexamination. What did a physician see on July 19, 1983, that changed everything?

Person: Anthony Joyner, born May 26, 1962
Location: Kearsley Home, Christ Church Hospital campus, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Period: October 1981-August 1983
Event: Eighteen resident deaths; six confirmed murders
Outcome: Autopsies on July 19, 1983 confirmed rape and homicide for two victims

- Eighteen people died at the Kearsley Home between October 1981 and August 1983.
- Six deaths were confirmed murders; twelve deaths remain unresolved.
- Anthony Joyner was hired at age 19 in October 1981 as an assistant nutritionist/kitchen staff member.
- Four initial deaths named: Margaret Eckard (92) on January 12, 1983; Kathryn Maxwell (85) on February 12, 1983; Elizabeth Monroe (86) in February 1983; Lily Amlie (89) on June 1, 1983.
- On July 19, 1983, autopsies confirmed Eugenia Borda (90) had been strangled and Mildred Alston (83) had been suffocated, and both had been raped.

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.]]>1224falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-doctor-who-faked-brains-how-ernst-jansen-steur-vanished--73073040
A vanished neurologist used forged records and false prescriptions to send patients into unnecessary brain surgery while still appearing on national TV; two hundred and fifty thousand euros and a signed silence agreement helped hide his trail. How did institutional safeguards fail so completely, and what finally unmade his invisibility?

In this episode, we tell the story of Ernst Jansen Steur’s career, the fraud and addictions that accompanied it, the quiet settlements and cross‑border disappearance, and the journalist whose voice recognition reopened the case. What happens when a trusted expert is revealed to be the source of harm?

Person: Ernst Nicolaas Herman Jansen
Date of birth: 24 October 1945
Event: Vanished to Germany after a settlement of €250,000 and a signed silence agreement
Location: Medisch Spectrum Twente, eastern Netherlands and Bad Laasphe, Germany
Status: Died December 2023 at age 78 while awaiting appeal

- Thirty-five patients filed formal complaints against Jansen Steur.
- Three patients died and one patient committed suicide linked to the case.
- Jansen Steur had been failing as a physician since at least 1992, per the Lemstra committee.
- He appeared on Dutch television EénVandaag on 24 July 2002 commenting on Prince Claus.
- He had been addicted to midazolam for at least two years by 2002 and forged prescriptions since at least 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073040Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Doctor Who Faked Brains: How Ernst Jansen Steur Vanished A vanished neurologist used forged records and false prescriptions to send patients into unnecessary brain surgery while still appearing on national TV; two hundred and fifty thousand...
A vanished neurologist used forged records and false prescriptions to send patients into unnecessary brain surgery while still appearing on national TV; two hundred and fifty thousand euros and a signed silence agreement helped hide his trail. How did institutional safeguards fail so completely, and what finally unmade his invisibility?

In this episode, we tell the story of Ernst Jansen Steur’s career, the fraud and addictions that accompanied it, the quiet settlements and cross‑border disappearance, and the journalist whose voice recognition reopened the case. What happens when a trusted expert is revealed to be the source of harm?

Person: Ernst Nicolaas Herman Jansen
Date of birth: 24 October 1945
Event: Vanished to Germany after a settlement of €250,000 and a signed silence agreement
Location: Medisch Spectrum Twente, eastern Netherlands and Bad Laasphe, Germany
Status: Died December 2023 at age 78 while awaiting appeal

- Thirty-five patients filed formal complaints against Jansen Steur.
- Three patients died and one patient committed suicide linked to the case.
- Jansen Steur had been failing as a physician since at least 1992, per the Lemstra committee.
- He appeared on Dutch television EénVandaag on 24 July 2002 commenting on Prince Claus.
- He had been addicted to midazolam for at least two years by 2002 and forged prescriptions since at least 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.]]>1333falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/six-healthy-men-received-one-five-hundredth-of-the-animal-safe-dose-and-nearly-died--73073039
Within one hour of receiving an infusion that was one five-hundredth of the highest animal-safe dose, six healthy volunteers were fighting for their lives as their bodies felt like they were "burning alive" and doctors watched an inflammatory catastrophe unfold - what single, invisible biological fact did no one know to look for? This episode centers on the TGN1412 trial, a humanised monoclonal antibody intended to calm the immune system that instead triggered a violent, unexplained reaction.

In this episode, we present the timeline, the people, and the procedures around the morning at Parexel’s clinical trials unit that led to the crisis, and we ask how a dose within protocol and cleared by regulators produced such devastating outcomes. Could a known safety margin still miss a mechanism that only reveals itself in humans?

Person: Mohammed Abdalla
Date: 13 March 2006
Location: Northwick Park Hospital, London
Drug: TGN1412
Dose: 0.1 milligrams per kilogram (one five-hundredth of highest safe animal dose)

- Six healthy male volunteers aged 19 to 34 received the same TGN1412 infusion that morning.
- The first infusion began at 08:00 and was delivered over three to six minutes via intravenous line.
- Fifty minutes after the first infusion, the first subject reported feeling "like he was burning alive."
- Infusions were administered one at a time at roughly ten-minute intervals to eight men, six receiving drug and two receiving placebo.
- The drug targeted the CD28 receptor on human T cells as a "superagonist" designed to activate regulatory T cells.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073039Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaSix healthy men received one five-hundredth of the animal-safe dose - and nearly died Within one hour of receiving an infusion that was one five-hundredth of the highest animal-safe dose, six healthy volunteers were fighting for their lives as...
Within one hour of receiving an infusion that was one five-hundredth of the highest animal-safe dose, six healthy volunteers were fighting for their lives as their bodies felt like they were "burning alive" and doctors watched an inflammatory catastrophe unfold - what single, invisible biological fact did no one know to look for? This episode centers on the TGN1412 trial, a humanised monoclonal antibody intended to calm the immune system that instead triggered a violent, unexplained reaction.

In this episode, we present the timeline, the people, and the procedures around the morning at Parexel’s clinical trials unit that led to the crisis, and we ask how a dose within protocol and cleared by regulators produced such devastating outcomes. Could a known safety margin still miss a mechanism that only reveals itself in humans?

Person: Mohammed Abdalla
Date: 13 March 2006
Location: Northwick Park Hospital, London
Drug: TGN1412
Dose: 0.1 milligrams per kilogram (one five-hundredth of highest safe animal dose)

- Six healthy male volunteers aged 19 to 34 received the same TGN1412 infusion that morning.
- The first infusion began at 08:00 and was delivered over three to six minutes via intravenous line.
- Fifty minutes after the first infusion, the first subject reported feeling "like he was burning alive."
- Infusions were administered one at a time at roughly ten-minute intervals to eight men, six receiving drug and two receiving placebo.
- The drug targeted the CD28 receptor on human T cells as a "superagonist" designed to activate regulatory T cells.

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.]]>1325falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-rule-that-mis-times-champions-when-milliseconds-decide-gold--73073037
A single experiment in 1952 showed decision time scales formulaically with the number of choices, measurable to the millisecond-and that tiny gap now collides with rules meant to ensure fair sport. How did a finding born in observatories and 19th-century labs creep into the rules that decide Olympic gold?

In this episode, we trace the history of timing the mind from a 1796 observatory discrepancy through Donders’ subtraction method and Galton’s mass measurements to the modern clash between cognitive science and competitive rules-what does it mean when science times thought more precisely than institutions do?

Person: Nevil Maskelyne
Person: David Kinnebrook
Person: Friedrich Bessel
Person: Franciscus Donders
Person: Francis Galton

- In 1796 two astronomers recorded the same star crossing a line with a consistent 0.8 second difference between their timings.
- Bessel found stable, personal timing offsets across trained observers rather than random errors.
- Donders’ subtraction method, developed in the 1860s, isolated decision time by subtracting simple reaction time from choice reaction time.
- Galton measured over 10,000 people in 1884 for reaction-related traits including response to a wrist tap.
- The 1952 experiment showed response time slowed on a precise mathematical schedule as the number of choices increased, measurable to the millisecond.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073037Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Rule That Mis-times Champions: When Milliseconds Decide Gold A single experiment in 1952 showed decision time scales formulaically with the number of choices, measurable to the millisecond-and that tiny gap now collides with rules meant to...
A single experiment in 1952 showed decision time scales formulaically with the number of choices, measurable to the millisecond-and that tiny gap now collides with rules meant to ensure fair sport. How did a finding born in observatories and 19th-century labs creep into the rules that decide Olympic gold?

In this episode, we trace the history of timing the mind from a 1796 observatory discrepancy through Donders’ subtraction method and Galton’s mass measurements to the modern clash between cognitive science and competitive rules-what does it mean when science times thought more precisely than institutions do?

Person: Nevil Maskelyne
Person: David Kinnebrook
Person: Friedrich Bessel
Person: Franciscus Donders
Person: Francis Galton

- In 1796 two astronomers recorded the same star crossing a line with a consistent 0.8 second difference between their timings.
- Bessel found stable, personal timing offsets across trained observers rather than random errors.
- Donders’ subtraction method, developed in the 1860s, isolated decision time by subtracting simple reaction time from choice reaction time.
- Galton measured over 10,000 people in 1884 for reaction-related traits including response to a wrist tap.
- The 1952 experiment showed response time slowed on a precise mathematical schedule as the number of choices increased, measurable to the millisecond.

