This Medical Life

Bone sarcomas are rare, accounting for 0.2% of all cancer diagnoses, with around 200 cases diagnosed in Australia each year. The three main types differ by age and site: osteosarcoma (around 30 to 35% of cases, often in the arms, legs and pelvis, with peaks in adolescence and again in the seventies and eighties), chondrosarcoma (around 30% of cases, typically in adults over 40), and Ewing sarcoma (around 15% of cases, most common in children).

Professor Fiona Maclean, an anatomical pathologist, describes bone sarcoma diagnosis as a pattern-recognition challenge made harder by rarity, noting that tumour type and stage are the two most useful pieces of information for a GP reading a pathology report.

A/Professor Richard Boyle, an orthopaedic oncological surgeon, outlines the red flags, including unexplained deep bone pain and night pain, and the diagnostic pathway from X-ray through biopsy to multidisciplinary review.

This is the story of Bone Sarcoma Part 1.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Our Special Guests:

A/Professor Richard Boyle who is a Sydney-based orthopaedic oncological surgeon and head of the NSW Sarcoma unit.

Professor Fiona Maclean who is an anatomical pathologist and professor from Macquarie University.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is a highly specialised area. The first effective chemotherapy agent against sarcomas was only identified in the 1960s and benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy treatment began in the 1970s. We continue to learn as new agents become available and tailor treatments to each patient.

This is the story of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Part 2). Here is the link to Part 1.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/

Our Special Guests:

Professor Peter Grimison who is a medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and clinical professor at University of Sydney

Associate Professor Stephen Thompson is a radiation oncologist at Prince of Wales hospital and conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales

The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is a highly specialised area. The first effective chemotherapy agent against sarcomas was only identified in the 1960s and benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy treatment began in the 1970s. We continue to learn as new agents become available and tailor treatments to each patient.

This is the story of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Part 2). Here is the link to Part 1.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/

Our Special Guests:

Professor Peter Grimison who is a medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and clinical professor at University of Sydney

Associate Professor Stephen Thompson is a radiation oncologist at Prince of Wales hospital and conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 which affects patients management and prognosis.

As part of sarcoma awareness month, we are doing a series on soft tissue sarcomas as well as bone sarcoma in conjunction with the Australian & New Zealand Sarcoma Association to raise awareness and help provide education about these diagnoses.

This is the story of soft tissue sarcoma (part 1).

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/

Our Special Guests:

Associate Professor Richard Boyle who is an orthopaedic oncologist and surgeon who specialises in the bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

Professor Fiona Maclean is an anatomical pathologist who specialises in soft tissue pathology and clinical professor at Macquarie University.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 committees, can help to provide a clear and consensus path for clinicians, patients, and family members. We discuss the role ethics and ethics committees have in modern medicine with our special guest.

This is the story of clinical ethics.

Useful links:

Free critical thinking course through UQ school of philosophy

Clinical Ethics Society of Australasia – Great organisation focusing on clinical ethics, with affordable membership and lots of access to resources. They run an excellent ‘ethics intensive’ and yearly symposium as well as other masterclasses throughout the year.

Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law – Major organisation for ethics and health law. Excellent conference each year.

Links to Dr Melanie Jansen’s poetry

Instragram: @drmelaniejansen_poetry

Dr Melanie Jansen’s debut poetry collection, All That Could Be Lost, is available online from 5 Islands Press and at independent bookstores.

Our Special Guest:

Dr Melanie Jansen who is a clinical ethicist and paediatric intensive care consultant

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 increased risks of cardiovascular disease. However, the levels were not affected by diet, environmental factors, or medications. The result is that this test was largely ignored for the last few decades.

Recent dyslipidaemia guidelines released by the United States and Europe have returned a focus back on to Lp(a). They recommend that patients should have Lp(a) tested once throughout their life to assess their cardiovascular disease risk. The result can help identify which patients are at a higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and who will benefit from lifestyle modification and early intervention.

This resource is referenced during the discussion: https://www.lpaclinicalguidance.com/

This is the story of lipoprotein (a).

Our Special Guests:

Dr Michael Page is a chemical pathologist at Clinipath in Perth, senior lecturer at the UWA Medical School, and immediate past President of the AMA (WA).

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 medicine began to separate these conditions, and longer still before we understood what was really happening beneath the surface. Psoriasis is not an infection, not a curse, not a failure of hygiene. It is the immune system turning on itself, a complex, chronic inflammatory disease that affects not just skin but joints, confidence, and quality of life. It touches roughly 2-3% of the population, and for many it is a lifelong companion.

Today we have a clinical dermatologist and a dermatopathologist to help us understand what psoriasis looks like to the clinician, what it reveals under the microscope, and how our understanding of its immunological roots has transformed the way we treat it.

This is the story of psoriasis.

Our Special Guests:

Associate Professor Laura Scardamaglia, a Consultant Dermatologist, a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatology, and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne.

Dr Grace Liu is an Anatomical Pathologist with Histopath in Sydney, Australia.

Listen:

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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, aggitation, bulging eyes, and rapid/irregular heart rate. He realised this was a previously unknown condition to the medical field.

It would not be until the mid-20th century before we had a full understanding of the thyroid and thyroid diseases. Today, we have tests to diagnose and medications to manage. Graves’ disease accounts for 70-80% of all cases of hyperthyroidism.

This is the story of Graves’ Disease.

Our Guests:

Dr Liam Mulcahy who is studying physicians training with a strong interest in neurology. He was written a book called Beyond the White Coat: The Faces Behind Medical Eponyms.

Professor Duncan Topliss who is a senior endocrinologist at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Monash University.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

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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 statins is not necessarily the best dose for patients.

This is the story of statin dosing.

Guest:

Professor Simon Dimmitt is a Consultant Physician working in General and Cardiovascular Medicine. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Western Australia and Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine & Public Health at the University of Newcastle. His website contains Dose Tables and reviews for a modest subscription: Correct Dosing.

Listen:

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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 look at crucifixion through a medical lens.

This image is not historically accurate. It was crafted within the guidelines of Gemini as a stereotypical rendering of crucifixion but our episode gets into the, sadly more brutal, truth.

This is the story of crucifixion.

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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 general community with far more drugs available to people via the internet. Unfortunately, the evidence users base their drug regimes on range from anecdotal and scant to wrong and dangerous. We discuss the use of testosterone (and other substances) to learn more, identify how we can look after patients who use anabolic steroids, and what risk factors we need to consider.

This is the story of anabolic steroids.

You can listen to Part One of this series here.

Our special guests:

Dr Tim Piatkowski is a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland on image and performance enhancing drugs.

Dr Mair Underwood is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Queensland and is an anthropologist of the body.

