Season 2 · Episode 546
Will Today’s Medicine Look Barbaric in 80 Years?
Herman and Corn explore the history of medical errors and ask: what are we doing today that will look like bloodletting in the future?
My Weird Prompts · Daniel Rosehill
February 8, 202622m 53s
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Show Notes
In this episode of My Weird Prompts, Herman and Corn dive into the "humility of the present" to address a listener's concern about the fallibility of modern medicine. From the Nobel Prize-winning history of lobotomies to the modern-day prevalence of gallbladder removals, the brothers discuss how evidence-based practice can sometimes lead us astray. They explore tools like the "Number Needed to Treat" and the "Lindy Effect" to help navigate medical decisions today. Looking ahead to the year 2100, they speculate on which current "gold standards"—like chemotherapy and orthopedic surgery—might one day be viewed as barbaric relics of the past. It’s a fascinating look at the "half-life of facts" and why the most advanced treatments of today are often just the first steps toward a better future.