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.]]>1390falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-data-never-named-the-hospital-the-analysis-did-it-anyway--73073035
A published paper revealed no names, no addresses, and yet its statistical structure pointed straight to a specific geriatric ward - turning properly anonymised patient records into a findable cohort. How can routine, rule-following analysis re-identify people when every identifying field was removed?

In this episode, we lay out how standard research practice produced that outcome, what went missing between anonymisation and publication, and which parts of the disclosure-control toolkit failed to prevent it. What decisions in the analysis made the hospital discoverable?

Topic: statistical disclosure control
Event: published geriatric study
Author: Lawrence Cox
Date: 2009
Location: remote region

- The dataset had names and addresses removed before analysis, yet the paper's statistical granularity made the hospital identifiable.
- The study combined three coordinates - service quality, geriatric care, and a remote area - producing a profile specific enough for regional readers to name the institution.
- Lawrence Cox showed in 2009 that complementary cell suppression can fail because suppressing a cell narrows intervals around it, effectively revealing the hidden value.
- The dataset passed input disclosure control (anonymisation) by standard measures, but output disclosure control failed when results left the secure environment.
- The field's best current framework still carries warnings: these disclosure-avoidance tools have known, decades-old gaps that remain unresolved as of the early 2020s.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073035Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:43:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe data never named the hospital. The analysis did it anyway A published paper revealed no names, no addresses, and yet its statistical structure pointed straight to a specific geriatric ward - turning properly anonymised patient records into a...
A published paper revealed no names, no addresses, and yet its statistical structure pointed straight to a specific geriatric ward - turning properly anonymised patient records into a findable cohort. How can routine, rule-following analysis re-identify people when every identifying field was removed?

In this episode, we lay out how standard research practice produced that outcome, what went missing between anonymisation and publication, and which parts of the disclosure-control toolkit failed to prevent it. What decisions in the analysis made the hospital discoverable?

Topic: statistical disclosure control
Event: published geriatric study
Author: Lawrence Cox
Date: 2009
Location: remote region

- The dataset had names and addresses removed before analysis, yet the paper's statistical granularity made the hospital identifiable.
- The study combined three coordinates - service quality, geriatric care, and a remote area - producing a profile specific enough for regional readers to name the institution.
- Lawrence Cox showed in 2009 that complementary cell suppression can fail because suppressing a cell narrows intervals around it, effectively revealing the hidden value.
- The dataset passed input disclosure control (anonymisation) by standard measures, but output disclosure control failed when results left the secure environment.
- The field's best current framework still carries warnings: these disclosure-avoidance tools have known, decades-old gaps that remain unresolved as of the early 2020s.

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.]]>1255falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bellhop-who-wasn-t-the-operative-behind-frank-olson-s-fall--73073034
Danger hid in plain sight: the bellhop on duty the night Frank Olson fell from the tenth floor was a Corsican criminal using at least eight names, with thirty-four arrests and secret protection from the U.S. government - so who was he really, and how did a man who "did not officially exist" become central to a death ruled a suicide?

In this episode, we tell the story that begins not at a crime scene but with a man whose fabricated biographies carried him through world wars, intelligence units, and the underworld; we trace his movements from Marseilles to Camp Ritchie and the Statler Hotel, and return repeatedly to the same question: who was the operative known as "the Pirate"?

Person: Frank Olson
Event: Fall from the tenth floor of the Statler Hotel
Date: November 19, 1953
Alias: Pierre LaFitte (used most consistently)
Handler: George Hunter Hunter

- The bellhop that night operated under at least eight different names and had thirty-four arrests across thirty-four years.
- He arrived in France on October 25, 1917, recruited into the Corps of Intelligence Police before he was old enough to shave.
- On February 6, 1925, he impersonated Colonel Turvil at Gare de Lyon and fled to Casablanca, later receiving a two-year sentence.
- He escaped from the prison at Le Mans on March 18, 1926.
- In a private 1975 letter, handler George Hunter Hunter admitted the U.S. government had fabricated the official arrival record for Pierre LaFitte.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073034Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bellhop Who Wasn't: The Operative Behind Frank Olson's Fall Danger hid in plain sight: the bellhop on duty the night Frank Olson fell from the tenth floor was a Corsican criminal using at least eight names, with thirty-four arrests and secret...
Danger hid in plain sight: the bellhop on duty the night Frank Olson fell from the tenth floor was a Corsican criminal using at least eight names, with thirty-four arrests and secret protection from the U.S. government - so who was he really, and how did a man who "did not officially exist" become central to a death ruled a suicide?

In this episode, we tell the story that begins not at a crime scene but with a man whose fabricated biographies carried him through world wars, intelligence units, and the underworld; we trace his movements from Marseilles to Camp Ritchie and the Statler Hotel, and return repeatedly to the same question: who was the operative known as "the Pirate"?

Person: Frank Olson
Event: Fall from the tenth floor of the Statler Hotel
Date: November 19, 1953
Alias: Pierre LaFitte (used most consistently)
Handler: George Hunter Hunter

- The bellhop that night operated under at least eight different names and had thirty-four arrests across thirty-four years.
- He arrived in France on October 25, 1917, recruited into the Corps of Intelligence Police before he was old enough to shave.
- On February 6, 1925, he impersonated Colonel Turvil at Gare de Lyon and fled to Casablanca, later receiving a two-year sentence.
- He escaped from the prison at Le Mans on March 18, 1926.
- In a private 1975 letter, handler George Hunter Hunter admitted the U.S. government had fabricated the official arrival record for Pierre LaFitte.

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.]]>1379falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-came-for-dinner-woke-up-on-an-operating-table--73073032
A flophouse bed, three meals a day, and free medical care were the bait for more than twelve hundred men recruited from Lower Manhattan's Bowery in 1951 - many of whom later underwent an invasive open perineal biopsy without documented written consent. How did a Columbia surgeon's quest to detect prostate cancer turn into a decade-long series where harms were recorded but no clear benefit to participants was ever demonstrated?

In this episode, we lay out the recorded facts of the Bowery Series: who was recruited, what procedures they received, and the conflicting accounts about consent and outcomes - and we ask whether the clinical gains justified the human costs.

Person: Perry Hudson
Event: Bowery Series
Date: 1951 (recruitment began)
Location: Lower Manhattan Bowery
Topic: open perineal biopsy for prostate cancer screening

- More than 1,200 men passed through the Bowery Series over the course of a decade.
- The biopsy core removed measured roughly 2.5 cm long, 1 cm wide, and 0.5 cm deep, with half sent to pathology and half retained by Hudson.
- Independent researchers documented postoperative impotence and rectal laceration in 24 patients.
- Participants received blood and urine tests, abdominal X-rays, prostate massage for cytology, and intravenous pyelograms before biopsy.
- There was no written informed consent documented for the men who underwent the open perineal biopsy.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073032Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Came for Dinner - Woke Up on an Operating Table A flophouse bed, three meals a day, and free medical care were the bait for more than twelve hundred men recruited from Lower Manhattan's Bowery in 1951 - many of whom later underwent an invasive...
A flophouse bed, three meals a day, and free medical care were the bait for more than twelve hundred men recruited from Lower Manhattan's Bowery in 1951 - many of whom later underwent an invasive open perineal biopsy without documented written consent. How did a Columbia surgeon's quest to detect prostate cancer turn into a decade-long series where harms were recorded but no clear benefit to participants was ever demonstrated?

In this episode, we lay out the recorded facts of the Bowery Series: who was recruited, what procedures they received, and the conflicting accounts about consent and outcomes - and we ask whether the clinical gains justified the human costs.

Person: Perry Hudson
Event: Bowery Series
Date: 1951 (recruitment began)
Location: Lower Manhattan Bowery
Topic: open perineal biopsy for prostate cancer screening

- More than 1,200 men passed through the Bowery Series over the course of a decade.
- The biopsy core removed measured roughly 2.5 cm long, 1 cm wide, and 0.5 cm deep, with half sent to pathology and half retained by Hudson.
- Independent researchers documented postoperative impotence and rectal laceration in 24 patients.
- Participants received blood and urine tests, abdominal X-rays, prostate massage for cytology, and intravenous pyelograms before biopsy.
- There was no written informed consent documented for the men who underwent the open perineal biopsy.

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.]]>1095falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dosed-every-day-for-77-days-the-harris-isbell-experiments--73073031
Every morning for seventy-seven consecutive days a man received LSD inside a federal hospital, four times the original dose at the study's midpoint produced no effect, and payment for participation was opiates supplied to incarcerated narcotics offenders - so how did published science, federal funding, and CIA involvement all converge on men who could not leave? What does the record really say about consent when the currency is the substance a man's nervous system requires?

In this episode, we tell what the transcripted record documents about the experiments run at the Public Health Service Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, who the subjects were, how studies were conducted and compensated, and the unresolved question of ethical consent in that context.