Professor Ken Sikaris is a chemical pathologist and Director of chemical pathology at Dorevitch pathology.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

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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 hypogonadism.

Image ref: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/hypogonadotropic-hypogonadism

Our special guests:

Professor Duncan Topliss is a senior endocrinologist and Professor of Medicine at Monash University.

Professor Ken Sikaris is a chemical pathologist and Director of chemical pathology at Dorevitch pathology.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While testicular cancer is rare, it is the most common cancer in young men aged between 15 and 39 years. Like with every cancer, early detection is the key. Self-examination is important along with seeking medical attention if there are any concerns. Fortunately, overall survival is around 95%.

This is the story of testicular cancer.

Our special guests:

Dr Nari Ahmadi who is a Urologist and coordinator of the Urological Oncology Cancer research at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.

Professor Peter Grimison who is a Medical Oncologist at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, VMO at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney.

Professor Fiona Maclean who an Anatomical Pathologist, Clinical Professor at Macquarie University, and previous President of the Australasian Division of the International Academy of Pathology (IAP).

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And we’re back – for another year – with more stories, more expert guests, more topics to discuss. Episodes released fortnightly.

And we’ve also released an ebook with audio narrated by the masterful voice of Steve Davis for a general audience sharing some of the amazing stories of medicine.

Chapter J provided in this episode.

Our special guest:

In this episode, our special guest is the audiobook itself: Diseased: The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history.

Link to kindle version: Diseased: The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history

Link to audiobook: Coming soon.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Dicken’s first novel has an adolescent boy named Joe who was overweight and always sleepy. He could fall asleep at any time, even during meals. The novel is known as the Pickwick Papers. Decades later, doctors began to recognise patients with the same symptoms. They called it Pickwickian syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common condition in the general community. Risk factors include being overweight, male, and over the age of 50. The difficulty for patients is they may not be aware they suffer from this condition unless a partner tells them they stop breathing during sleep. Fortunately, we have a number of treatment options available for patients who suffer from sleep apnoea.

This is the story of sleep apnoea.

Our special guests:

Dr Saul Gilbert is the managing director of a sleep clinic called The Oasis in Adelaide with 25 years research and clinical experience in sleep psychophysiology.

Dr Anuk Kruavit is a respiratory, sleep and general medicine physician with an interest in obstructive sleep apnoea and complex respiratory sleep disorders.

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This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

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Willem J Kolff was an intern when he saw a 22 year old man die of kidney failure. He realised that the patient’s life could have been saved if his blood could have been detoxified. Willem set to work and developed the first ever dialysis machine (initially the ‘rotating drum kidney’).

While dialysis is a lifesaving treatment, it is one that we hope to avoid for patients. In this episode, we discuss two topics that are the largest contributors to chronic kidney disease: Diabetes, and Hypertension.

This is the story of Chronic Kidney Disease (Part 2).

Our special guest:

Dr Richard Phoon who is the Senior Medical Advisor at Westmead Hospital and has worked full-time as a Nephrologist at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals since 2007.

Useful links:

CKD Management in Primary Care handbook (KHA) Link: https://kidney.org.au/health-professionals/ckd-management-handbook

Kidney Health 4 Life: Kidney Health 4 Life – Better kidney health, for life

Health professional webinar here: Kidney Health 4 Life Healthcare Professional Webinar – YouTube

For health professionals looking for printed posters and brochures for their clinic or unit: Kidney Health 4 Life Print Materials

Or contact the Kidney Health Australia Helpline on 1800 454 363

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One in 10 Australians over the age of 18 years are living with signs of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) with the number of patients needing treatment for kidney failure has doubled in the last 20 years. Early detection and intervention can slow the progression of CKD by up to 15 years or longer.

Our understanding of kidney disease can be traced back to Dr Richard Bright, one of the founding fathers of nephrology. He noted that heating a patient’s urine with kidney disease could form a precipitate – nowadays we’d call this albuminuria (albumin in the urine) and it is a marker of kidney damage.

Today, there are a range of conditions that can reduce kidney function, cause kidney damage, and can cause significant morbidity and early mortality in patients. By screening patients, we can reduce the progression of CKD and significantly affect the health of patients in the long term.

This is the story of Chronic Kidney Disease (Part 1).

Our special guests:

Maddie Williams who is a Registered Nurse with Kidney Health Australia who was diagnosed with kidney disease at the age of 17 requiring haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and received a renal transplant.

Dr Richard Phoon who is the Senior Medical Advisor at Westmead Hospital and has worked full-time as a Nephrologist at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals since 2007.

Useful links:

CKD Management in Primary Care handbook (KHA) Link: https://kidney.org.au/health-professionals/ckd-management-handbook

Kidney Health 4 Life: Kidney Health 4 Life – Better kidney health, for life

Health professional webinar here: Kidney Health 4 Life Healthcare Professional Webinar – YouTube

For health professionals looking for printed posters and brochures for their clinic or unit: Kidney Health 4 Life Print Materials

Or contact the Kidney Health Australia Helpline on 1800 454 363

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The statistics of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Domestic Violence prevalence are staggering. 1 in 6 adult women and 1 in 16 adult men have experience physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their partner. Approximately 2.5 million Australians (13%) experienced abuse during their childhood. However, IPV is a topic that is rarely discussed. As healthcare professionals, we need to change this.

A recent study by our guests on this episode, Timelines of psychological, physical and sexual intimate partner violence among a nationally representative sample of Australian women, studied the timeline of psychological, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence. They highlighted that early warning signs of an abusive partner include isolation, controlling behaviour, and intense jealously. We discuss these important findings and other take home messages of this study and how we can apply it to everyday practice.

This is the story about intimate partner violence.

Our special guests:

Dr Elizabeth McLindon is a Research Fellow in the Department of General Practice and works in the Sexual Abuse and Family Violence (SAFE) program. Elizabeth is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Family Violence Prevention at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Professor Kelsey Hegarty is an academic general practitioner who holds the joint Chair in Family Violence Prevention at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital. She also leads the Safer Families Centre.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oral cancer was a fatal disease even into the twentieth century. Patients required extensive surgery and often had a painful recovery or went into palliative care but the result was the same. Modern medicine has thankfully provided much to our understanding, the treatment and management of patients with oral cancer.

In recent times, patients have been able to be stratified into two general but distinct categories: the first are older with a strong history of heavy smoking and/or alcohol use; the second are younger and have a history of multiple sexual partners. The distinction is important as the treatment and management are different between the two groups with the second group having a much better prognosis.

This is the story of oral cancer.

Our special guests:

Dr Rebecca Morrow is an anatomical pathologist and deputy head of department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with SA Pathology.

Dr Rowan Valentine is a paediatric and adult Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon.

