613: Dr. Edlow’s Deadly Dinner Party

This episode aired on Sunday December 4, 2011. You can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org or download the free podcast on our iTunes page!

Featured Guest: Physicians have long been compared with detectives, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was himself a physician. This episode features Dr. Jonathan Edlow from Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, author of The Deadly Dinner Party — a collection of medical detective stories.

Dr. Edlow investigates patient histories on a regular basis to diagnose disease in his specialty of Emergency Medicine.  With an overwhelming number of “mysteries” that he must solve as a physician, he shares with our crew the interesting approach that he takes to solve these mysteries.

Dr. Edlow also enlightens us regarding the lesson of “the blind man and the elephant” and discusses with Avash Kalra the changes that are occurring in medical education and the profession as a whole concerning reliance on technology.  His fascination with the detective side of medicine has helped him avoid taking the easiest route in diagnosing his patients and has also shaped his reliance on patient histories.  “Stay curious,” he reminds us.

Remember, as always, the free-to-download podcast of this episode (and all past episodes) can be found on our iTunes page! And you can listen to this episode in its entirety on WYSO.org!