Person: Harris Isbell
Location: Public Health Service Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky
Date: 1956
Topic: Daily LSD dosing and other substance experiments
Funding: Central Intelligence Agency (partially)

- A man received LSD every morning for 77 consecutive days.
- By day 3 of the LSD regimen, the drug "stopped working entirely" for the subject.
- At the midpoint of the LSD study researchers increased the dose to four times the original amount and the subject still "felt nothing."
- The experiments enrolled incarcerated narcotics offenders who were paid with opiates as documented compensation.
- The alcohol study (1955) kept subjects intoxicated for 48 to 87 days with roughly one quart of 80-proof alcohol per day, dosing from 6 AM until midnight with a 3 AM booster.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073031Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaDosed Every Day for 77 Days: The Harris Isbell Experiments Every morning for seventy-seven consecutive days a man received LSD inside a federal hospital, four times the original dose at the study's midpoint produced no effect, and payment for...
Every morning for seventy-seven consecutive days a man received LSD inside a federal hospital, four times the original dose at the study's midpoint produced no effect, and payment for participation was opiates supplied to incarcerated narcotics offenders - so how did published science, federal funding, and CIA involvement all converge on men who could not leave? What does the record really say about consent when the currency is the substance a man's nervous system requires?

In this episode, we tell what the transcripted record documents about the experiments run at the Public Health Service Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, who the subjects were, how studies were conducted and compensated, and the unresolved question of ethical consent in that context.

Person: Harris Isbell
Location: Public Health Service Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky
Date: 1956
Topic: Daily LSD dosing and other substance experiments
Funding: Central Intelligence Agency (partially)

- A man received LSD every morning for 77 consecutive days.
- By day 3 of the LSD regimen, the drug "stopped working entirely" for the subject.
- At the midpoint of the LSD study researchers increased the dose to four times the original amount and the subject still "felt nothing."
- The experiments enrolled incarcerated narcotics offenders who were paid with opiates as documented compensation.
- The alcohol study (1955) kept subjects intoxicated for 48 to 87 days with roughly one quart of 80-proof alcohol per day, dosing from 6 AM until midnight with a 3 AM booster.

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.]]>1329falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-doctor-who-smiled-while-stealing-widows-rings--73073030
A single platinum diamond ring, a photograph kept by a family, and more than ten thousand pounds' worth of jewellery stacked in a garage - the evidence points to a trusted local GP whose crimes hid in plain sight. How many deaths, colluded silences, and missed warnings stretch back to the first documented moment that changed him?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Harold Frederick Shipman and the sequence of events that led to the discovery of stolen jewellery and hundreds of suspicious deaths. We follow his upbringing, medical career, early warning incidents, and the statistical trail that finally raised alarm: could the man who signed death certificates and smiled at patients be responsible for far more deaths than anyone suspected?

Person: Harold Frederick Shipman
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester
Period: 1971-1998
Event: Jewellery found in garage containing items belonging to dead women
Statistic: Inquiry documented suspicion around 459 deaths

- Over ten thousand pounds' worth of jewellery was found stacked in boxes in a garage in Hyde.
- Vera Shipman died of lung cancer on 21 June 1963 when her son Fred was 17.
- In 1975 Shipman was fined £600 for forging pethidine prescriptions and underwent treatment in York.
- By the end of 1996 statistician David Spiegelhalter identified 67 excess deaths among elderly women under Shipman's care.
- By 1998 the excess death figure had risen to 119 people above what comparable practices produced.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073030Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Doctor Who Smiled While Stealing Widows' Rings A single platinum diamond ring, a photograph kept by a family, and more than ten thousand pounds' worth of jewellery stacked in a garage - the evidence points to a trusted local GP whose crimes hid...
A single platinum diamond ring, a photograph kept by a family, and more than ten thousand pounds' worth of jewellery stacked in a garage - the evidence points to a trusted local GP whose crimes hid in plain sight. How many deaths, colluded silences, and missed warnings stretch back to the first documented moment that changed him?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Harold Frederick Shipman and the sequence of events that led to the discovery of stolen jewellery and hundreds of suspicious deaths. We follow his upbringing, medical career, early warning incidents, and the statistical trail that finally raised alarm: could the man who signed death certificates and smiled at patients be responsible for far more deaths than anyone suspected?

Person: Harold Frederick Shipman
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester
Period: 1971-1998
Event: Jewellery found in garage containing items belonging to dead women
Statistic: Inquiry documented suspicion around 459 deaths

- Over ten thousand pounds' worth of jewellery was found stacked in boxes in a garage in Hyde.
- Vera Shipman died of lung cancer on 21 June 1963 when her son Fred was 17.
- In 1975 Shipman was fined £600 for forging pethidine prescriptions and underwent treatment in York.
- By the end of 1996 statistician David Spiegelhalter identified 67 excess deaths among elderly women under Shipman's care.
- By 1998 the excess death figure had risen to 119 people above what comparable practices produced.

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.]]>1391falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-doctors-became-executioners-the-tuol-sleng-notebook-revealed--73073028
The discovery of a carefully kept notebook in 1978 recorded "pisaot menuh" - human experiments - with at least seventeen people listed like lab results, a detail that should not be possible. How did trained physicians, bound by Nuremberg, the Declaration of Geneva and Tokyo, come to document torture as clinical procedure?

In this episode, we trace the record found in a Cambodian prison notebook and the longer sequence of medicalized violence it connects to, from Nazi camps to late twentieth-century conflicts, asking how legal and professional safeguards failed to stop it.

Person: Hermann Fischer-Hüllstrung
Event: discovery of notebook
Date: 1978
Topic: human experiments (pisaot menuh)
Period: post-Nuremberg to late twentieth century

- The notebook found in 1978 recorded at least seventeen detainees subjected to human experiments.
- The Cambodian term written in the notebook was "pisaot menuh," translated as human experiments.
- The Nuremberg Trials (1945-1949) produced the Nuremberg Code declaring voluntary consent essential.
- The World Medical Association issued the Declaration of Geneva and, in 1975, the Declaration of Tokyo prohibiting physician participation in torture.
- Hermann Fischer-Hüllstrung, a trained physician, revived near-hanged prisoners in Nazi camps and participated in executions such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer's on April 9, 1945.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073028Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen Doctors Became Executioners: The Tuol Sleng Notebook Revealed The discovery of a carefully kept notebook in 1978 recorded "pisaot menuh" - human experiments - with at least seventeen people listed like lab results, a detail that should not be...
The discovery of a carefully kept notebook in 1978 recorded "pisaot menuh" - human experiments - with at least seventeen people listed like lab results, a detail that should not be possible. How did trained physicians, bound by Nuremberg, the Declaration of Geneva and Tokyo, come to document torture as clinical procedure?

In this episode, we trace the record found in a Cambodian prison notebook and the longer sequence of medicalized violence it connects to, from Nazi camps to late twentieth-century conflicts, asking how legal and professional safeguards failed to stop it.

Person: Hermann Fischer-Hüllstrung
Event: discovery of notebook
Date: 1978
Topic: human experiments (pisaot menuh)
Period: post-Nuremberg to late twentieth century

- The notebook found in 1978 recorded at least seventeen detainees subjected to human experiments.
- The Cambodian term written in the notebook was "pisaot menuh," translated as human experiments.
- The Nuremberg Trials (1945-1949) produced the Nuremberg Code declaring voluntary consent essential.
- The World Medical Association issued the Declaration of Geneva and, in 1975, the Declaration of Tokyo prohibiting physician participation in torture.
- Hermann Fischer-Hüllstrung, a trained physician, revived near-hanged prisoners in Nazi camps and participated in executions such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer's on April 9, 1945.

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.]]>1058falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dead-1-lawsuit-the-hospital-killings-nobody-counts--73073027
Four hundred thousand unnecessary hospital deaths each year, yet only seventeen thousand malpractice lawsuits are filed - that means more than twenty-three preventable deaths go unlitigious for every case that reaches a courtroom. Why does the legal system respond to a tiny fraction of documented hospital harm, and how did that gap survive decades of reform efforts?

In this episode, we outline the numbers and the human consequences behind the mismatch between documented patient harm and legal action, and ask what the gap reveals about accountability in American hospitals. What happens when the mechanisms meant to deliver justice are tested against the evidence?

Person: John T. James
Date: 1984
Author: Michelle Mello
Topic: Medical malpractice litigation vs. preventable hospital deaths
Event: Journal of Patient Safety study estimating 400,000 deaths

- 400,000 unnecessary hospital deaths estimated per year in John T. James's Journal of Patient Safety study.
- 75,000 annual deaths from hospital-acquired infections according to CDC data.
- 17,000 malpractice lawsuits filed each year versus an estimated 400,000 preventable deaths.
- Study of 1,452 closed malpractice claims found 97% associated with genuine injury and 73% of claims linked to verified medical error were compensated.
- 54 cents of every dollar paid in malpractice settlements went to administrative costs rather than to patients.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073027Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaDead, 1 Lawsuit: The Hospital Killings Nobody Counts Four hundred thousand unnecessary hospital deaths each year, yet only seventeen thousand malpractice lawsuits are filed - that means more than twenty-three preventable deaths go unlitigious for...
Four hundred thousand unnecessary hospital deaths each year, yet only seventeen thousand malpractice lawsuits are filed - that means more than twenty-three preventable deaths go unlitigious for every case that reaches a courtroom. Why does the legal system respond to a tiny fraction of documented hospital harm, and how did that gap survive decades of reform efforts?

In this episode, we outline the numbers and the human consequences behind the mismatch between documented patient harm and legal action, and ask what the gap reveals about accountability in American hospitals. What happens when the mechanisms meant to deliver justice are tested against the evidence?