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This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

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The first medical description of pernicious anaemia is from 1821. It is written by Dr James Combe and describes a previously well 47 year old corn-merchant who presented with pallor, weakness, and neurological symptoms. It would take over a hundred years before we would know how to treat this condition, and another decade after that to understand why the treatment worked.

Vitamin B12 is an essential component of our diet and only found in animal products. Deficiency in vitamin B12 can present with fatigue, anaemia (macrocytic), and neurological symptoms. The most at risk from a dietary perspective are vegetarians, vegans, and the elderly. Patients may also have an autoimmune condition (pernicious anaemia) that interferes with gastric parietal cells and intrinsic factor; the way our body can absorb vitamin B12 from our diet.

This is the story of vitamin B12.

Our special guest:

Our special guest is Professor Ken Sikaris who is a chemical pathologist and Director of Chemical Pathology at Dorevitch Pathology.

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One of the most difficult cancers to detect early has been lung cancer. Patients often present with advanced disease that and can often be fatal.

In April 2025, a new National Lung Cancer Screening program has been rolled out in Australia to detect asymptomatic patients with a significant smoking history (30 Pack-Year). Suitable patients are eligible for a free low-dose CT (computer tomography) scan on their lungs to identify any potential lesions suspicious for cancer.

This is the story of lung cancer screening.

Our special guests:

A/Professor Nicole Rankin is Head of the Evaluation and Implementation Science Unit in Melbourne School of Population and Global Health (University of Melbourne) and led the team that developed the Australian National Lung Cancer Screening Program Guidelines.

Dr Julie Teague is an Anatomical Pathologist with an interest in thoracic and gastrointestinal pathology.

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In 1966, the Chief of Urology asked the Chief of Pathology at the Minneapolis VA Hospital to develop a system to communicate the results of prostate cancer to researchers. The Chief of Pathology was Donald Gleason and he developed a system that would revolutionise our understanding of prostate cancer. Today, every prostate cancer worldwide is classified using the Gleason score, named after Donald Gleason.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and accounts for 15% of all male cancers. Its incidence of prostate cancer is estimated to double by 2040.

This is the story of prostate cancer.

Our special guests:

Professor Fiona Maclean is a Clinical Professor, Anatomical Pathologist, author, past President of the Australasian Division of the International Academy of Pathology (IAP), and advisor in Pathology Artificial Intelligence.

Dr Joanna Olphert is a urologist and robotic surgeon involved in genitourinary reconstructive surgery, robotic uro-oncology, and open complex peritoneal surgery.

Dr Carole Harris is a medical oncologist, senior lecturer, and senior research fellow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last 100 years, numerous types of implants (i.e. ivory, glass, wool) and injections (i.e. epoxy resin, beeswax, paraffin) have been used in an attempt for breast augmentation but the results were poor. In 1962, the first operation using silicone implants was performed and it revolutionised breast surgery. Breast augmentation surgery (cosmetic and reconstructive) is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries in Australia, United States, and the United Kingdom.

As one of the most common cosmetic surgeries, it is important for doctors and patients to know about the risks and myths of this procedure. In this episode, we discuss breast augmentation surgery and our discussion includes common complications, risks, and breast implantation illness.

This is the story of breast augmentation

Our special guest:

Our special guest is plastic surgeon Dr Andrew Campbell-Lloyd from ACL Plastic surgery in Adelaide.

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The interplay between genetics and medications is important but complex. Pharmacogenomic testing provides doctors with information about how individual patients may respond to certain medications (ie. fast and slow metabolisers).

The RCPA recently released guidelines for doctors about requesting patient pharmacogenomic testing before prescribing some medications. These guidelines have identified 35 medications into three pharmacogenomics testing categories: recommend, consider, and no consensus. We discuss this testing with our guest today.

This is the story of pharmacogenomics.

RCPA guidelines: https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Library/Practising-Pathology/Pharmacogenomic-Indications-in-Australia

Our special guest:

Our special guest is Professor Luke Hessen who is the manager of the Genetics Department at Douglass Hanly Moir and co-Chair of the RCPA Pharmaogenetic Advisory Group.

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In 1924, a surgeon and a pathologist had a conversation about some patients with multiple bowel polyps. The pathologist, Dr Cuthbert Dukes, and the surgeon, Mr JP Lockhart-Mummery, noted that patients had a family history of bowel cancer and could have hundreds of colonic polyps. They, with the help of HRJ Bussey, set up the Polyposis Registry.

The registry collected information about these patients and the families from 1918 to 1954. They found that patients developed polyps in childhood, the risk of affected children was 50%, and cancer took 15 years to develop from first diagnosis. This was clearly a familial disease.

Today, we know this a Familial Adenomatous Polyposis or FAP. The genetic basis for this condition was identified in the 1980s and 1990s. Professor Sir Walter Bodmer led a team to map the location of the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene involved.

This is the story of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)

Our special guests:

Professor Sir Walter Bodmer is a professor of the Cancer and Genetics laboratory and Department of Oncology at Oxford University. Areas of research include: HLA, population genetics, Human Genome Project, and mapped the APC gene. He was knighted in 1986.

Dr Tristan Rutland is an Anatomical Pathologists, recipient of the Konrad Muller RCPA Outstanding Teaching Award (2020), and recipient of the Resident Advocate Award from the College of American Pathologists.

Dr Emelia Ip is a trained medical oncologist, staff specialist in cancer genetics, and co-chair of EviQ Adult Cancer Genetics Reference Committee.

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** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

The discovery of radiation was a monumental achievement in human history.

Marie Curie isolated Radium and Polonium from the mineral pitchblende, and received two Nobel Prizes for this achievement (Physics 1903 and Chemistry 1911). She was clearly a genius, however, not even Marie anticipated the dangers inherent with this material.

The interest in Radium exploded and it became a key ingredient in medicine, make-up, and toothpaste. The most notable was for the ‘Undark’ paint that literally glowed. The women workers, now known as the Radium girls, used this paint in the early twentieth century to paint the hands of watches/clocks.

The results were devastating and fatal.

Our episode’s final destination, takes us into the remote region of South Australia, where 7 atomic bombs were detonated by the British between 1956 and 1963… destroying the land and killing indigenous and non-indigenous people alike. A human history we must remember for the sheer tragedy of it.

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** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

The implications for Healthcare to lose control or access to the IT systems is literally life threatening.

The first confirmed fatality occurred when a Ransomware attack unintentionally struck a German University Hospital in September 2020. There have been over 80 public cases of Ransomware attacks occurred in the US targeting Healthcare institutions in 2020. These are on the rise as Healthcare provides an attractive target with dated IT software, time critical data, and private patient information that can be used and leveraged, even if the target reverts to back-ups.

With hospitals left in a no-win situation, they will often pay the ransom to (hopefully) restore access to their systems/data but also increases the likelihood of future attacks.

