Questionable Treatments

Unfortunately, I can't tell you much more than that Paolo Macchiarini appeared on the outside to be an incredibly accomplished, globe trotting doctor who wanted nothing more than to innovate and safe lives.  Kim tells us that there is much more to this story so join us as we discuss his early life and the setup to his most questionable treatments!

Due to the efforts of a mother looking into Michael Swango and finally seeing the pattern that had been repeatedly ignored by medical institutions, police, and the general public, this poisoner is finally recognized and stopped.  It's a rough and twisting story but stick with us as we show how one person can make all the difference!
 
Sources:
https://www.serialkillercalendar.com/Michael%20SWANGO.php
https://www.thelantern.com/2000/07/investigation-brings-murder-charges-against-swango/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7273954/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/confession-from-a-killer-doc/#:~:text=1987%3A%20After%20serving%20two%20years,No%20charges%20are%20filed.&text=1990%3A%20Swango%20is%20certified%20as,lied%20about%20his%20criminal%20record
https://archive.is/20260318154349/https://www.pilotonline.com/2000/11/28/poisonous-passion-2/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-06-mn-19768-story.html
https://law.justia.com/cases/kentucky/court-of-appeals/1998/1997-ca-001571.html
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/11/24/michael-swango-professional-courtesy
https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/swango-michael.htm
https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/lifestyle/features/2022/03/29/michael-swango-serial-killer-timeline/7190743001/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1

Michael Swango had a very promising start in life with genuine talent and intelligence.  Too bad his compulsion to poison everyone around him got in the way and derailed his medical career.  Part 1 explores his younger years, his early medical ambitions, and the ignored red flags that would end up costing lives.
 
Sources:
https://www.serialkillercalendar.com/Michael%20SWANGO.php
https://www.thelantern.com/2000/07/investigation-brings-murder-charges-against-swango/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7273954/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/confession-from-a-killer-doc/#:~:text=1987%3A%20After%20serving%20two%20years,No%20charges%20are%20filed.&text=1990%3A%20Swango%20is%20certified%20as,lied%20about%20his%20criminal%20record
https://archive.is/20260318154349/https://www.pilotonline.com/2000/11/28/poisonous-passion-2/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-06-mn-19768-story.html
https://law.justia.com/cases/kentucky/court-of-appeals/1998/1997-ca-001571.html
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/11/24/michael-swango-professional-courtesy
https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/swango-michael.htm
https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/lifestyle/features/2022/03/29/michael-swango-serial-killer-timeline/7190743001/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1118552/

The machinery of justice may be rusty but in this case it finally did kick into motion.  Join us to hear how a prolific and largely unknown serial killer was finally brought down and what happened to all involved!
 
Sources:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2395004
 
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southeastern-pennsylvania/patients/pa-abortion-control-act
 
https://cdn.cnsnews.com/documents/Gosnell,%20Grand%20Jury%20Report.pdf
 
https://www.senatorgeneyaw.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/60/files/2014/03/hudson.pdf
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23004693
 
https://www.webmd.com/women/abortion-procedures
 
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/how-the-dea-finally-caught-kermit-gosnell/275172/
 
https://www.aei.org/articles/kermit-gosnell-and-the-abortion-movements-dark-past/
 
https://whyy.org/articles/gosnell-pleads-guilty-to-12-counts-of-drug-distribution/
 
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pa-abortion-doctor-gets-30-years-in-prescription-drugs-case/
 
https://whyy.org/articles/kermit-gosnell-dies-philadelphia-doctor/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Gosnell#cite_note-abcJurors-22
https://www.publicsource.org/abortion-oversight-act-closing-some-facilities-in-pa/
 
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna41154527
 
https://atlas.phila.gov/3801%20LANCASTER%20AVE/zoning
 
Movie- Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer
Book- Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer

This was a doctor who appeared to many to be doing the right thing and serving the underserved in his community.  In reality, he was taking advantage of anyone in his orbit and prioritizing profit over all else while seemingly taking joy in killing with impunity.
 