Person: John T. James
Date: 1984
Author: Michelle Mello
Topic: Medical malpractice litigation vs. preventable hospital deaths
Event: Journal of Patient Safety study estimating 400,000 deaths

- 400,000 unnecessary hospital deaths estimated per year in John T. James's Journal of Patient Safety study.
- 75,000 annual deaths from hospital-acquired infections according to CDC data.
- 17,000 malpractice lawsuits filed each year versus an estimated 400,000 preventable deaths.
- Study of 1,452 closed malpractice claims found 97% associated with genuine injury and 73% of claims linked to verified medical error were compensated.
- 54 cents of every dollar paid in malpractice settlements went to administrative costs rather than to patients.

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.]]>1118falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-judge-s-handwritten-plea-while-victims-signed-away-their-claims--73073026
A handwritten note by a judge in June 1990 pleaded to the Health Secretary while more than a thousand people infected with HIV through NHS blood products waited and 130 had already died. Why did that plea go unanswered as victims were asked to sign away future claims, and what was hidden at the same time?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, the decisions made in closed meetings, and the conflicting documents that shaped the litigation - all focused on the unanswered plea and the withheld data that should have informed the plaintiffs. How did internal choices about data and disclosure influence the fate of those infected?

Person: Dr Simpson
Event: judge’s handwritten plea to the Health Secretary in June 1990
Case: litigation beginning April 1989
Period: 1972-1986 internal Department of Health files
Group: Haemophilia Society excluded from hepatitis data

- 1,217 plaintiffs were listed in the case by autumn 1990.
- 130 people had died by the time the judge wrote his note in June 1990.
- 163 plaintiffs had progressed to full AIDS by November 1989.
- 107 plaintiffs were dead by November 1989.
- The Department of Health held 600 files covering 1972 to 1986.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073026Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:39 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Judge's Handwritten Plea While Victims Signed Away Their Claims A handwritten note by a judge in June 1990 pleaded to the Health Secretary while more than a thousand people infected with HIV through NHS blood products waited and 130 had already...
A handwritten note by a judge in June 1990 pleaded to the Health Secretary while more than a thousand people infected with HIV through NHS blood products waited and 130 had already died. Why did that plea go unanswered as victims were asked to sign away future claims, and what was hidden at the same time?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, the decisions made in closed meetings, and the conflicting documents that shaped the litigation - all focused on the unanswered plea and the withheld data that should have informed the plaintiffs. How did internal choices about data and disclosure influence the fate of those infected?

Person: Dr Simpson
Event: judge’s handwritten plea to the Health Secretary in June 1990
Case: litigation beginning April 1989
Period: 1972-1986 internal Department of Health files
Group: Haemophilia Society excluded from hepatitis data

- 1,217 plaintiffs were listed in the case by autumn 1990.
- 130 people had died by the time the judge wrote his note in June 1990.
- 163 plaintiffs had progressed to full AIDS by November 1989.
- 107 plaintiffs were dead by November 1989.
- The Department of Health held 600 files covering 1972 to 1986.

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.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/phone-call-70-doses-argentina-s-secret-vaccination-scandal-revealed--73073025
A casual radio confession about getting a COVID-19 shot without waiting sparked a scandal that exposed seventy people vaccinated through a single channel while hospitals ran near capacity and the official queue waited. How did one phone call between old friends become evidence of a coordinated bypass of a national vaccination plan?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events that led from a journalist's phone call to a minister's resignation, the publication of a list of seventy names, and search warrants at the Ministry of Health - and ask whether this was an isolated lapse or a systemic breach of the rules.

Person: Ginés González García
Person: Horacio Verbitsky
Date: February 19, 2021
Vaccine: Sputnik V
Event: Publication of a list of seventy people

- A journalist announced on-air that he had received a COVID-19 vaccine after calling the Minister of Health.
- Seventy people were vaccinated inside the Ministry of Health building, not in hospitals or inoculation centers.
- Argentina's official COVID-19 death toll had passed 45,000 by early 2021.
- A vaccination team from Hospital Posadas drove to the Ministry of Health to administer the shots.
- A senator reported 400 missing and reappearing doses at Hospital Oncológico in Olavarría weeks before the scandal.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073025Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaPhone Call, 70 Doses: Argentina's Secret Vaccination Scandal Revealed A casual radio confession about getting a COVID-19 shot without waiting sparked a scandal that exposed seventy people vaccinated through a single channel while hospitals ran near...
A casual radio confession about getting a COVID-19 shot without waiting sparked a scandal that exposed seventy people vaccinated through a single channel while hospitals ran near capacity and the official queue waited. How did one phone call between old friends become evidence of a coordinated bypass of a national vaccination plan?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events that led from a journalist's phone call to a minister's resignation, the publication of a list of seventy names, and search warrants at the Ministry of Health - and ask whether this was an isolated lapse or a systemic breach of the rules.

Person: Ginés González García
Person: Horacio Verbitsky
Date: February 19, 2021
Vaccine: Sputnik V
Event: Publication of a list of seventy people

- A journalist announced on-air that he had received a COVID-19 vaccine after calling the Minister of Health.
- Seventy people were vaccinated inside the Ministry of Health building, not in hospitals or inoculation centers.
- Argentina's official COVID-19 death toll had passed 45,000 by early 2021.
- A vaccination team from Hospital Posadas drove to the Ministry of Health to administer the shots.
- A senator reported 400 missing and reappearing doses at Hospital Oncológico in Olavarría weeks before the scandal.

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.]]>1246falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-baby-they-taught-to-fear-the-unanswered-little-albert-film--73073023
A calm infant reached for a white rat with open fingers, and a steel bar struck behind his head - the footage still exists, but the child's true identity remains unresolved more than a century later. Who was the baby the world learned to fear, and how did the experiment that made him famous erase his chance at recovery?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events captured on film, the researchers involved, and the conflicting evidence about the child's identity, asking whether the ethical and factual gaps in the record can ever be closed.

Person: John B. Watson
Person: Rosalie Rayner
Person: Arvilla Merritte
Date: 1920
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

- The infant was between nine and eleven months old during stages of the experiment.
- The critical conditioning session occurred when Albert was eleven months old.
- The film of the experiment still exists and can be watched today.
- Watson and Rayner paired a white rat with a loud hammer strike; by the seventh pairing, the rat alone evoked a response.
- One proposed identity died at age six; the other lived to eighty-seven and never knew he had been a test subject.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073023Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Baby They Taught to Fear: The Unanswered Little Albert Film A calm infant reached for a white rat with open fingers, and a steel bar struck behind his head - the footage still exists, but the child's true identity remains unresolved more than a...
A calm infant reached for a white rat with open fingers, and a steel bar struck behind his head - the footage still exists, but the child's true identity remains unresolved more than a century later. Who was the baby the world learned to fear, and how did the experiment that made him famous erase his chance at recovery?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events captured on film, the researchers involved, and the conflicting evidence about the child's identity, asking whether the ethical and factual gaps in the record can ever be closed.

Person: John B. Watson
Person: Rosalie Rayner
Person: Arvilla Merritte
Date: 1920
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

- The infant was between nine and eleven months old during stages of the experiment.
- The critical conditioning session occurred when Albert was eleven months old.
- The film of the experiment still exists and can be watched today.
- Watson and Rayner paired a white rat with a loud hammer strike; by the seventh pairing, the rat alone evoked a response.
- One proposed identity died at age six; the other lived to eighty-seven and never knew he had been a test subject.

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.]]>1029falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-a-comic-book-mask-became-the-world-s-quietest-revolution--73073022
A pale grinning mask designed by a comic-book artist in 1982 ended up outside the Palace of Westminster in May 2009 while British politicians scrambled to explain public spending. The mask was sold for under fifty dollars, borrowed a 400-year-old story, and became a global symbol - but how did a design choice on a deadline turn into a worldwide emblem of protest?

In this episode, we tell the documented history of that transformation, following the mask from Alan Moore’s 1975 idea to Dez Skinn’s Warrior anthology and DC’s 1988 revival, and ask how a costume decision intended to read clearly in black-and-white newsprint became a political icon.

Person: Alan Moore
Person: David Lloyd
Date: May 2009
Event: V for Vendetta serialized in Warrior (1982-1985) and completed by DC (1988-1989)
Location: Palace of Westminster

- The mask’s visual design was chosen by David Lloyd in 1982 to solve a practical comics design problem.
- Alan Moore first submitted a story called "The Doll" to DC Thomson in 1975, which was rejected and later evolved into V for Vendetta.
- Warrior serialized V for Vendetta beginning in 1982 and was cancelled in 1985, leaving two completed issues unpublished.
- DC acquired the rights in 1988, reprinted the Warrior material in color, and published the full ten-issue series through 1989.
- In May 2009 a man wearing the pale grinning mask stood outside the Palace of Westminster while British politicians explained public spending.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073022Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:31 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow a Comic-Book Mask Became the World's Quietest Revolution A pale grinning mask designed by a comic-book artist in 1982 ended up outside the Palace of Westminster in May 2009 while British politicians scrambled to explain public spending. The...
A pale grinning mask designed by a comic-book artist in 1982 ended up outside the Palace of Westminster in May 2009 while British politicians scrambled to explain public spending. The mask was sold for under fifty dollars, borrowed a 400-year-old story, and became a global symbol - but how did a design choice on a deadline turn into a worldwide emblem of protest?

In this episode, we tell the documented history of that transformation, following the mask from Alan Moore’s 1975 idea to Dez Skinn’s Warrior anthology and DC’s 1988 revival, and ask how a costume decision intended to read clearly in black-and-white newsprint became a political icon.