Our special guests:

Dr Nick Tellis
MBBS, FRACGP
GP and Owner PartridgeGP
Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health
https://partridgegp.me/DrNickTellisLinkedIn 

John Stronner
Chief Executive Officer | Loftus Technology Group
Certified Data Protection Officer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnstronnar/

Dr Nick tellis Bio:

Dr Nick Tellis is a specialist GP who has been working in General Practice since 2002 and has owned general practices since 2007. 

Every Australian should have their own GP and General Practice, and use them regularly and appropriately. If that is PartridgeGP and one of our helping GPs that's even better. We can help!

Here to Help - 3 ways!
1. You’re a patient wanting a Great GP! Book one of the caring PartridgeGPs online: http://partridgegp.me/makeanappointment 

You’re a great GP/Allied Health Professional wanting PartridgeGP to provide you awesome services, facilities, and team so you can serve patients to the best of your ability:

www.partridgegp.com.au
https://partridgegp.me/DrNickTellisFB 
call Mrs Hayley Roberts 08 8295 3200

You’re a small business owner looking to network and grow your amazing business! Coffee and chat with Dr Nick Tellis:

https://partridgegp.me/DrNickTellisLinkedIn 
http://partridgegp.me/networkwithdrnick 

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** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Humans have always had a complex relationship with drugs: some help us; some heal us; and some hurt us. The problem with the drugs of addiction is they can do all of three. However, long term use of these inevitably leads to dependence where, once ceased, will lead to withdraw symptoms. The ‘highs’ and addictiveness combined with the potency of the drugs can have fatal consequences.

In this podcast we delve into these Drugs of Addiction (namely Opioids, Amphetamines, Cannabinoids, Cocaine, and Benzodiazepines) to explore their sordid history and discuss how we test for them today.

Our special guest:

Dr Devika Thomas
BSc (Hons), MBBS, M Surg, MAACB, CCD, FRCPA, PhD

Clinpath Pathology Medical Director, Executive Team
Director of Chemical Pathology

https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-devika-thomas/

This podcast is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Health data is the most personal official records we will ever have. It can contain everything from the medications we regularly take, all the way through to documenting discussions about some of our most troubling times. It does not get any more personal than our own Health Data.

This is part of a series of podcasts we are undertaking on Health Information Technology. We look at Governmental Regulation of Health Data and get a sneak peek at the advances in A.I. embryology.

The song quoted was written by Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge, Blink-182.

Our special guests:

Andrew Andrews
Vice President
Data Management Association Australia
https://au.linkedin.com/in/andrewandrews

Dr Michelle Perugini
Co-Founder & CEO
Presagen www.Presagen.com
https://au.linkedin.com/in/michelleperugini

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

In 1983, Dr Robin Warren and Dr Barry Marshall embarked upon a study to investigate the significance of bacterial found in the stomachs of ulcer patients. This journey would take them over a decade to complete and was riddled with self-doubt, persistent scepticism, and challenging centuries of medical dogma but their persistence ultimately led to the highest accolade in Medicine.

Oh, and a bout of bad breath.

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacteria that has evolved with humans. With an estimated worldwide prevalence of up to 50%, this organism has found a survival niche where it is perfectly suited to thrive in the stomach’s highly acidic environment. Unfortunately for those of us who have it, it will cause inflammation (gastritis) but can eventually lead to cancer (gastric adenocarcinoma).

Our interview is with Professor Barry Marshall who navigates the lows of persistent knockbacks through to the worldwide tour that lead to the Nobel Prize in 2005.

Professor Barry Marshall
Nobel Prize Laureate and Professor of Clinical Microbiology

The discovery by Dr Warren and Professor Marshall has benefited millions of people, maybe saving a million lives over the last 10 or 20 years.

Barry James Marshall AC FRACP FRS FAA is an Australian physician, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Western Australia. https://www.uwa.edu.au/profile/barry-marshall

Additional links of interest:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)67587-3/fulltext 

https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/professor-barry-marshall/teacher 

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** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Since ancient times, all manner of diseases have been attributed to the uterus. Theories range from a wandering womb yearning for motherhood to the psychological disorder of hysteria that was contagious. The treatment of women with these 'diseases' were reprehensible and the some of the outcomes were nothing short of tragic.

Fortunately, we have come a long way to understanding the plethora of gynaecological conditions and treatments. In this episode, we examine the pathology of endometriosis.

What the world needs more of right now, is everyone talking about women's health. Steve Davis and Dr Travis Brown discuss this history from antiquity to the twenty-first century. However, they did call on special guest Dr Nicole Sladden to keep them in check.

This podcast episode is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

Dr Nicole Sladden
MBBS, FRCPA

Bio Link: https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-nicole-sladden/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

'You have cancer'

It must be the most dreaded sentence in modern society. Our fear of cancer is well founded and for those suffering from Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), before 1999, there was only a slim chance of survival.

Caused by a single translocation called the Philadelphia chromosome, it took only 40 years to go from a chemotherapy resistant and often fatal disease to a manageable condition with an oral tablet.

This is a remarkable story of science, persistence and triumph.

As Dr Travis Brown says,

"When chromosomes were discovered in the late 1800’s, their nature and function was unclear.

In 1910, Thomas Hunt Morgan identified the link between chromosomes and inheritance.

In 1959, Peter Nowell & David Hungerford discovered CMLs Philadelphia chromosome, but where had the segment of chr 22 gone?

In 1973, Dr Janet Rowley found it.

In 1999, Dr Brian Druker treated it."

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Our love affair with alcohol is as old as civilization itself. Every culture and religion have traditions, attitudes and laws that ranges from governing celebrations to issuing punishments. With only have sporadic cases of excessive drinking from historical figures, it becomes apparent that alcohol use disorder and dependency are modern diagnoses.

The urgency for testing alcohol intoxication arrived with the increasing popularity of cars that shifted the automobile from a form of transport to a potential weapon. This led to a revolution in public health measures and has saved countless lives. However, it is not until one starts to examine the prevalence of risky alcohol drinking behaviour and alcohol use disorder in modern society that we realise this love affair comes with a price.

Image

Interference – The Animal

"Though you can guess what temperance should be,
You know not what it is"
Shakespeare

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** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Tuberculosis has had many names throughout human history: Phthisis, Robber of youth, the white plague, consumption.

It wasn’t until 1865 that Jean Antonine Villemin proved it was an infectious disease and 1882 that Robert Koch identified the causative agent: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (he called it Tubercle bacillus).

Via the first ever Pathology Report from Melbourne Hospital (now Royal Melbourne Hospital), we explore this infectious disease that continues to have a devastating impact to this day.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Sugar is as addictive as nicotine and as toxic as … well, sugar.

