Murder, Magic And Medicine

Dr Michael O'donnell begins an exploration of (series 1) the herbal and historical roots of modern drugs and medicine, (series 2) the role played by animals in a variety of medical treatments.

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Kill Of Cure

19990113

Curare, used on the arrow tips of Amazonian hunters to stop prey dead in its tracks, is also widely used by Western medicine in anaesthesia.

The Doctrine Of Signatures

19990120

Eighty per cent of the world's population still relies on folk remedies, and most of the pills and potions produced by pharmaceutical companies have natural origins. Perhaps herbalism has more to teach us than we thought.

The Doors Of Perception

19990127

In the Rig Veda as well as in accounts of the Norse beserkers, soma, the divine mushroom, was revered for its ability to create visions and for giving the sensation of flight. Nowadays, it is more commonly known as the fly agaric toadstool.

Easing The Pain

19990203

Although opium and cannabis may be firmly associated in most people's minds with drug culture, they also fulfil an important role as painkillers. Michael O'donnell traces the development of analgesics and looks ahead to the intriguing possibility of doctors harnessing the body's own built-in painkillers.

Of Microbes And Men

19990210

The antibiotics we now take for granted originally arose out of ruthless chemical warfare between fungi and bacteria. Dr Michael O'donnell looks at life from a fungus's point of view and discovers how they may hold the key to a treasure chest of new drugs.

06 LAST

A Future Herbal

19990217

Mainstream medicine is finally rediscovering the value of plants as a source of drugs.

Dr Michael O'donnell asks what role traditional and new plant remedies will play in the 21st century.

The Serpent's Tale

20010327

20011016

Venomous snakes are known - and feared - for their power to kill. Yet they also have the power to heal, as the many patients who have taken heart or circulatory drugs based on their venoms can testify.

Blood Suckers And Flesh Eaters

20010403

20011023

He finds out how leeches and maggots are being used in medicine today.

Sweet Cures And Stings

20010410

20011030

He finds that, after 3,000 years of use in folk medicine, the value of honey is only just being rediscovered by modern practitioners.

04 LAST

The Nature Of Medicine

20010417

20011106

Animal behaviour can be valuable in diagnosis, in pointing to new sources of drugs and in giving new insights into the nature of medicine itself.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	01	Kill Of Cure	19990113		Curare, used on the arrow tips of Amazonian hunters to stop prey dead in its tracks, is also widely used by Western medicine in anaesthesia.
01	02	The Doctrine Of Signatures	19990120		Eighty per cent of the world's population still relies on folk remedies, and most of the pills and potions produced by pharmaceutical companies have natural origins. Perhaps herbalism has more to teach us than we thought.
01	03	The Doors Of Perception	19990127		In the Rig Veda as well as in accounts of the Norse beserkers, soma, the divine mushroom, was revered for its ability to create visions and for giving the sensation of flight. Nowadays, it is more commonly known as the fly agaric toadstool.
01	04	Easing The Pain	19990203		Although opium and cannabis may be firmly associated in most people's minds with drug culture, they also fulfil an important role as painkillers. Michael O'donnell traces the development of analgesics and looks ahead to the intriguing possibility of doctors harnessing the body's own built-in painkillers.
01	05	Of Microbes And Men	19990210		The antibiotics we now take for granted originally arose out of ruthless chemical warfare between fungi and bacteria. Dr Michael O'donnell looks at life from a fungus's point of view and discovers how they may hold the key to a treasure chest of new drugs.
01	06 LAST	A Future Herbal	19990217		Mainstream medicine is finally rediscovering the value of plants as a source of drugs. Dr Michael O'donnell asks what role traditional and new plant remedies will play in the 21st century.
02	01	The Serpent's Tale	20010327	20011016	Venomous snakes are known - and feared - for their power to kill. Yet they also have the power to heal, as the many patients who have taken heart or circulatory drugs based on their venoms can testify.
02	02	Blood Suckers And Flesh Eaters	20010403	20011023	He finds out how leeches and maggots are being used in medicine today.
02	03	Sweet Cures And Stings	20010410	20011030	He finds that, after 3,000 years of use in folk medicine, the value of honey is only just being rediscovered by modern practitioners.
02	04 LAST	The Nature Of Medicine	20010417	20011106	Animal behaviour can be valuable in diagnosis, in pointing to new sources of drugs and in giving new insights into the nature of medicine itself.