This Pathological Life
Every disease has a story to tell – Dr. Travis Brown
This Pathological Life podcast is an inspired collaboration between General Pathologist Dr. Travis Brown and seasoned radio interviewer and podcaster, Steve Davis. By using a storytelling format, they share the history behind diseases and put health challenges into context to deepen your library of anecdotes and explanations.
Episodes
S1E21: Ep 21 Health Data and Data Governance | Coming of Age
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
Presagenwww.Presagen.com
https://au.linkedin.com/in/michelleperugini
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1E20: Ep 20 Helicobacter pylori | The No Acid No Ulcer Fallacy
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 MicrobiologyThe 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
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S1E19: Ep 19 Endometriosis | The tragedy of the wandering womb
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, FRCPABio Link: https://www.clinpath.com.au/about-us/clinpath-leadership/our-pathologists/dr-nicole-sladden/
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S1E18: Ep 18 CML | Cancer’s Magic bul-Let
‘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.”
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S1E17: Ep 17 Alcohol Disorders | The Intemperance Of Humankind
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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S1E16: Ep 16 Tuberculosis | TB Downunder
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.
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