Diabetes mellitus is the fastest growing chronic disease and the not-so-silent potentially ignorable epidemic sweeping our nation. This is a disease known about since antiquity and often fatal to those afflicted in history.

With the discovery of insulin in 1922 and exponential growth in our understanding, we now have the resources to manage and even potentially prevent this disease; but will we choose to do so?

The Episode has a special guest collaboration with Dr James Meucke AM “AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR”.

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Muecke

LinkedIn and bio: www.linkedin.com/in/james-muecke-am-a1621812

This Episode includes an interview with Dr Devika Thomas

Bio: www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-devika-thomas/

and is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

In 1958, via the world’s first epidemiological study, Dr Denis Burkitt mapped the incidence of large jaw tumours in young African Children and theorised that the cause was due to a virus.

However, he was later to discover that this same virus was responsible for Infectious Mononucleosis (IM) in Western Populations. How could one virus cause such different diseases?

The answer was because he was studying the world’s most perfect parasite.

This podcast is an interview with Associate Professor David Ellis, MBBS, FRCPA and is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Chromosomal abnormalities are often incompatible with life.

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule and history has shown us that certain paired chromosomes can include a third. These conditions are known today as Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), Edwards’ syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau syndrome (Trisomy 13). These syndromes are routinely screen for in pregnancy with NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing).

This podcast includes an interview discussing the application of NIPT with Professor Graeme Suthers and the path ahead for foetal screening and this section of the podcast is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

Professor Graeme Suthers
BSc (Med), MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA, GAICD
clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/professor-graeme-suthers/

This Pathological Life is produced by Clinpath Pathology in South Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

The life of Alexander the Great is a landmark moment in history.

The son of King Philip II, one of history’s greatest military conquerors, and Olympus, worshipper of Dionysus and political mastermind, Alexander was raised to believe he had direct lineage with the Gods.

Much was expected of Alexander and he did not disappoint. However, at the age of 32, he died suddenly of a mystery illness. 

Through the lens of modern medicine and pathology, we focus on this ‘Great man’ of history and ask: what did he die from?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

On the 11th of September, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked 4 planes and crashed 2 of them into the Twin Towers of the in New York. Hours later, both Towers collapsed which caused a huge toxic dust plume composed of WTC (World Trade Centre) dust. The heroism and selflessness of the First Responders was on full display but their service came at a cost of their own health. This is a tribute to the First Responders as we examine the pathology and chronic health conditions caused by the WTC dust exposure. The final interview sound bite is of Luis Alvarez, past New York City detective, and First Responder.

This episode is in collaboration with special guest, Dennis Strenk, Milwaukee Pathologists' Assistant, CFO and Board of Trustees member of the AAPA and People of Pathology Podcast host [peopleofpathology.podbean.com]

Episode notes, references and learning objectives, available at

https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/podcast-this-pathological-life/2020/09/episode-eleven-episode-119-911-edosipe

Original interview with Dr Berman:

https://peopleofpathology.podbean.com/e/dr-gary-berman-forensic-odontology-and-dmort/

This Pathological Life is produced by Clinpath Pathology in South Australia.

Released for September 11 2020

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Everyone has a story…

Pathology is Medicine. The day-to-day challenges and opportunities in pathology are mixed and varied. Often, very much like the journey of Pathologists into Pathology, the queries can take many different pathways. For example, Pathologists can be asked questions such as:

In this episode we reflect both the path into Pathology and why as pathologists we do what we do and why we have got to where we are.

Plus we share a few stories from along the way.

This podcast includes interviews with:

Dr Suchitra Somers
Link https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-suchitra-somers/ 

Dr Nicole Sladden
Link https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-nicole-sladden/

Dr Adam Swalling
Link https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-adam-swalling/ 

Dr Rebecca Morrow
Link https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-rebecca-morrow/ 

Dr Fergus Whitehead
Link https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/chief-executive-officer/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from their sex assigned at birth.

Until recently, these people have too often fallen into the ‘too hard’ category when dealing with their health, disease, and illness – and there are many reasons for this.

However, it is imperative that we find a satisfactory solution to adhere to one of the core foundations of pathology: to provide the best care to our patients.

In this podcast, we explore the challenges Pathology organisations like Clinpath face in order to best serve our trans patients and examine what we know about the biological changes they go through during and after their transition.

This episode includes interviews with Dr Devika Thomas and Dr Nicole Sladden.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 ** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral composed of silk-like soft flexible fibres that are resistant to fire, heat, electricity, and chemical damage.

Known from antiquity as a miracle product and believed to possess magical powers, there was only one problem; it’s toxic to humans. Inhaled fibres are responsible for diseases including asbestosis (pulmonary fibrosis), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

However, the long latency period between exposure and disease development paved the way for numerous examples of unconscionable conduct from Asbestos manufacturers in modern times. '

This podcast includes an interview with Dr Fergus Whitehead and is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

Episode notes, references and learning objectives, available at

https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/podcast-this-pathological-life/2020/08/episode-eight-an-undisolvable-problem-mesothelioma

This Pathological Life is produced by Clinpath Pathology in South Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

In 1920-1930’s, Dr Charles Huggins had an unusual problem: prostatic cancer cells appeared in his metabolic experiments that he was conducting on the Prostate of Dogs.

With further experimentation, he was able to demonstrate that Prostate Cancer maintained its normal hormone regulation for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1966.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common male malignancies but most men will die with it, rather than from it.

The role of pathology is to determine how to detect this cancer and identify the clinical significance of the findings.

Our interview is with Dr Bradley Webster, Histopathologist specialising in Uropathology and Lymphoid Pathology and this section of the podcast is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

This podcast also includes guest interview snippets with Dr Troye Wallet, Aged Care and Workforce General Practitioner + Health and Business Advisor. www.linkedin.com/in/troyewallett

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Inherited bleeding disorders before the modern era were a death sentence. Haemophilia, also known as the Ro

yal Disease (specifically Haemophilia B), is an X-linked coagulation disorder that the Heir to the Throne Alexei Romanov inherited in the early 1900’s.

However, in 1926 a Finnish physician by the name of Erik von Willebrand identified a family with a bleeding disorder with an Autosomal Dominant pattern of inheritance.

This was later named von Willebrand Disease (vWD) is now known to be the most common inherited form of bleeding disease worldwide.

This podcast includes an interview with Dr Nicholas Myles regarding our current understanding of Haemophilia A, Haemophilia B, von Willebrand disease, and platelet disorders and this section of the podcast is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

An outbreak of Typhoid occurred 1906 in a wealthy family in Oyster Bay, New York.

Typically a disease of ‘deprived’ people, investigators concluded that the source must have been contaminated water or freshwater clams. However, in 1907, another wealthy family in Manhattan, New York also had an outbreak.

