Infectious Dose

Author: Infectious Dose

Infectious dose is the shot of science you need to protect yourself from misinformation. Heather McSharry, PhD, an expert in viral pathogenesis, brings her blog to the airwaves to help bridge the dangerous gap between the science of infectious diseases and public misperception. On the podcast website, infectiousdose.com, all episodes have corresponding blog posts with the information contained in the episode along with links or PDFs for all sources used. To prevent unwelcome surprises, episodes with limited, mild profanity are marked as explicit. *Podcast intro and outro music are adapted from Heather Novas song, I Miss My Sky. Used with permission.
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Language: en

Genres: Life Sciences, Science

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

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S2E17 Remedies and Regrets: The Worst Infection Treatments in History
Episode 17
Tuesday, 28 April, 2026

Imagine getting sick in the 1700s—before microbes were discovered, before antibiotics, and before infection had a clear cause. In this Outbreak After Dark episode, we explore the strange, unsettling, and sometimes surprisingly insightful treatments used to fight disease in the pre-germ theory era. From bloodletting and mercury to tobacco smoke enemas and malariotherapy, these practices reflect a time when medicine was working without seeing the real enemy. Along the way, we also uncover the rare moments when history got it almost right—and how those moments helped shape the science we trust today. Don't forget to sign up for my free weekly newsletter Field Notes, to continue the conversation around each episode. Transcript and annotated citations in companion blog post at infectiousdose.com