Episode 5: The Body Chemical
Western medicine has always looked at the body as a system in balance. Today’s show looks at how ideas about the body’s equilibrium have changed over the past few centuries, from humoral theory to the discovery of vitamins and the role of trace elements in human health.
SHOW CLOCK
00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:12 The Element of the Week: Black bile
02:52 Mystery Solved: Pellagra
05:39 Trace elements, or why do we need selenium and nickel, anyway?
08:55 Quote of the Week: Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
09:15 Closing Credits
CREDITS
Special thanks to Erin McLeary for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.