One investigator, George Soper, identified the link: it was the Cook.

Mary Mallon, a.k.a. Typhoid Mary, was found to have worked for 8 different families between 1900-1907; 7 of these families experienced cases of typhoid. Mary was sent into isolation for 2 years and confirmed as a healthy carrier of the bacteria Salmonella typhi but reoffended within 3 months of release.

This is the story of the villain Typhoid Mary vs the tragedy of Mary Mallon.

We thank Fidelma McCorry as the voice behind the reading of Mary's letter.

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** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Smallpox was a devastating disease described as the scourge of the world.

The Variola virus was responsible for countless deaths from antiquity to the twentieth century and left most survivors with lifelong scars.

Using Variolation, a primitive form of vaccination, our ancestors attempted to blunt the full force of Smallpox infections.

However, it wasn’t until the twentieth century and using modern day vaccination techniques that we were able to achieve a monumental milestone and eradicate this disease. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

In the 19th Century there was an increasing numbers of Black Tumours reported in medical literature - described as Melanose in 1806 when Rene Laennec published that the Blackness of these tumours was not related to black carbon deposits found in the lungs of patients upon autopsy.

By mid 20th Century, a more evidence based approach was taken.

Today, through molecular biology advances, we know genetic mutations are important in the genesis of tumours such as melanoma.

This podcast includes an interview with Dr Craig James MBBS (Hons), FRCPA, AACD and this section of the podcast conducted by Dr Craig James is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

Episode notes, references and learning objectives, available at

https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/podcast-this-pathological-life/2020/07/episode-three-the-black-tumour

This Pathological Life is produced by Clinpath Pathology in South Australia.

Dr Craig James

MBBS (Hons), FRCPA, AACD

Specialties Cytopathology, Dermatopathology, and Histopathology

Bio:

https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-craig-james/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ep 2 COVID-19 and epidemiology | Anatomy of a Pandemic

Through the prism of COVID-19 and epidemiology, we examine different epidemics and pandemics throughout history. In the last twenty years, there have been three outbreaks of Coronavirus (MERS, SARS, and COVID-19) but only COVID-19 reached pandemic status. The question must be asked as to why?

This Pathological Life is produced by Clinpath Pathology in South Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pathology is by definition: the study of disease.
Pathology is about understanding.

This episode uses the story of Mary Papanicolaou and her husband George who discovered the pap smear.

Dr Travis Brown says, “What I’m hoping is that this podcast explores the evolution of Pathology from historical perspectives to the current day understanding. This may be about a disease or an event or a person. So much can be learnt and there are some fascinating stories like the example of Mary Papanicolaou. Mary Papanicolaou’s contribution has led to hundreds of thousands of lives being saved and unfortunately, she is little more than a sentence or two in historical records.”

This episode also covers:

Diabetes (as a discussion example) How does someone become a pathologist? Pathologists: medical school / junior doctor / registrar How manwhat-is-pathologyy different kinds of pathologists are there?

Episode notes, references and learning objectives, available at

clinpath.com.au/about-us/podcast-series/2020/07/episode-one-this-pathological-life

This Pathological Life is produced by Clinpath Pathology in South Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have come a long way in our understanding of epilepsy and seizures.

Historically, epilepsy was associated with possession and demonic forces.

Modern medicine has helped us to understand that epilepsy is an electrical disorder of the brain that can affect an area or the entire brain itself.

Unfortunately, a lot of stigma and misinformation remains about epilepsy and it is an important condition to be aware of.

This is the story of epilepsy.

Our special guest:

Professor Mark Cook who is the Director of Neurology and Chair of Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2023.

Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is evident from paintings that Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo suffered some form of underlying hand pathologies. These have been the focus of discussions and journal articles amongst many academics. Our understanding of different disease processes involving the hand have come a long way. There are a lot of options for patients both medical and surgical that we discuss in this episode.

This is the story of hand pathology

Our special guest:

Dr Paul van Minnen is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who runs his own private practice in Adelaide called ‘Grip surgery’.

Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hyponatraemia, the most common electrolyte disturbance in clinical medicine, is often subtle but can be serious.

In this episode, we trace the surprising history of fluid replacement back to the 1832 cholera riots in Liverpool, where experimental saline saved lives amidst chaos and mistrust.

We then bring the conversation into modern practice, exploring diagnostic steps, common causes, and when GPs should refer patients to hospital.

This is the story of Hyponatraemia.

Our special guest is:

Dr Michael Page, Chemical Pathologist and CEO of Clinipath.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1958, Dr Denis Burkitt was working in Uganda when he saw multiple children with large and aggressive jaw tumours. He had never seen anything like this before and he investigated further. Over the next few years, he discovered that these tumours had a geographical distribution across equatorial Africa and also was related to rainfall.

This led to the discovery of an aggressive form of lymphoma that we now know as Burkitt lymphoma as well as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is a remarkable story of intellectual curiosity, scientific discovery, and commitment.

Éanna Mac Cana was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2017. This diagnosis led him to the story of Dr Denis Burkitt and how we first learned about this disease. He has created a documentary using never-before-seen archival footage of Dr Denis Burkitt and his discovery, and included his own journey with this disease.

This is the story of Burkitt lymphoma.

Our special guests include:

Éanna Mac Cana who is a documentary filmmaker from Belfast in Ireland.

Professor Jonathan Bond from the University College Dublin and works in paediatric molecular haemato-oncology.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And we’re back for 2025. We thought we’d ease into this season with some medical stories. From the Manhattan project and the demon core to the inspirational stories of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and Dr Emma Constance Stone. We are reaching back into the medical archives.

Our special guests:

Dr Travis Brown, himself!

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patients with colorectal cancer often have their diagnosis, treatment, and care discussed at a regular multidisciplinary team meeting. This includes: gastroenterologists, surgeons, oncology, radiation oncology, pathologists, home care nurses, oncology nurses, genetic councillors, care coordinators plus others.

This is the third episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer.

This episode focuses on management.

Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series.

This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 3).

Our special guests:

Dr Stephanie Lim: medical oncologist who works at GenesisCare and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre

Dr Meredith Johnston: radiation oncologist who works at Liverpool hospital

Dr Emilia Ip: medical oncologist and cancer geneticist at Liverpool hospital

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The lifetime risk for colorectal cancer is 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women. Detecting and diagnosing cancer is a critical step in managing a patient’s health as well as the multidisciplinary team where their care is discussed.

This is the second episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer.

This episode focuses on diagnosis.

Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series.

This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 2).