Person: Alan Moore
Person: David Lloyd
Date: May 2009
Event: V for Vendetta serialized in Warrior (1982-1985) and completed by DC (1988-1989)
Location: Palace of Westminster

- The mask’s visual design was chosen by David Lloyd in 1982 to solve a practical comics design problem.
- Alan Moore first submitted a story called "The Doll" to DC Thomson in 1975, which was rejected and later evolved into V for Vendetta.
- Warrior serialized V for Vendetta beginning in 1982 and was cancelled in 1985, leaving two completed issues unpublished.
- DC acquired the rights in 1988, reprinted the Warrior material in color, and published the full ten-issue series through 1989.
- In May 2009 a man wearing the pale grinning mask stood outside the Palace of Westminster while British politicians explained public spending.

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.]]>1363falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/stolen-for-modernity-the-greenland-children-taken-to-denmark--73073020
A photograph from the summer of 1951 shows twenty-two children in a neat row with Queen Ingrid in Copenhagen - not one of them is smiling. The Danish government quietly shipped those children from Nuuk on the MS Disko for a "modernization" experiment that erased language and family ties; why did it take until 2020 for an apology when only six of the twenty-two were still alive?

In this episode, we tell the story of the twenty-two Inuit children selected in 1951, the conditions of their trip and stay in Denmark, and the long aftermath that followed their return to Greenland; what did the experiment actually cost the children and their communities?

Person: Queen Ingrid
Event: Departure aboard MS Disko in May 1951
Location: Nuuk to Copenhagen (Save the Children camp Fedgaarden)
Status: Official apology issued in 2020
Case: Twenty-two Greenlandic children selected for a 1951 modernization experiment

- 22 children were selected in 1951, 13 boys and 9 girls, most aged between 6 and 9.
- Only 6 of the 22 were actual orphans; 16 had living families.
- The trip was explained as lasting about six months but stretched to more than a year.
- While in Denmark the children stayed at Fedgaarden and were kept from speaking Kalaallisut, losing functional fluency during that period.
- By 1960 all 22 had left the orphanage; an official apology for the program came in 2020 when only 6 of the 22 remained alive.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073020Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:27 +0000Creator at ObomediaStolen for "Modernity": The Greenland Children Taken to Denmark A photograph from the summer of 1951 shows twenty-two children in a neat row with Queen Ingrid in Copenhagen - not one of them is smiling. The Danish government quietly shipped those...
A photograph from the summer of 1951 shows twenty-two children in a neat row with Queen Ingrid in Copenhagen - not one of them is smiling. The Danish government quietly shipped those children from Nuuk on the MS Disko for a "modernization" experiment that erased language and family ties; why did it take until 2020 for an apology when only six of the twenty-two were still alive?

In this episode, we tell the story of the twenty-two Inuit children selected in 1951, the conditions of their trip and stay in Denmark, and the long aftermath that followed their return to Greenland; what did the experiment actually cost the children and their communities?

Person: Queen Ingrid
Event: Departure aboard MS Disko in May 1951
Location: Nuuk to Copenhagen (Save the Children camp Fedgaarden)
Status: Official apology issued in 2020
Case: Twenty-two Greenlandic children selected for a 1951 modernization experiment

- 22 children were selected in 1951, 13 boys and 9 girls, most aged between 6 and 9.
- Only 6 of the 22 were actual orphans; 16 had living families.
- The trip was explained as lasting about six months but stretched to more than a year.
- While in Denmark the children stayed at Fedgaarden and were kept from speaking Kalaallisut, losing functional fluency during that period.
- By 1960 all 22 had left the orphanage; an official apology for the program came in 2020 when only 6 of the 22 remained alive.

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.]]>1297falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-called-her-anarcha-her-grave-whispers-annacay-jackson--73073018
A name erased from textbooks survives on a single gravestone: Annacay Jackson, buried June 27, 1869, but written out of history as "Anarcha" and attached to the man who enslaved her. Thirty surgeries, no anesthesia, and a life recorded only in fragments - who was the woman the surgeons never named, and why was her true identity buried for more than a century?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Annacay Jackson through hospital records, census entries, and a lone gravestone to trace how her body and name were taken. We follow the records from a New York hospital admission to the plantation orbit in Alabama and ask how the historical record came to call her something it was never hers.

Person: Annacay Jackson
Date: June 27, 1869
Event: Thirty surgical operations for vesicovaginal fistula
Location: King George County, Virginia (grave); Montgomery, Alabama (treatment locale); Woman's Hospital of New York (admission)
Status: Name recorded as Anarcha Westcott in medical literature but Annacay on grave

- Hospital intake record dated December 21, 1856 lists age as 32 and enslaver as William Lewis Maury.
- Surgeon J. Marion Sims described her as "about seventeen years of age" in his autobiography.
- Estimated birth year calculated as 1824 based on the 1856 age entry.
- She endured approximately 30 surgeries for a vesicovaginal fistula, many performed without ether or chloroform.
- Gravestone in King George County, Virginia reads "Annacay Jackson, wife of Lorenzo Jackson," a name absent from medical texts.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073018Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Called Her Anarcha - Her Grave Whispers Annacay Jackson A name erased from textbooks survives on a single gravestone: Annacay Jackson, buried June 27, 1869, but written out of history as "Anarcha" and attached to the man who enslaved her....
A name erased from textbooks survives on a single gravestone: Annacay Jackson, buried June 27, 1869, but written out of history as "Anarcha" and attached to the man who enslaved her. Thirty surgeries, no anesthesia, and a life recorded only in fragments - who was the woman the surgeons never named, and why was her true identity buried for more than a century?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Annacay Jackson through hospital records, census entries, and a lone gravestone to trace how her body and name were taken. We follow the records from a New York hospital admission to the plantation orbit in Alabama and ask how the historical record came to call her something it was never hers.

Person: Annacay Jackson
Date: June 27, 1869
Event: Thirty surgical operations for vesicovaginal fistula
Location: King George County, Virginia (grave); Montgomery, Alabama (treatment locale); Woman's Hospital of New York (admission)
Status: Name recorded as Anarcha Westcott in medical literature but Annacay on grave

- Hospital intake record dated December 21, 1856 lists age as 32 and enslaver as William Lewis Maury.
- Surgeon J. Marion Sims described her as "about seventeen years of age" in his autobiography.
- Estimated birth year calculated as 1824 based on the 1856 age entry.
- She endured approximately 30 surgeries for a vesicovaginal fistula, many performed without ether or chloroform.
- Gravestone in King George County, Virginia reads "Annacay Jackson, wife of Lorenzo Jackson," a name absent from medical texts.

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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.]]>1112falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-tested-supersonic-booms-on-a-city-then-sued-the-government--73073017
The sky over Oklahoma City was used as a daily alarm: 1,253 sonic booms in six months, eight booms a day timed to noon, and a federal experiment that left 9,594 formal damage complaints - so what did the government decide that knowledge was worth? Why did a city that “volunteered” and celebrated the test end up in court and with payouts tiny enough to fit inside a modest used car purchase?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the FAA’s planning choices, and the mismatch between predicted tolerance and actual damage, and ask whether the official notion of “participation in progress” justified the costs to residents.

Person: Federal Aviation Administration
Location: Oklahoma City
Date: February 3, 1964 - six months of tests
Event: 1,253 sonic booms over six months
Status: 9,594 damage complaints filed

- 1,253 sonic booms recorded across Oklahoma City during the six-month experiment.
- 8 booms per day were scheduled, six days a week.
- Overpressure during first 12 weeks set at 1.0-1.5 pounds per square foot.
- Overpressure increased in week 13 to 1.5-2.0 pounds per square foot.
- 147 windows broken at First National Bank and Liberty National Bank in the first 14 weeks.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073017Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:21 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Tested Supersonic Booms On A City - Then Sued The Government The sky over Oklahoma City was used as a daily alarm: 1,253 sonic booms in six months, eight booms a day timed to noon, and a federal experiment that left 9,594 formal damage...
The sky over Oklahoma City was used as a daily alarm: 1,253 sonic booms in six months, eight booms a day timed to noon, and a federal experiment that left 9,594 formal damage complaints - so what did the government decide that knowledge was worth? Why did a city that “volunteered” and celebrated the test end up in court and with payouts tiny enough to fit inside a modest used car purchase?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the FAA’s planning choices, and the mismatch between predicted tolerance and actual damage, and ask whether the official notion of “participation in progress” justified the costs to residents.

Person: Federal Aviation Administration
Location: Oklahoma City
Date: February 3, 1964 - six months of tests
Event: 1,253 sonic booms over six months
Status: 9,594 damage complaints filed

- 1,253 sonic booms recorded across Oklahoma City during the six-month experiment.
- 8 booms per day were scheduled, six days a week.
- Overpressure during first 12 weeks set at 1.0-1.5 pounds per square foot.
- Overpressure increased in week 13 to 1.5-2.0 pounds per square foot.
- 147 windows broken at First National Bank and Liberty National Bank in the first 14 weeks.

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.]]>1147falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-warned-them-the-voicemail-that-should-have-saved-dan-markingson--73073015
A mother left a voicemail saying her son was going to die, and nobody called her back - that message still exists and the people who received it remained at the University of Minnesota for years. How did a 27-year-old with an English degree become a research subject in a trial that paid sites per enrolled patient, and why did a warning from his mother go unanswered?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Dan Markingson's hospitalization and enrollment in the CAFÉ clinical trial through the institutional decisions and incentives that kept him in the study; we follow the voicemail, the stay of commitment conditions, and the later findings about conflicts and pressure - and ask how those facts connect to the unanswered warning.

