Medical Murders

Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, assassination-aiding King of Poisons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho

By 1848, Dr. J. Marion Sims had gone from just experimenting on enslaved women, to becoming an enslaver himself. His quest for fame while finding a cure for vesico-vaginal fistulas meant performing inhumane surgeries on the women he held captive. Women whose plight would remain unknown for over a century. Women who would ultimately take down Sims’ legacy. Learn more about your ad

After a failed start to his medical career, Dr. J. Marion Sims settled in Alabama to continue his training. There he found success and started his own practice — specializing in the treatment of enslaved women and their children. But as Sims’ business grew, so did his ego. His desire to experiment on patients meant many of them didn’t make it out of his operating room alive.

In the wild frontier days of turn-of-the-century South Africa, women were expected to settle down young and produce a legion of children. Daisy de Melker dared to pursue a nursing career first. When she finally did find herself in the constraints of a marriage, she just as quickly set herself free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jack the Ripper’s crimes have gone unsolved for nearly 150 years, stirring up controversy even today. While many possible theories have been presented, new technologies bring unexpected leads — including a suspect with no medical training at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During the autumn of 1888, an infamous serial killer terrorized civilians across London, brutally slaying at least five women. While many call him “Jack the Ripper,” little else is known of his identity. However, his murders may offer one major clue about who he may have been: a doctor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After murdering his pharmacist wife, French con artist Jean-Claude Romand began a baffling murder spree. By the end of his crimes in 1993, even the liar himself couldn’t be sure what was true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, everyone believed Jean-Claude Romand was a prestigious international doctor, not an unemployed con man living off stolen money. But once someone asked for their money back, people ended up paying... with their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh out of school, Ben Geen became an emergency nurse at a hospital in Oxfordshire, England. But his growing arrogance spiraled into a quest to prove himself. One by one, Ben’s patients fell victim to unexplained respiratory attacks while in his care. It would take months for his colleagues to realize: it was no coincidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice

Prestige, profit, and private practice were the three things that Dr. Anthony Pignataro wanted most. When he couldn't obtain it on his own merit, he forged documents to help achieve his dreams. But not even a patient's death or a jail sentence was enough to reform this con man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices