For the April Fool's day edition, we explore the life story of Ferdinand Demara, one of the greatest impostors of all time, and his time posing as a naval surgeon, even operating on the high seas during a war!

This episode traces the origin of the physical exam sign called the Sister Mary Joseph nodule, and tells the life story of the nun behind it, as well as her connection to the famous Mayo family!

In this episode, we explore the life story of the one-eyed Irish surgeon Dr. Denis Parsons Burkitt, and learn how his missionary work in Africa influenced his life and sent him down the path to make not one but two major scientific discoveries.

In this first in the series on the history of surgical instruments, we learn about William T. Bovie, the eccentric inventor behind the electrosurgery instrument that has come to be known by his name, as well as his partnership with the famous surgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing.

In this episode, we explore a little-known corner of surgical history: doctors that have operated on themselves! We review some of the known literature and describe 3 episodes of surgeons operating on themselves, as well as their life stories.

For the President's Day edition, the topic is current Republican presidential nominee Dr. Ben Carson. We explore the life and times of the famous paediatric neurosurgeon, and cover a couple of his most famous cases in detail.

Most people have heard of Dr. Joseph Lister and know his name is synonymous with antisepsis. But we dig deep into the details to understand how he came to make his great discovery, as well as learn about his other works and more about the man himself!

In this episode, we detail the life and works of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, and his crucial discovery of the importance of hand washing that saved countless mothers from 'childbed fever'. We also explore the difficulties he had in having his work appreciated, so much so that the term 'Semmelweis reflex' was coined.

This episode explores the events of the fateful day of October 16, 1846 at the Ether Dome in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as some of the principal characters involved. The history of early anesthesia is also described, and we discuss an agent that goes from party drug to critical medicine!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the podcast series "Legends of Surgery"! This first episode consists of an introduction to the show, my plans for it and my intent for the content. Please follow the show on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Feel free to send us an email at LegendsofSurgery@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!