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Toxic History!Author: Adam Blumenberg
Toxic History! is a narrative medicine lecture series where medical experts tell you stories from the history of poison. Human beings have known about poison substances that harm and even kill for thousands of years. Poisons have been seen as mysterious, supernatural, and enigmatic. What are these plants, mixtures, and elements with such powerful properties? It is only in the past century that science has begun to demystify these chemicals and explain how they work. Still, the impact they have on the world from cultish mass suicides to chemical attacks to a single case of homicide can be profound. Toxic History! explores the impact on society, culture, and science behind poisonous events in history. Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, History, Medicine Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Bromism - A Brief Narrative History without the Bromides
Episode 48
Sunday, 22 February, 2026
From controlling libido to epilepsy, bromides surged in popularity but experienced an equally precipitous decline in 19th century medicine. As the paradigm of disease explanation progressed from humors to pathology, bromides established a therapeutic foothold during this revolutionary period. What followed, however, were urban myths and consequences of toxicological significance. Used so ubiquitously, bromides earned a place in the colloquial lexicon as remarks repeated with such frequency that they become cliché or trite. Yet, this exploration on bromism promises to be anything but.












