| Intro | American medical doctor and podcaster | ||||
| Known for | Sawbones, The Sawbones Book | ||||
| A.K.A. | Sydnee Smirl, Sydnee Smirl McElroy | ||||
| Is |
Physician Internet personality Podcaster |
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| From | United States of America | ||||
| Type |
Healthcare Internet |
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| Gender | female | ||||
| Family |
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Sawbones is a weekly, comedic medical podcast hosted by Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband, podcaster Justin McElroy. The show is distributed online by Maximum Fun.
In each episode, Sydnee discusses an element of historical medical practice, while Justin provides a comedic foil. The show normally focuses on practices that have long since fallen out of use, and are unusual to modern listeners.
Development
Sydnee and Justin McElroy had previously worked together on a short podcast series entitled Losing the Sheen, focused on watching Two and a Half Men. The show only lasted nine episodes before the two became tired of it, instead starting a medical podcast based on Sydnee’s expertise. While developing the idea for the show, the McElroys decided that it would be irresponsible for them to give medical advice to listeners, even with Sydnee’s background. They opted instead to focus on the historical aspects, which had been an interest of Sydnee’s. Like other shows by the family, such as My Brother, My Brother and Me, Sawbones is distributed via the Maximum Fun network.
Sawbones has on occasion been performed live, such as the November 2nd, 2017 performance at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center in Huntington, WV.
Book spinoff
In June 2018, a book adaptation of the podcast was announced, under the title The Sawbones Book: The Horrifying, Hilarious Road To Modern Medicine. Published by Weldon Owen, the book became available in October 2018.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Duration | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trepanation | 0:40:58 | 2013-06-21 |
| 2 | Mercury | 0:31:03 | 2013-06-28 |
| 3 | Bloodletting | 0:30:07 | 2013-07-05 |
| 4 | Plague Medicine | 0:32:08 | 2013-07-12 |
| 5 | Opium | 0:31:15 | 2013-07-19 |
| 6 | Hysteria | 0:36:17 | 2013-07-26 |
| 7 | Amputation | 0:37:19 | 2013-08-02 |
| 8 | Lobotomy | 0:34:43 | 2013-08-09 |
| 9 | John Kellogg’s Odd Prescription | 0:34:45 | 2013-08-16 |
| 10 | Weight Loss | 0:43:58 | 2013-08-30 |
| 11 | Benjamin Rush | 0:34:21 | 2013-09-13 |
| 12 | Urine | 0:34:57 | 2013-09-13 |
| 13 | Birth Control | 0:38:35 | 2013-09-20 |
| 14 | Radiation Therapy | 0:36:41 | 2013-09-27 |
| 15 | Tobacco | 0:33:41 | 2013-10-04 |
| 16 | Patent Medicines | 0:34:41 | 2013-10-11 |
| 17 | Immortality | 0:36:34 | 2013-10-18 |
| 18 | Reanimation | 0:32:57 | 2013-10-25 |
| 19 | Baldness | 0:33:50 | 2013-11-01 |
| 20 | Fertility | 0:35:33 | 2013-11-08 |
| 21 | Self-Surgery | 0:37:31 | 2013-11-15 |
| 22 | Headaches | 0:35:19 | 2013-11-29 |
| 23 | Mr. Reich’s Sexbox | 0:37:16 | 2013-12-13 |
| 24 | Alcoholism | 0:37:41 | 2013-12-20 |
| 25 | Hangovers | 0:35:04 | 2014-01-03 |
| 26 | Royal Rife | 0:35:33 | 2014-01-14 |
| 27 | Menstruation | 0:36:36 | 2014-01-21 |
| 28 | Leprosy | 0:33:43 | 2014-01-28 |
| 29 | The Father of Homeopathy | 0:35:20 | 2014-02-04 |
| 30 | Tuberculosis | 0:39:08 | 2014-02-11 |
| 31 | Pregnancy Tests | 0:38:41 | 2014-02-19 |
| 32 | Left-handedness | 0:37:10 | 2014-02-25 |
| 33 | Plastic Surgery | 0:36:48 | 2014-03-04 |
| 34 | Phrenology | 0:34:15 | 2014-03-11 |
| 35 | Oil Pulling | 0:41:19 | 2014-03-18 |
| 36 | Medical Marijuana | 0:45:43 | 2014-03-25 |
| 37 | Dr. Mesmer and the Power of Animal Magnetism | 0:34:47 | 2014-04-01 |
| 38 | Medical Cannibalism | 0:38:37 | 2014-04-08 |
| 39 | Magnets | 0:38:05 | 2014-04-15 |
| 40 | Epilepsy | 0:35:12 | 2014-04-22 |
| 41 | Self-Experimentation | 0:41:03 | 2014-04-29 |
| 42 | Sleepwalking | 0:37:33 | 2014-05-06 |
| 43 | Cholera | 0:38:59 | 2014-05-14 |
| 44 | Warts | 0:24:59 | 2014-05-27 |