Our special guests:

Dr Milan Bassan: gastroenterologist and Director of Endoscopy at Liverpool Hospital and returning guest

Dr Scott Mackenzie: surgeon and senior lecturer at the Liverpool Hospital and returning guest

Dr Tristan Rutland: lecturer, award winning anatomical pathologist for teaching and regular guest

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colorectal cancer accounts for ~10% of all new cancer diagnoses. Fortunately, over the last three decades, the 5 year patient survival has increased from 56% to 71%. As with most cancers, the key to good outcomes is early detection. This is the first episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer. This episode focuses on screening.

Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series.

This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 1).

Our special guests are:

Professor Ken Sikaris: chemical pathologists, Director of Chemical Pathology at Dorevitch Pathology and regular guest

Dr Milan Bassan: gastroenterologist and Director of Endoscopy at Liverpool Hospital and returning guest

Dr Tristan Rutland: lecturer, award winning anatomical pathologist for teaching and regular guest

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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A common myth about epilepsy is that women who suffer from this condition should avoid getting pregnant. This is simply not true. It can be safely managed for both the mother-to-be and future child. Epilepsy is not a contraindication for pregnancy.

Certainly there are additional precautions and steps that should be taken when a woman who has epilepsy is considering starting a family and it requires a multidisciplinary approach.

This is the story of pregnancy and epilepsy.

Our special guests include:

Daisy Beyer who lives in Melbourne with her husband and son expecting their second child in August of this year. Daisy is a registered psychiatric nurse and lives with generalised epilepsy.

Dr Amber Moore is an obstetrician and gynaecologist working in Melbourne, Federal Councillor for the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, and deputy chair of the Continuing Professional Education Committee.

Professor Mark Cook is a consultant neurologist, Director of Neurology and Chair of Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. He was awarded an Officer in the Order of Australia for distinguished service to neurological medicine and treatment research for epilepsy.

Anna Heldorf lives in Melbourne with her partner and is a public servant. Anna was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and had her first baby in April this year.

Our gratitude goes to Dr Amber Moore for her assistance in helping get this episode together.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify

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And that’s another year done. A huge thank you to all of our guest speakers who have been generous with their time and expertise. We would also like to thank our listeners and hope you enjoyed the episodes.

This episode is a mini reflection on this year’s episodes, a link to one of Steve’s favourite podcasts, some TML clips, and an embarrassing memory lapse on my behalf…thanks for keeping that part in Steve & Tim. 

Random acts of Medicine on EconTalk podcast: https://www.econtalk.org/anupam-bapu-jena-on-random-acts-of-medicine/

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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During the mid-twentieth century, menopause was touted as a severe disease that destroyed women’s femininity and was a burden to their husbands. Thankfully, today we recognise menopause as a natural part of ageing and conversations about it are happening more and more.

In this episode, we have four special guests:

Australasian Menopause Society

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and on Spotify

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In July 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic, we released our first episode called ‘What is pathology?’ with This Pathological Life podcast. We hoped to create something that would entertain and education the audiencem and shed light on to some of the amazing stories and characters in medicine.

In creating these podcasts, I am always thankful and appreciative to our guests who willingly give their time and expertise. If there is anyone who has excited our audience, been an inspiring teacher and a fantastic storyteller, it is Professor Graeme Suthers. He has been involved in the following episodes over the last four years:

This Medical Life podcast:

This Pathological Life podcast:

On the 30th of June 2023, Professor Graeme Suthers retired and we wanted to take some time to thank him, but also ask him some questions and reflect on his career.

This is the story of Professor Graeme Suthers.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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On the 1st of November 2023, the Australian Government will release new guidelines for screening prostate cancer with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. These guidelines are based upon the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) published in 2016 with new items to be included in the Medicare schedule. These items are based upon the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Council of Australia guidelines that have been endorsed by the NHMRC, RACGP, and USANZ. We speak to Professor Ken Sikaris who has been at the forefront of these new recommendations.

Our special guest is Professor Ken Sikaris who is a chemical pathologist and Director of Chemical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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We continue the second episode of this two part series on breast screening and mammograms focusing on the future.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of breast density as a new risk factor, personalised breast cancer risk assessment (iPrevent developed by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre https://www.petermac.org/iprevent), and discuss a personal account with Dr Sandy Minck.

Special guests:

This Medical Life podcast is freely available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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A critical tool in the fight against breast cancer is population screening. Early detection, surgical intervention +/- further treatment has dramatically reduced advanced disease and mortality rates but it still remains the most common cancer worldwide.

In this episode, we focus on the history of breast cancer, the development of mammograms and early detection with our understanding of the underlying pathology. Our special guests include:

Associate Professor Michelle Reintals is the Director of BreastScreen South Australia and an Australian trained radiologist with extensive and international experience in breast screening and mammography.

Associate Professor Wendy Raymond is a histopathologist who has specialised in breast pathology and cytology. A/Professor Raymond is a past president of the Australian Society of Breast Disease and co-edited the IAC Yokohama system for reporting breast FNA biopsies.

This is the first part of a two-part series on breast screening, focusing on the present. The second part (coming soon) will focus on the future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our understanding of the world today is constantly changing. What was once considered truths and facts can, in hindsight, be seen as misguided or wrong. It may be challenging to accept but becomes evident over time that the things we learn today may become irrelevant or superseded in the future and this is particularly relevant to medicine.

Scientometrics is the quantitative study of science and the rate at which change occurs. Today, we discuss this topic with scientist and author Sam Arbesman, to ask the following question: what is the rate of change of facts in the field of medicine?

Our special guest is Sam Arbesman who is a scientist and author of Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension and The Half-Life of Facts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vitamin D has been a controversial topic in recent times with the debate continuing over appropriate testing, adequate levels, and the evidence for treatment. We discussed the appropriateness of testing and chemical pathology component with Professor Ken Sikaris (Episode 25), but what does the research tell us about diseases associated with Vitamin D and the utility of replacement? We discuss this with Professor Scott Byrne from The University of Sydney.

Our special guest is Professor Scott Byrne from the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Professor Byrne is also Co-director of the Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research and Head of the Cellular Photo-immunology Group in the School of Medical Sciences at Sydney University.

This is the second chapter in the story of Vitamin D.

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Professor Peter Doherty trained as a veterinarian before venturing into immunology research. Professor Doherty travelled extensively throughout his career and has undertaken numerous research posts around the world. The achievement that he is most noted for is he was able to demonstrate how the body distinguished between virus-infected cells from non-infected cells and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996. However, there is far more that he has achieved throughout his career.

Professor Doherty has been a strong advocate for science communication to the general public at large. He has written numerous books, commented extensively on environmental sustainability and climate change, as well as an active participant and medical voice to the public during the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

Our special guest is Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine 1996, Author, Science commentator, and Professor at the faculty of medicine at the University of Melbourne.

This is the story of Professor Peter Doherty.

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The double helix structure of DNA was the discovery of the century. However, the story about the discovery is mired in controversy as one of the major contributors, Rosalind Franklin, was conspicuously absent from acknowledgements and died (and subsequently not named) before the Nobel Prize was awarded.