Person: Dan Markingson
Date of birth: November 25, 1976
Event: Enrollment in CAFÉ study on November 21, 2003
Location: Fairview University Medical Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Medication: quetiapine (Seroquel)

- A box cutter was found inside a residential facility in St. Paul on May 8, 2004.
- Dan Markingson was 27 years old at the time of the box cutter discovery.
- Dan was enrolled in the CAFÉ study on November 21, 2003.
- The CAFÉ trial compared three atypical antipsychotics and was sponsored by AstraZeneca.
- Dan was hospitalized at Fairview University Medical Center and placed under a stay of commitment on November 20, 2003.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073015Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:19 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Warned Them: The Voicemail That Should Have Saved Dan Markingson A mother left a voicemail saying her son was going to die, and nobody called her back - that message still exists and the people who received it remained at the University of...
A mother left a voicemail saying her son was going to die, and nobody called her back - that message still exists and the people who received it remained at the University of Minnesota for years. How did a 27-year-old with an English degree become a research subject in a trial that paid sites per enrolled patient, and why did a warning from his mother go unanswered?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Dan Markingson's hospitalization and enrollment in the CAFÉ clinical trial through the institutional decisions and incentives that kept him in the study; we follow the voicemail, the stay of commitment conditions, and the later findings about conflicts and pressure - and ask how those facts connect to the unanswered warning.

Person: Dan Markingson
Date of birth: November 25, 1976
Event: Enrollment in CAFÉ study on November 21, 2003
Location: Fairview University Medical Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Medication: quetiapine (Seroquel)

- A box cutter was found inside a residential facility in St. Paul on May 8, 2004.
- Dan Markingson was 27 years old at the time of the box cutter discovery.
- Dan was enrolled in the CAFÉ study on November 21, 2003.
- The CAFÉ trial compared three atypical antipsychotics and was sponsored by AstraZeneca.
- Dan was hospitalized at Fairview University Medical Center and placed under a stay of commitment on November 20, 2003.

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.]]>1207falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-hanged-still-speaking-the-doctor-who-normalized-murder--73073013
The chill of bureaucratic language turned into mass killing: a physician who recommended carbon monoxide gas helped create a system that killed an estimated 200,000 disabled people by administrative decree. How did forms, a review panel, and one man’s training in “merciful death” become a machine for murder, and why did he still claim innocence at the scaffold?

In this episode, we trace the life and career arc of Karl Brandt from his birth in 1904 to his execution in 1948, following the decisions, policies, and events that connected medical authority to state-sanctioned killing. What moments and ideas made administrative murder possible?

Person: Karl Brandt
Date: June 2, 1948
Location: Landsberg Prison
Event: Aktion T4 suspension August 1941 (public)
Topic: Begleitarzt / escort physician

- Born January 8, 1904 in Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine.
- Earned his medical degree in 1928, specializing in head and spinal injuries.
- Joined the Nazi Party in January 1932 and the SA in 1933; commissioned into the SS as an Untersturmführer on July 29, 1934.
- Authorized the killing of five-month-old Gerhard Kretschmar on July 25, 1939 after examining the infant in Leipzig.
- Estimated 200,000 disabled individuals were killed under Aktion T4 by its public suspension in August 1941.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073013Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:16 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Hanged, Still Speaking: The Doctor Who Normalized Murder The chill of bureaucratic language turned into mass killing: a physician who recommended carbon monoxide gas helped create a system that killed an estimated 200,000 disabled people by...
The chill of bureaucratic language turned into mass killing: a physician who recommended carbon monoxide gas helped create a system that killed an estimated 200,000 disabled people by administrative decree. How did forms, a review panel, and one man’s training in “merciful death” become a machine for murder, and why did he still claim innocence at the scaffold?

In this episode, we trace the life and career arc of Karl Brandt from his birth in 1904 to his execution in 1948, following the decisions, policies, and events that connected medical authority to state-sanctioned killing. What moments and ideas made administrative murder possible?

Person: Karl Brandt
Date: June 2, 1948
Location: Landsberg Prison
Event: Aktion T4 suspension August 1941 (public)
Topic: Begleitarzt / escort physician

- Born January 8, 1904 in Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine.
- Earned his medical degree in 1928, specializing in head and spinal injuries.
- Joined the Nazi Party in January 1932 and the SA in 1933; commissioned into the SS as an Untersturmführer on July 29, 1934.
- Authorized the killing of five-month-old Gerhard Kretschmar on July 25, 1939 after examining the infant in Leipzig.
- Estimated 200,000 disabled individuals were killed under Aktion T4 by its public suspension in August 1941.

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.]]>1296falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-left-the-sponge-in-surgeon-who-became-dr-death--73073012
The throat sponge left inside a patient while the surgeon closed the incision was seen and heard by everyone in the room - and he walked out anyway. This episode centers on a Texas neurosurgeon whose twelve-page CV and six-hundred-thousand-dollar salary hid training gaps, a history of restrictions, and a trail of paralysis, brain damage, and death; how did he keep operating until a case changed medical accountability forever?

In this episode, we tell what happened across multiple hospitals, the specific patients harmed, the colleagues who finally refused to look away, and the prosecutor who pursued a verdict never before handed to a U.S. doctor - could the system meant to stop him have failed at every step?

Person: Christopher Daniel Duntsch
Date: April 3, 1971 (birth)
Location: Texas (operations across multiple hospitals)
Status: Convicted (jury reached a verdict after four hours of deliberation)
Event: Death of patient Kellie Martin from hemorrhagic cardiac arrest during surgery

- 32 patients had been operated on by Christopher Duntsch before Jeff Glidewell’s surgery.
- 2 of those patients were dead by the time Jeff Glidewell entered the operating room.
- Duntsch completed fewer than 100 surgeries during residency compared to a program standard of more than 1,000.
- He arrived in Dallas in 2010 carrying over $500,000 in personal debt and earned $600,000 per year at his first Texas hospital.
- Kellie Martin underwent a routine decompression, suffered severed spinal cord and a cut major artery, and died of hemorrhagic cardiac arrest.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073012Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Left the Sponge In: Surgeon Who Became "Dr. Death" The throat sponge left inside a patient while the surgeon closed the incision was seen and heard by everyone in the room - and he walked out anyway. This episode centers on a Texas neurosurgeon...
The throat sponge left inside a patient while the surgeon closed the incision was seen and heard by everyone in the room - and he walked out anyway. This episode centers on a Texas neurosurgeon whose twelve-page CV and six-hundred-thousand-dollar salary hid training gaps, a history of restrictions, and a trail of paralysis, brain damage, and death; how did he keep operating until a case changed medical accountability forever?

In this episode, we tell what happened across multiple hospitals, the specific patients harmed, the colleagues who finally refused to look away, and the prosecutor who pursued a verdict never before handed to a U.S. doctor - could the system meant to stop him have failed at every step?

Person: Christopher Daniel Duntsch
Date: April 3, 1971 (birth)
Location: Texas (operations across multiple hospitals)
Status: Convicted (jury reached a verdict after four hours of deliberation)
Event: Death of patient Kellie Martin from hemorrhagic cardiac arrest during surgery

- 32 patients had been operated on by Christopher Duntsch before Jeff Glidewell’s surgery.
- 2 of those patients were dead by the time Jeff Glidewell entered the operating room.
- Duntsch completed fewer than 100 surgeries during residency compared to a program standard of more than 1,000.
- He arrived in Dallas in 2010 carrying over $500,000 in personal debt and earned $600,000 per year at his first Texas hospital.
- Kellie Martin underwent a routine decompression, suffered severed spinal cord and a cut major artery, and died of hemorrhagic cardiac arrest.

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.]]>1087falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nurse-who-bought-a-will-poison-babies-and-a-hanging--73073010
Ten thousand people pressed against the gates of Winson Green Prison to try to stop a hanging of a nursing mother whose infant was three months old; she had confessed to poisoning two elderly patients for an inheritance worth sixteen hundred pounds - how did a ward-maid become the woman at the centre of two deaths and a public outcry?

In this episode, we tell the events that led from a small Nottingham house presented as a nursing home to a legal will change, two deaths, and a confession; what decisions, missing safeguards, and a single paper trail turned care into crime?

Person: Dorothea Waddingham (born Dorothy Nancie Merelina Allan Chandler)
Date: April 16, 1936
Location: Winson Green Prison and 32 Devon Drive, Nottingham
Event: Confession to poisoning two patients and subsequent execution
Amount: £1,600 inheritance

- Ten thousand people gathered at Winson Green Prison on April 16, 1936 to protest the hanging.
- Dorothea Waddingham’s infant was three months old at the time of her execution.
- Ada Baguley altered and destroyed her original will in May 1935 to leave £1,600 to Dorothea Waddingham and Ronald Sullivan.
- Louisa Baguley, aged eighty-eight, died in the second week of May 1935 with no inquest requested.
- A residual supply of morphine remained on the premises after a previous patient, Mrs. Kemp, died in February 1935.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073010Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nurse Who Bought a Will: Poison, Babies, and a Hanging Ten thousand people pressed against the gates of Winson Green Prison to try to stop a hanging of a nursing mother whose infant was three months old; she had confessed to poisoning two...
Ten thousand people pressed against the gates of Winson Green Prison to try to stop a hanging of a nursing mother whose infant was three months old; she had confessed to poisoning two elderly patients for an inheritance worth sixteen hundred pounds - how did a ward-maid become the woman at the centre of two deaths and a public outcry?

