Season 2 · Episode 30
The Apothecary Diaries · S2E30
Aired on February 14, 2025
Science entries in this episode
Drinking Water and Waterborne Diseases
Heat kills the bacteria, viruses and parasites behind cholera, typhoid and dysentery. How boiling works, the main waterborne diseases, and John Snow's discovery.
Four O'Clock Flower
Partly: four o'clock flower seeds hold a protein that ends pregnancy in mice, never tested in women. Mechanism, toxicity and the limits of court lore.
Lizard Tail Autotomy
A lizard can shed its tail to escape a predator. We explain the fracture planes, cartilage regrowth, and the evolutionary cost of this sacrifice.
Miasma Theory
In The Apothecary Diaries, incense is burned to ward off illness. We explain miasma theory, its kernel of truth, and how Pasteur overturned it.
Quarantine and Isolation
In The Apothecary Diaries, a contagious patient is isolated. The history of quarantine, fomites, and isolation long before germs were understood.