In 1968, James Watson wrote the book ‘The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA’ and reads more like a fictional detective novel than an autobiographical account with the portrayal of Franklin as a forceful, gruff and confrontational. Recently, an article in Nature shows an unpublished news article from 1953 (at the time of the discovery) that Franklin’s contribution was crucial to uncovering the structure of DNA.

Today, we talk to one of the authors of the article in Nature, Nathaniel Comfort, who is Professor of the History of Medicine at John Hopkins University. Link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01313-5

Our special guest is Professor Nathaniel Comfort from the John Hopkins University. His interest lies in the histories of genetics, eugenics, genomics and biomedicine. He has authored two books (The Tangled Field and The Science of Human Perfection), written for Nature, The Atlantic, The Nature as well as appeared on PBS, National Public Radio and the BBC.

This is the story of the DNA double helix.

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In 1891, Guido Werdnig documented two cases of brothers who had global progressive muscular weakness. In 1935, Dr Dorothy Anderson conducted an autopsy on a young child who had died from malnutrition due to suspected coeliac disease despite being on the upon treatment. In 1943, in inherited form of intellectual disability in boys was described by Martin and Bell. The diseases are Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, and Fragile X syndrome respectively. The learning curve for genetics in the last 100 years has been a steep one.

Recessive genes circulate in the general community and for the most part, they are hidden and play no part in day-to-day life. Some may even have had a survival advantage in pre-modern times. However, if two parents each carry matching recessive genes, there is an increased chance that their children can have a severe or even life-threatening illness. Carrier screening provides a test for parents to assess this risk, however, it also requires an understanding of the testing paths, risks and cost from requesting doctors.

This is the story of carrier screening

Our special guest is Professor Graeme Suthers who is the Director of Sonic Genetics Australia.

Additional information:

Link to further information about reproductive carrier screening: https://www.sonicgenetics.com.au/patient/test-information/rcs/

Link to carrier screening online patient course: https://www.sonicgenetics.com.au/patient/test-information/rcs/carrier-screening-online-patient-course/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seasonal influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality every year but can often fall into the underestimated category. Between 10-30% of the general population are infected each year with influenza that leads to an increase in hospital and intensive care unit admissions, the onus for prevention and early intervention has never been more important.

Our special guest is Associate Professor Paul Griffin from the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland and is an Infectious Disease Specialist at Mater Health.

This is the story of influenza.

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In 1998, a 6 page report published in the Lancet that would later be described as one of history’s great science frauds. The article was titled “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive development disorder in children” but the news headlines ran with a much shorter version: the MMR vaccine causes autism.

The article was written by Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist turned researcher, who had taken it upon himself to deceive the medical community and general population at large. Fortunately, investigative journalist Brian Deer uncovered the truth behind this ‘study’ through hard work, significant obstacles and persistence.

Although Wakefield’s claims have been thoroughly discredited, we still feel the impact of this fraud to this day and he has become an icon of the anti-vax movement.

Our special guest is Brian Deer who is an award winning investigative journalist and bestselling author for The Doctor that Fooled the World, published in 2020.

This is the story of the MMR vaccine fraud.

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In 1834, Robert Graves gave a lecture series on the ‘Newly observed affection of the thyroid gland in females’. He presented three women who had violent palpitations, enlarged thyroids, and an apparent enlargement of the eyeballs (later it would be called ‘exophthalmos’).

In 1912, Hakaru Hashimoto reported a new disease in a German journal after examining microscopically the thyroid tissue from four middle-aged women. He noted the lymphocytic infiltration and likened it to other conditions containing lymphocytes (ie. Sjögren syndrome) and named it ‘Strum lymphomatosa’.

It would not be until the 1950s that the underlying mechanism of these diseases would be known: autoimmunity. The former, now known as Graves’ disease, and the latter Hashimoto disease are the most common causes of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism respectively.

Our special guest is Dr Daman Langguth who is an immunology and Head of the Immunology Department at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology.

This is the story of autoimmune thyroiditis.

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Since recorded history, heartburn has been a common complaint and the descriptions from ancient physicians are virtually indistinguishable from today’s accounts. However, one thing we do know that they did not is a small subset of patients whose long standing heartburn could predispose them to a precancerous condition known as Barrett oesophagitis.

Barrett oesophagitis is caused by chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease with a number of known risk factors for developing this. These patients require regular monitoring +/- intervention as they have an increased rate of developing oesophageal adenocarcinoma. For this episode we have called in some specialists to help us out.

Our guests include:

This is the story of Barrett Oesophagitis.

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Aug 27, 2021 2:32 PM

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

One of the important jobs of a doctor is to prescribe medications.

Unfortunately, it also happens to be one of the most challenging.

Pharmacokinetics, physiology, and drug-to-drug interactions are just some of the challenges that doctors deal with every day.

It is becoming more apparent that for medications and one size (dose) does not fit them all. In addition, it the role of genetics is also becoming increasingly important for the drugs that suit, and don’t suit, individual patients.

Our special guest for this episode is Professor Graeme Suthers to help us shed light on this area of Pharmacogenetics.

SPECIAL GUEST

Professor Graeme Suthers
BSc (Med), MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA, GAICD

Prof Suthers is Sonic Healthcare’ Director of Genetics. He is one of Australia’s most respected experts in the field of genetics, and is nationally and internationally recognised for his expertise in genetic disorders, testing and clinical service provision.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

In the 1920’s, Pearl Buck searched for an answer to her 3 year old daughters intellectually disability.

Unfortunately, no-one could help her because her daughter's condition was not yet known.

From the mid 1930s to the 1960s, a remarkable sequence of events led to the discovery of Phenylketonuria (PKU), accurate testing and widespread screening that revolutionised early detection of childhood disease(s)

It was also around the same time (mid 1930s) that some young children were believed to be dying of Coeliac disease. One child had an unusual findings in their pancreas.

Further investigation revealed other children with the same finding.

This was not Coeliac disease, it was Cystic Fibrosis (of the pancreas). As more was learnt about this disease, children began to live longer with improved quality of life.

Over the span of 90 years, the average life expectance for a person with Cystic Fibrosis went from 6 months to close to 50 years.

Our special guest for this episode is Professor Graeme Suthers.

The voice of Pearl Buck was generously recorded by Christine Helen Coombe. We appreciate all submissions via our social media request.

SPECIAL GUEST

Professor Graeme Suthers
BSc (Med), MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA, GAICD

Prof Suthers is Sonic Healthcare’ Director of Genetics. He is one of Australia’s most respected experts in the field of genetics, and is nationally and internationally recognised for his expertise in genetic disorders, testing and clinical service provision.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.