In this episode, we tell the events that led from a small Nottingham house presented as a nursing home to a legal will change, two deaths, and a confession; what decisions, missing safeguards, and a single paper trail turned care into crime?

Person: Dorothea Waddingham (born Dorothy Nancie Merelina Allan Chandler)
Date: April 16, 1936
Location: Winson Green Prison and 32 Devon Drive, Nottingham
Event: Confession to poisoning two patients and subsequent execution
Amount: £1,600 inheritance

- Ten thousand people gathered at Winson Green Prison on April 16, 1936 to protest the hanging.
- Dorothea Waddingham’s infant was three months old at the time of her execution.
- Ada Baguley altered and destroyed her original will in May 1935 to leave £1,600 to Dorothea Waddingham and Ronald Sullivan.
- Louisa Baguley, aged eighty-eight, died in the second week of May 1935 with no inquest requested.
- A residual supply of morphine remained on the premises after a previous patient, Mrs. Kemp, died in February 1935.

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.]]>1205falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/1-in-4-believed-they-d-examined-non-consenting-women-stakes-unconscious-unnamed-patients--73073007
One in four medical students in a 2003 British survey believed they had performed a pelvic examination on a woman who had not consented - often on unconscious patients in brightly lit operating theaters at teaching hospitals. How did routine clinical education become a system where up to ninety percent of students performed such exams and patients never knew?

In this episode, we lay out the facts about who was involved, when and where it happened, and the arguments institutions used to defend the practice, while asking whether consent in a teaching hospital ever covered an unconscious patient’s intimate exam.

Person: medical students
Date: 2003 (survey publication)
Location: teaching hospitals / operating theaters
Topic: pelvic examinations on anesthetized patients
Event: California law banning the practice (first U.S. state)

- 25%: proportion of students in a 2003 British medical school survey who believed they had performed a pelvic exam on a woman without consent.
- 90%: percent of medical students in a 2003 Pennsylvania study who had performed pelvic examinations on anesthetized patients.
- 4-5 exams per day: number one student reported performing over a three-week period under supervision.
- 60 exams: estimated total if a student performed 4 exams per day across 15 teaching days.
- 42 states: number of U.S. states where the practice remained legal as of 2019.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073007Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:07 +0000Creator at Obomedia- 1 in 4 believed they'd examined non-consenting women; stakes: unconscious, unnamed patients One in four medical students in a 2003 British survey believed they had performed a pelvic examination on a woman who had not consented - often on...
One in four medical students in a 2003 British survey believed they had performed a pelvic examination on a woman who had not consented - often on unconscious patients in brightly lit operating theaters at teaching hospitals. How did routine clinical education become a system where up to ninety percent of students performed such exams and patients never knew?

In this episode, we lay out the facts about who was involved, when and where it happened, and the arguments institutions used to defend the practice, while asking whether consent in a teaching hospital ever covered an unconscious patient’s intimate exam.

Person: medical students
Date: 2003 (survey publication)
Location: teaching hospitals / operating theaters
Topic: pelvic examinations on anesthetized patients
Event: California law banning the practice (first U.S. state)

- 25%: proportion of students in a 2003 British medical school survey who believed they had performed a pelvic exam on a woman without consent.
- 90%: percent of medical students in a 2003 Pennsylvania study who had performed pelvic examinations on anesthetized patients.
- 4-5 exams per day: number one student reported performing over a three-week period under supervision.
- 60 exams: estimated total if a student performed 4 exams per day across 15 teaching days.
- 42 states: number of U.S. states where the practice remained legal as of 2019.

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.]]>1297falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-19x-myth-how-rat-park-upended-addiction-s-cage--73073005
Nineteen times more morphine solution was consumed by a rat alone in a metal cage than by a rat living in an enriched communal enclosure - a gap so large it forced scientists to ask whether the experiment, not the drug, was driving addiction. How did one striking ratio escape its necessary context and become a simplified legend that still shapes how people talk about addiction?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Rat Park experiment, the methods Bruce K. Alexander used, and how a single comparison produced a dramatic number that traveled beyond the careful caveats of the lab. What did that nineteen-times finding really mean, and why has its meaning been stretched since it was published?

Person: Bruce K. Alexander
Event: Rat Park experiment
Date: late 1970s
Location: Simon Fraser University, British Columbia
Topic: morphine self-administration in rats

- The Rat Park floor area was 200 times the surface of a standard laboratory cage.
- Rat Park housed between 16 and 20 rats at a time, both male and female.
- Both Rat Park and isolated cages offered two dispensers: plain tap water and a sweetened morphine solution.
- In one comparison, isolated males consumed 19 times more morphine solution than males in Rat Park.
- The dispensers recorded consumption automatically and continuously over weeks.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073005Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe 19x Myth: How Rat Park Upended Addiction's Cage Nineteen times more morphine solution was consumed by a rat alone in a metal cage than by a rat living in an enriched communal enclosure - a gap so large it forced scientists to ask whether the...
Nineteen times more morphine solution was consumed by a rat alone in a metal cage than by a rat living in an enriched communal enclosure - a gap so large it forced scientists to ask whether the experiment, not the drug, was driving addiction. How did one striking ratio escape its necessary context and become a simplified legend that still shapes how people talk about addiction?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Rat Park experiment, the methods Bruce K. Alexander used, and how a single comparison produced a dramatic number that traveled beyond the careful caveats of the lab. What did that nineteen-times finding really mean, and why has its meaning been stretched since it was published?

Person: Bruce K. Alexander
Event: Rat Park experiment
Date: late 1970s
Location: Simon Fraser University, British Columbia
Topic: morphine self-administration in rats

- The Rat Park floor area was 200 times the surface of a standard laboratory cage.
- Rat Park housed between 16 and 20 rats at a time, both male and female.
- Both Rat Park and isolated cages offered two dispensers: plain tap water and a sweetened morphine solution.
- In one comparison, isolated males consumed 19 times more morphine solution than males in Rat Park.
- The dispensers recorded consumption automatically and continuously over weeks.

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.]]>1224falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-were-healthy-then-the-room-ignited-the-tgn1412-horror--73073004
A morning dose described as "a whisper of a drug" turned six healthy volunteers into victims of a catastrophic immune reaction within hours-what went wrong when TGN1412 prompted a synchronized cytokine storm? Could a CD28 superagonist, safe in animals, literally set people on fire from the inside?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the arrival of eight screened volunteers to the Northwick Park unit through the first minutes of infusion and the rapid escalation that followed, asking how every established safety measure still led to mass organ failure and ICU transfers.

Person: Mohammed Abdalla
Date: 13 March 2006
Location: Northwick Park Hospital, London
Compound: TGN1412
Sponsor: TeGenero / Boehringer Ingelheim

- Eight men were enrolled; six received the active compound and two received a placebo.
- Volunteers’ ages ranged from 19 to 34 with a median just below 30.
- The paid trial fee was £2,000 per volunteer.
- The administered dose was one five-hundredth of the highest amount that caused no harm in cynomolgus macaques.
- Within 50 minutes the first participant reported "burning from the inside" and by 16 hours all six active participants were hospitalized.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073004Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:42:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Were Healthy - Then the Room Ignited: The TGN1412 Horror A morning dose described as "a whisper of a drug" turned six healthy volunteers into victims of a catastrophic immune reaction within hours-what went wrong when TGN1412 prompted a...
A morning dose described as "a whisper of a drug" turned six healthy volunteers into victims of a catastrophic immune reaction within hours-what went wrong when TGN1412 prompted a synchronized cytokine storm? Could a CD28 superagonist, safe in animals, literally set people on fire from the inside?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the arrival of eight screened volunteers to the Northwick Park unit through the first minutes of infusion and the rapid escalation that followed, asking how every established safety measure still led to mass organ failure and ICU transfers.

Person: Mohammed Abdalla
Date: 13 March 2006
Location: Northwick Park Hospital, London
Compound: TGN1412
Sponsor: TeGenero / Boehringer Ingelheim

- Eight men were enrolled; six received the active compound and two received a placebo.
- Volunteers’ ages ranged from 19 to 34 with a median just below 30.
- The paid trial fee was £2,000 per volunteer.
- The administered dose was one five-hundredth of the highest amount that caused no harm in cynomolgus macaques.
- Within 50 minutes the first participant reported "burning from the inside" and by 16 hours all six active participants were hospitalized.

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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.]]>1152falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ether-existed-on-magendie-s-shelf-he-chose-never-to-open-it--73073003
A scientist in early nineteenth-century Paris repeatedly chose not to use ether even though bottles sat on his laboratory shelf, and he performed experiments on conscious six-week-old puppies that produced decisive discoveries about the nervous system. Why did François Magendie persist in public, painful demonstrations when a known means to reduce suffering was available?

In this episode, we trace the facts of Magendie’s work, the medical context that made animal experiments the ethical fallback, and the reactions of contemporaries who called his methods cruel; we close by asking whether scientific progress ever justifies deliberate suffering.

