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★★★★★

4.9

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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.

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Check latest episodes from Toxic History! podcast

What Paracelsus has to Teach Toxicologists

2026/10/13

We all know “the dose makes the poison;” we feature the saying in our professional associations, our merch and our inside jokes. What if that is actually not what Paracelsus said, and what does this 16th century physician and his experience as a healthcare provider practicing during the information explosion brought on by the printing press have to teach medical toxicologists living through the leading edge of the AI information revolution? This talk hopes to teach the listener a little bit more about the alchemist who has been claimed as a founder of toxicology and discuss how his approach to his era’s information deluge can teach us to face the fire hydrant of content in 2026.

Flooding vs Friction: History Lessons on What Causes Drug Crises, and How to End Them

2026/09/13

This talk draws lessons about drug policy from the history of what Professor Herzberg calls “white markets,” i.e., legal psychoactive pharmaceuticals. America is famous for its drug wars, but from Bayer’s Heroin to Purdue’s OxyContin, white markets have always been far larger, and while they have caused three major public health catastrophes, they have also been a site of policy creativity that can serve as a model for maximizing the benefit, while reducing the harms, of these desirable but dangerous products.

Quicksilver: The Original Influencer and Timeless Toxin

2026/08/11

Mercury has been used since before recorded history as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. In this episode, we explore the liquid metal’s functions and forms in consumer products, from ancient alchemical potions to modern skin-whitening soaps.

Love Medical Mysteries? Listen to The Consulting Toxicologist!

2026/07/24

Introducing The Consulting Toxicologist—a brand-new monthly fiction podcast where classic detective stories meet real medical toxicology. Imagine Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Joan Watson in modern-day New York City. Holmes is still the world's greatest consulting detective—but Dr. Watson is now a consulting medical toxicologist, called in whenever a mysterious poisoning leaves everyone else searching for answers. Check out The Consulting Toxicologist. Available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Toxic Examination of Edgar Allan Poe's Final Days

2026/07/23

Edgar Allan Poe built a legacy on poems and short stories that delved into the mysterious and the macabre--but the events surrounding his own death remain disturbingly unclear. Found confused and disoriented on Election Day in 1849, he died days later without an autopsy or explanation. This talk examines Poe's final illness and the toxicological theories that may have been the cause.

The One Man Environmental Disaster

2026/06/16

If you were to make a list of the people who have most shaped the world as we know it, Thomas Midgley, Jr. probably wouldn’t crack the top 50. Yet his influence has directly and indirectly touched the lives of billions across the last century and indeed continues to be felt to this day. Listen in to hear about the man who was responsible for developing not one but TWO of history’s worst toxins.

Firefly Toxicosis in a Bearded Dragon

2026/05/13

Watching fireflies on a summer evening is one of the joys of the season. However, a fireflies light harbors a secret, and that secret can kill.

MK Ultra

2026/04/08

Conspiracy theory….or conspiracy fact? MK Ultra was one of the most controversial government programs that engaged in mind blowing atrocities. Let’s go down the rabbit hole together and explore what is known about the history of this program…and perhaps consider if aspects of it may still exist today!

Cat Killer in the Courtroom: The Story of Dr. Robert Buchanan

2026/03/20

Dr. Robert Buchanan’s murder trial captivated the public with its shocking details and gruesome display. Take a deep dive into the tragic story of this physician, where, not one, but two innocent lives were caught in the wake of one man’s pride.

Bromism - A Brief Narrative History without the Bromides

2026/02/22

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.

Do Unto Myself as I would Do Unto Others

2026/01/08

There is a long, perhaps to be forgotten, history of clinicians performing observational n=1 studies upon themselves to “prove” their safety and efficacy of the proposed therapy. The talk is to describe toxicology-related examples of this now discouraged practice.

The FDA and the Homeopathy Loophole

2025/11/27

The episode traces how the FDA evolved from a modest watchdog born of early 20th-century drug tragedies into a powerful regulatory agency, highlighting key reforms that reshaped American medicine. It then unpacks the long-standing “homeopathy loophole,” explaining how a century-old provision allowed homeopathic remedies to bypass modern scientific standards and why that exemption still fuels debate today.

Toxic Murderer Dr William Palmer

2025/10/27

Dr. William Palmer, surgeon, gambler, toxic murderer. The historical account of Dr Palmer and the events that made him a notorious serial killer.

One Drop

2025/10/01

Karen Wetterhahn, a super star organic chemist at Dartmouth College who worked on heavy metal toxicity, presented to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Memorial Hospital on January, 20th 1997. She was profoundly ill, and shortly lapsed into a coma. Her records were scoured and her medical team was able to trace her symptoms back to a single exposure she had received 6 months earlier in her laboratory.

Bluer than Velvet

2025/09/14

Methylene blue is a vividly blue dye that holds the distinction of being the first fully synthetic medication to be given to human beings, and played a major part in the scientific advances of the late 19th century. Its almost unnatural hue belies its modern use as a life-saving antidote to methemoglobinemia.

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4.9 out of 5

8 reviews

★★★★★

krysten..g 2023/07/31

Awesome!

I love listening to this podcast! The only downside is the intro tends to be louder than the episode itself and it scares the daylight out of me when...

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