Episode 104: Soft Tissue Sarcoma Part 1 | Avoiding The Whoops Lesion

Soft tissue sarcomas are tumours that arise from connective tissue, fat, muscle, and blood vessels. They are distinct from epithelial malignancies (carcinomas) in both morphology and behaviour. Unfortunately, due to their rare occurrence, these tumours can be mistaken clinically and pathologically …

Episode 103: Clinical ethics | Eternal conundrums

Ethics, codes of conduct, and challenging decisions are universal constants in medicine. Difficult situations and trying to do the right thing are not always obvious particularly when these decisions involve lots of emotions, family members, and have life and death implications. Ethics, and ethics …

Episode 102: Lipoprotein (a) | Genetic Cholesterol

Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) was discovered in 1963 by a Norwegian geneticist by the name of Kåre Berg who studied particles that carried cholesterol in the blood. He found some patients had an additional protein on the low-density lipoprotein. Studies found that patients with elevated Lp(a) had increas…

Episode 101: Psoriasis | Skin, Immunity, And The Marks We Carry

Skin has always told stories. For thousands of years, those whose skin behaved differently — scaling, thickening, inflaming — were feared, isolated, and misunderstood. Psoriasis was long lumped together with leprosy, its sufferers cast out rather than cared for. It would take centuries before medi…

Episode 100: The Artful Dodger | James McNamara

The Artful Dodger is a television series on Disney+ that is a historical medical drama set in 1850s Australia with Jack Dawkins, the Artful Dodger from the world of Oliver Twist. Jack is a former pick pocket now surgeon who is reacquainted with old partner in crime, Fagin, who is keen for Jack to r…

Episode 99: Graves’ Disease | Hyperthyroidism & Thyrotoxicosis

The complex symptomatology of hormonal diseases only started to be recognised in the 19th century as we learned about anatomy and physiology. When Doctor Robert Graves began piecing the hyperthyroid puzzle together when he saw patients with similar symptoms such as anxiousness, nervousness, aggitat…

Episode 98: Statin Dosage | Finding The Sweet Spot

It has been well established in studies and articles that cholesterol lowering medications have significant heart morbidity and mortality benefits. However, high dosage trials did not show additional survival benefits but had increasing side-effects for patients. Therefore, the maximum dose for sta…

Episode 97: Crucifixion | Ancient Rome & State Sanctioned Execution

Crucifixion was a form of punishment, humiliation, and execution. Adopted by the Ancient Romans, crucifixion was used on the State’s worst criminals on lower classes and slaves. As common as it was though, we know very little about how people died on the cross. In this episode, we take a closer loo…

Episode 96: Steroids & Testosterone (Part 2) | Anabolic Steroids

Recreational use of steroids and testosterone to enhance image and performance is on the rise. Over the last 70 years, testosterone and testosterone-like substances have been used extensively to enhance performance particularly in elite sports. Nowadays, the use is more widespread and occurs in the…

Episode 95: Steroids & Testosterone (Part 1) | Male Hypogonadism

Hypogonadism is a medical condition where the body does not produce enough testosterone. This can be primary (testicular failure) or secondary (pituitary or other condition). There are a number of conditions that doctors need to be aware of that can cause hypogonadism. This is the story of hypogon…