| 45 | Teething | 0:36:39 | 2014-06-03 |
| 46 | Corpse Theft and Resurrection Men | 0:30:40 | 2014-06-10 |
| 47 | Breastfeeding | 0:41:15 | 2014-06-17 |
| 48 | C-Sections | 0:47:03 | 2014-06-24 |
| 49 | Vaccines | 0:47:57 | 2014-07-08 |
| 50 | Birth | 0:43:52 | 2014-07-15 |
| 51 | Hiccups | 0:35:58 | 2014-07-22 |
| 52 | Rabies | 0:36:07 | 2014-08-05 |
| 53 | Gout | 0:33:07 | 2014-08-12 |
| 54 | Spontaneous Combustion | 0:26:55 | 2014-08-26 |
| 55 | Our Birth Story | 0:57:44 | 2014-09-02 |
| 56 | Insomnia | 0:35:21 | 2014-09-23 |
| 57 | Color Therapy | 0:34:32 | 2014-10-01 |
| 58 | Acne | 0:28:38 | 2014-10-07 |
| 59 | Cataracts | 0:32:19 | 2014-10-14 |
| 60 | The Goat Testicle Solution | 0:39:38 | 2014-10-21 |
| 61 | Vitamins | 0:40:25 | 2014-10-28 |
| 62 | Ebola | 0:40:25 | 2014-11-04 |
| 63 | Influenza | 0:36:06 | 2014-11-12 |
| 64 | Asthma and Allergies | 0:38:32 | 2014-11-18 |
| 65 | Tooth Removal | 0:36:36 | 2014-12-02 |
| 66 | Enemas and Cleanses | 0:36:57 | 2014-12-10 |
| 67 | Organ Transplants | 0:38:52 | 2014-12-16 |
| 68 | Appalachian Folk Medicine | 0:39:47 | 2014-12-23 |
| 69 | Alcohol | 0:34:24 | 2014-12-30 |
| 70 | Diabetes | 0:36:04 | 2015-01-06 |
| 71 | Aromatherapy | 0:40:47 | 2015-01-14 |
| 72 | Blood Transfusions | 0:40:03 | 2015-01-20 |
| 73 | Paracelus | 0:37:48 | 2015-01-27 |
| 74 | Measles | 0:43:55 | 2015-02-03 |
| 75 | The Dancing Plague | 0:40:11 | 2015-02-11 |
| 76 | Chocolate | 0:37:42 | 2015-02-17 |
| 77 | The Four Humors | 0:36:19 | 2015-02-25 |
| 78 | Syphilis | 0:37:47 | 2015-03-04 |
| 79 | Malaria | 0:37:20 | 2015-03-11 |
| 80 | Medical Education | 0:41:44 | 2015-03-16 |
| 81 | Medical TV (Part 1) | 0:51:31 | 2015-03-25 |
| 82 | Heroes of Patent Medicines: Volume 1 | 0:32:26 | 2015-04-08 |
| 83 | Heroes of Patent Medicines: Volume 2 | 0:32:33 | 2015-04-15 |
| 84 | Heroes of Patent Medicines: Volume 3 | 0:33:09 | 2015-04-22 |
| 85 | Polio | 0:37:15 | 2015-04-29 |
| 86 | Sweating Sickness | 0:38:35 | 2015-05-06 |
| 87 | The Gut Hole Romance | 0:36:02 | 2015-05-13 |
| 88 | Typhoid Mary | 0:37:01 | 2015-05-20 |
| 89 | Poison Ivy | 0:34:16 | 2015-06-03 |
| 90 | Medical TV (Part 2) | 0:37:54 | 2015-06-10 |
| 91 | The Teen Girl | 0:39:01 | 2015-06-17 |
| 92 | Sunburns | 0:36:42 | 2015-06-24 |
| 93 | Burns | 0:36:07 | 2015-07-02 |
| 94 | Guinea Worms | 0:33:28 | 2015-07-08 |
| 95 | The Seasick-Proof Saloon | 0:37:21 | 2015-07-15 |
| 96 | The Unkillable Phineas Gage | 0:36:00 | 2015-07-23 |
| 97 | Fainting and Corsets | 0:40:27 | 2015-07-29 |
| 98 | Honey | 0:33:53 | 2015-08-05 |
| 99 | Hygiene | 0:38:12 | 2015-08-12 |
| 100 | Conjoined Twins | 0:37:35 | 2015-08-20 |
| 101 | Love | 0:37:14 | 2015-08-26 |
| 102 | Birds | 0:35:21 | 2015-09-02 |
| 103 | Cats | 0:31:26 | 2015-09-10 |
| 104 | Lice | 0:35:55 | 2015-09-16 |
| 105 | Snakes | 0:37:45 | 2015-09-24 |
| 106 | Aah, Real Monsters! | 0:35:55 | 2015-10-01 |
| 107 | Near-Death Experiences | 0:46:41 | 2015-10-08 |
| 108 | Lyme Disease | 0:40:20 | 2015-10-16 |
| 109 | Roundworm | 0:36:24 | 2015-10-21 |
| 110 | Medical History Halloween Costumes | 0:33:28 | 2015-10-29 |
| 111 | Nursing | 0:43:18 | 2015-11-04 |
| 112 | The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits | 0:37:21 | 2015-11-18 |
| 113 | The Poison Squad | 0:38:04 | 2015-11-27 |
| 114 | Scarlet Fever | 0:39:14 | 2015-12-04 |
| 115 | Gunshot Wounds | 0:42:09 | 2015-12-09 |
| 116 | Scurvy | 0:37:48 | 2015-12-18 |
| 117 | Christmas is Trying to Kill You | 0:35:57 | 2015-12-23 |
| 118 | Fasting | 0:33:37 | 2016-01-06 |
| 119 | Green Sickness | 0:37:30 | 2016-01-17 |
| 120 | Nosebleeds | 0:39:24 | 2016-01-21 |
| 121 | The People vs. The Spleen | 0:39:36 | 2016-01-27 |
| 123 | Zika Virus | 0:51:16 | 2016-02-03 |
| 124 | Crystal Healing | 0:41:34 | 2016-02-10 |
| 125 | Heartburn | 0:37:47 | 2016-02-18 |
| 126 | The King of Quacks | 0:32:41 | 2016-02-24 |
| 127 | Hookworm | 0:36:54 | 2016-03-03 |
| 128 | Vinegar | 0:40:51 | 2016-03-09 |
| 129 | Your Goofiest Medical Questions: Answered | 0:51:11 | 2016-03-16 |
| 130 | Poop | 0:51:28 | 2016-03-23 |