Episode 116 - The Ilizarov Apparatus
In this episode, we will cover Gavriil Ilizarov, the Soviet surgeon who created what is now known as the Ilizarov Apparatus, which is used t...
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Legends of Surgery
Legends of Surgery is a podcast that tells the stories of the people and events that make up the history of modern surgery, told in an informal, entertaining and educational manner.
Episodes
20 of 100 episodesEpisode 115 - Sit up and take notice: The Fowler Position
In this episode, we will talk about the Fowler position in surgery, its current and historical uses, the person behind the name, and the leg...
Episode 114 - "Troubled Masterpiece": The Controversial Pernkopf Atlas
In this episode, we'll explore the history of the Pernkopf Atlas, an anatomy text used by surgeons and pathologists worldwide, as well as th...
Episode 113 - Better know an instrument: Potts Scissors
In this episode, we'll meet the person behind the eponymously named scissors, the American pediatric surgeon Willis J. Potts. We'll cover hi...
Episode 112 - The Ongoing History of Surgery: The World's First Whole Eye Transplant
In this episode, we will cover the recent story of (possibly) the world's first whole eye transplant that occured in May of 2023, as well as...
Episode 111 - The Code of Hammurabi
In this episode, we will explore the history of a nearly 4 millenia old slab of rock which has inscribed on it some of the oldest recorded l...
Episode 110 - The Loch Ness Monster and The Surgeon's Photo
In this episode, we will explore the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, as well as the surgeon behind a famous photograph of the beast, Robert...
Episode 109 - Was Jack the Ripper a surgeon?
In this episode, we will explore the question of the identity of the 19th century serial killer based in the London neighborhood of Whitecha...
Episode 108 - The Michelangelo of Medicine: Frank Netter and the Atlas of Human Anatomy
In this episode, we will explore the famous 20th century medical illustrator Frank Netter and his magnum opus, the Atlas of Human Anatomy. W...
Episode 107 - "The Secret"
In this episode, we will meet the Chamberlen family, French Huguenots and barber surgeons/male midwives that practiced in England in the 16t...
Episode 106 - From toxin to cure: The story of Botox
Initially recognized as a poison in blood sausage by a German country doctor in the 19th century CE, botulinum toxin was isolated and purifi...
Episode 105 - Better know an instrument: the Yankauer suction tip
In this episode, we will cover Dr. Sidney Yankauer, a leader in the development of ENT as a surgical specialty, including the creation of hi...
Episode 104 - Lamb's Blood, Monkey 'Glands', Pig Kidneys, and More: A Brief History of Xenotransplantation
In this episode, we will trace the history of attempts at transplanting cells, tissues, and organs from animals into humans. From world-famo...
Episode 103 - The Story of the Spleen
In this episode, we return to a previous series, looking at the history of different organs in the body. The history of our understanding of...
Bonus Episode - The Curious Case of Scarpa's Head
In this bonus suture tale episode, we cover the life and works of the famous Italian surgeon and anatomist Antonio Scarpa. While many are fa...
Episode 102 - Hua T'o and Surgery in Ancient China
In this episode, we cover the legendary figure of Hua T'o, the best known (and one of the few) surgeons from Ancient China, as well as the s...
Episode 101 - Galen, Part 2: His Works
In this episode, we'll take a look at some of the contributions he made in surgery and anatomy, as well as some of the errors of his that we...
Episode 100 - Galen, Part 1: The Story of his Life
In the 100th episode of Legends of Surgery, we will explore the life of one of medicine and surgery's greatest influences: the Greek physici...
Episode 99 - The History of Transgender Reassignment Surgery
In this episode, we'll cover the history of transgender medicine, with a focus on the development of the main surgical procedures in gender...
Episode 98 - A Knot of Suture Tales
In this episode, we're going to do something a bit different. I've taken a number of shorter but very interesting topics, either that I've c...