Person: François Magendie
Date: early nineteenth century
Location: Paris
Age of animals: six weeks
Substance on shelf: ether

- Magendie used conscious, unrestrained six-week-old puppies for nerve-root experiments.
- Charles Bell used an unconscious rabbit and did not detect the sensory role of dorsal roots.
- Magendie’s work produced the full functional distinction between dorsal and ventral spinal roots.
- William Sharpey described Magendie’s experiments as "cruel, purposeless, without sufficient object."
- Contemporary accounts note bottles of ether were on laboratory shelves but never used in Magendie’s documented procedures.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073003Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:41:58 +0000Creator at ObomediaEther existed on Magendie's shelf - he chose never to open it A scientist in early nineteenth-century Paris repeatedly chose not to use ether even though bottles sat on his laboratory shelf, and he performed experiments on conscious six-week-old...
A scientist in early nineteenth-century Paris repeatedly chose not to use ether even though bottles sat on his laboratory shelf, and he performed experiments on conscious six-week-old puppies that produced decisive discoveries about the nervous system. Why did François Magendie persist in public, painful demonstrations when a known means to reduce suffering was available?

In this episode, we trace the facts of Magendie’s work, the medical context that made animal experiments the ethical fallback, and the reactions of contemporaries who called his methods cruel; we close by asking whether scientific progress ever justifies deliberate suffering.

Person: François Magendie
Date: early nineteenth century
Location: Paris
Age of animals: six weeks
Substance on shelf: ether

- Magendie used conscious, unrestrained six-week-old puppies for nerve-root experiments.
- Charles Bell used an unconscious rabbit and did not detect the sensory role of dorsal roots.
- Magendie’s work produced the full functional distinction between dorsal and ventral spinal roots.
- William Sharpey described Magendie’s experiments as "cruel, purposeless, without sufficient object."
- Contemporary accounts note bottles of ether were on laboratory shelves but never used in Magendie’s documented procedures.

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.]]>1245falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/laws-against-human-experimentation-existed-the-atrocities-happened-anyway--73073001
Four women were injected without consent and all four developed syphilis-by a physician whose name was already on a major bacterial discovery. How did regulations appear so quickly yet still leave a gap that let this happen, and why did that gap persist?

In this episode, we tell the story of Albert Neisser and the experiments he performed in 1892, the public reaction, and the regulatory response that followed-ending with the unresolved question of whether early protections actually changed medical practice.

Person: Albert Neisser
Date: 1892
Event: Injection of serum from syphilis patients into four female patients
Outcome: All four women developed syphilis
Document: 1900 Instructions for the Directors of Clinics, Outpatient Clinics and Other Medical Facilities

- Neisser isolated Neisseria gonorrhoeae more than a decade before the 1892 experiments.
- In 1892 Neisser injected serum from four different syphilis patients into four women without informing them.
- None of the four women consented and none developed syphilis after the first round, prompting a second trial.
- The second trial used four prostitutes as subjects and resulted in all four developing syphilis.
- In 1900 Prussia issued written Instructions requiring consent for experiments, but the Instructions had no legal force.

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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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073001Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:41:55 +0000Creator at ObomediaLaws against human experimentation existed. The atrocities happened anyway Four women were injected without consent and all four developed syphilis-by a physician whose name was already on a major bacterial discovery. How did regulations appear so...
Four women were injected without consent and all four developed syphilis-by a physician whose name was already on a major bacterial discovery. How did regulations appear so quickly yet still leave a gap that let this happen, and why did that gap persist?

In this episode, we tell the story of Albert Neisser and the experiments he performed in 1892, the public reaction, and the regulatory response that followed-ending with the unresolved question of whether early protections actually changed medical practice.

Person: Albert Neisser
Date: 1892
Event: Injection of serum from syphilis patients into four female patients
Outcome: All four women developed syphilis
Document: 1900 Instructions for the Directors of Clinics, Outpatient Clinics and Other Medical Facilities

- Neisser isolated Neisseria gonorrhoeae more than a decade before the 1892 experiments.
- In 1892 Neisser injected serum from four different syphilis patients into four women without informing them.
- None of the four women consented and none developed syphilis after the first round, prompting a second trial.
- The second trial used four prostitutes as subjects and resulted in all four developing syphilis.
- In 1900 Prussia issued written Instructions requiring consent for experiments, but the Instructions had no legal force.

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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-backyard-hospital-how-sims-built-gynecology-on-enslaved-girls-bodies--73073000
A thirteen-year-old girl was operated on roughly thirty times without anesthesia in a backyard infirmary that became the cradle of modern gynecological surgery - but her name barely survived the records. How did surgical advances emerge from repeated operations on enslaved girls like Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy, and at what human cost?

In this episode, we tell the story of what happened behind a doctor's office on South Perry Street in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1845 and the four years that followed. We trace how a small four-bed infirmary and the city’s dependence on enslaved bodies made those experiments possible, and ask whether the medical legacy built there can be separated from the violence that produced it.

Person: James Marion Sims
Date: 1845
Location: South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama
Event: Repeated operations for vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas
Status: Experiments performed on enslaved women without anesthesia or consent

- Anarcha was approximately 13 years old when she arrived with both vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas.
- Anarcha underwent approximately 30 operations before a successful closure was achieved.
- Montgomery’s 1840 census recorded enslaved people as roughly two-thirds of the city’s population.
- Sims graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1835 and was born January 25, 1813.
- The infirmary began as four beds and was later expanded to a second story.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73073000Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:41:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Backyard Hospital: How Sims Built Gynecology on Enslaved Girls' Bodies A thirteen-year-old girl was operated on roughly thirty times without anesthesia in a backyard infirmary that became the cradle of modern gynecological surgery - but her...
A thirteen-year-old girl was operated on roughly thirty times without anesthesia in a backyard infirmary that became the cradle of modern gynecological surgery - but her name barely survived the records. How did surgical advances emerge from repeated operations on enslaved girls like Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy, and at what human cost?

In this episode, we tell the story of what happened behind a doctor's office on South Perry Street in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1845 and the four years that followed. We trace how a small four-bed infirmary and the city’s dependence on enslaved bodies made those experiments possible, and ask whether the medical legacy built there can be separated from the violence that produced it.

Person: James Marion Sims
Date: 1845
Location: South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama
Event: Repeated operations for vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas
Status: Experiments performed on enslaved women without anesthesia or consent

- Anarcha was approximately 13 years old when she arrived with both vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas.
- Anarcha underwent approximately 30 operations before a successful closure was achieved.
- Montgomery’s 1840 census recorded enslaved people as roughly two-thirds of the city’s population.
- Sims graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1835 and was born January 25, 1813.
- The infirmary began as four beds and was later expanded to a second story.

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.]]>1360falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/scientist-takes-eight-pounds-of-organs-the-cecil-kelley-case--73072999
A dead man’s body was stripped of eight pounds of organ tissue - brain, spinal cord, liver - on December 31, 1958, and the family was never told what had been taken or why. The authorized autopsy, carried out by a county official who also ran the research, turned a routine death into the start of a twenty-year human tissue program; how could that happen without informed consent?

In this episode, we lay out the facts of the case and the people involved, showing how authority, medical roles, and classified work intersected to produce a covert tissue-collection program. How did a single autopsy evolve into a standard protocol for residents whose bodies fell under Los Alamos jurisdiction?

Person: Cecil Kelley
Date: December 31, 1958
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico
Person: Clarence Lushbaugh
Period: 1959-1979

- Eight pounds of organ tissue (including brain, spinal cord, liver) were removed from Cecil Kelley’s body on the morning after the accident.
- Cecil Kelley was exposed to a burst of radiation measuring thirty-six gray during the December 30, 1958 accident.
- Kelley died thirty-five hours after the radiation exposure of heart failure.
- Clarence Lushbaugh Lushbaugh Jr. was born March 15, 1916, and held titles as a physician at Los Alamos Medical Center and Assistant District Health Officer from 1950 through 1958.
- By 1959 the tissue-removal protocol had become standard procedure and the program ran for twenty years.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73072999Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:41:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaScientist Takes Eight Pounds of Organs: The Cecil Kelley Case A dead man’s body was stripped of eight pounds of organ tissue - brain, spinal cord, liver - on December 31, 1958, and the family was never told what had been taken or why. The...
A dead man’s body was stripped of eight pounds of organ tissue - brain, spinal cord, liver - on December 31, 1958, and the family was never told what had been taken or why. The authorized autopsy, carried out by a county official who also ran the research, turned a routine death into the start of a twenty-year human tissue program; how could that happen without informed consent?

In this episode, we lay out the facts of the case and the people involved, showing how authority, medical roles, and classified work intersected to produce a covert tissue-collection program. How did a single autopsy evolve into a standard protocol for residents whose bodies fell under Los Alamos jurisdiction?

Person: Cecil Kelley
Date: December 31, 1958
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico
Person: Clarence Lushbaugh
Period: 1959-1979

- Eight pounds of organ tissue (including brain, spinal cord, liver) were removed from Cecil Kelley’s body on the morning after the accident.
- Cecil Kelley was exposed to a burst of radiation measuring thirty-six gray during the December 30, 1958 accident.
- Kelley died thirty-five hours after the radiation exposure of heart failure.
- Clarence Lushbaugh Lushbaugh Jr. was born March 15, 1916, and held titles as a physician at Los Alamos Medical Center and Assistant District Health Officer from 1950 through 1958.
- By 1959 the tissue-removal protocol had become standard procedure and the program ran for twenty years.

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.]]>1118falsefull