Sources:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2395004
 
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southeastern-pennsylvania/patients/pa-abortion-control-act
 
https://cdn.cnsnews.com/documents/Gosnell,%20Grand%20Jury%20Report.pdf
 
https://www.senatorgeneyaw.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/60/files/2014/03/hudson.pdf
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23004693
 
https://www.webmd.com/women/abortion-procedures
 
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/how-the-dea-finally-caught-kermit-gosnell/275172/
 
https://www.aei.org/articles/kermit-gosnell-and-the-abortion-movements-dark-past/
 
https://whyy.org/articles/gosnell-pleads-guilty-to-12-counts-of-drug-distribution/
 
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pa-abortion-doctor-gets-30-years-in-prescription-drugs-case/
 
https://whyy.org/articles/kermit-gosnell-dies-philadelphia-doctor/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Gosnell#cite_note-abcJurors-22
https://www.publicsource.org/abortion-oversight-act-closing-some-facilities-in-pa/
 
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna41154527
 
https://atlas.phila.gov/3801%20LANCASTER%20AVE/zoning
 
Movie- Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer
Book- Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer

In explaining character stats, Matt Dinniman said that intelligence is walking out of the bar and recognizing that a police bike is parked there while wisdom is knowing not to piss on it.  Kevorkian had a reasonable intelligence stat but very low wisdom.  Listen in to hear how his undoing was pretty much entirely of his own making despite largely setting the stage for his stated goal of the legalization of euthanasia.
 
Sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1115402/
 
https://bentley.umich.edu/news-events/magazine/the-life-of-dr-death/
 
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/jack-kevorkian
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/chronology.html
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/aboutk/thanatronblurb.html
 
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/the-thanatron
 
https://time.com/archive/6810129/medicine-blood-from-the-dead/
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/aboutk/drdeathchapters.html
 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2011.596400#:~:text=Kevorkian%20put%20himself%20on%20the,(Nicol%20and%20Wylie%202006).
 
https://www.biography.com/scientists/jack-kevorkian
 
https://stfdocs.com/films/kevorkian/
 
https://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/kevorkian-victims/
 
https://compassionandchoices.org/states-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized/
 
https://www.famous-trials.com/drkevorkian/2430-the-trials-of-jack-kevorkian-1994-1999-an-account
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/interviews/galesummary.html
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_device
 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9270985/
 
https://www.pinterest.com/ideas/jack-kevorkian-art/932851838026/
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiZKY6FSfwA
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR0cEOTpYSk
 

We all know the name Jack Kevorkian but many may not fully understand his story.  To some, he was a doctor fighting for his patients' right to choose how they left this world.  In secret, he had a fascination with death bordering on obsession.  Part 1 of this 2 parter will explain exactly what we mean.
 
Sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1115402/
 
https://bentley.umich.edu/news-events/magazine/the-life-of-dr-death/
 
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/jack-kevorkian
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/chronology.html
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/aboutk/thanatronblurb.html
 
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/the-thanatron
 
https://time.com/archive/6810129/medicine-blood-from-the-dead/
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/aboutk/drdeathchapters.html
 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2011.596400#:~:text=Kevorkian%20put%20himself%20on%20the,(Nicol%20and%20Wylie%202006).
 
https://www.biography.com/scientists/jack-kevorkian
 
https://stfdocs.com/films/kevorkian/
 
https://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/kevorkian-victims/
 
https://compassionandchoices.org/states-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized/
 
https://www.famous-trials.com/drkevorkian/2430-the-trials-of-jack-kevorkian-1994-1999-an-account
 
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/interviews/galesummary.html
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_device
 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9270985/
 
https://www.pinterest.com/ideas/jack-kevorkian-art/932851838026/
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiZKY6FSfwA
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR0cEOTpYSk

Known at different times over the facility's 135 year run as the California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble Minded Children (1883), Sonoma State Home (1909), Sonoma State Hospital (1953), and Sonoma Developmental Center (1986), this facility has a dark history of abuse, selfish experimentation, and corruption.  Even worse, although overcrowded, there were more staff members than many institutions had yet this one seemingly willfully chose to be absolutely horrible.  Join us to find out exactly what was going on, and why the doctors wanted kids' spinal fluid!
 
Sources:
https://www.sonomanews.com/2018/12/31/sonoma-developmental-center-quietly-closes-its-doors/
https://www.dds.ca.gov/newsletter/honoring-the-people-of-the-sonoma-developmental-center/
https://noehill.com/sonoma/nat2000001180.asp
https://permitsonoma.org/regulationsandlongrangeplans/longrangeplans/sonomadevelopmentalcenter/sitehistory#:~:text=Between%201909%20and%201952%2C%20a,house%20growing%20numbers%20of%20clients.
https://ec.ac.lsa.umich.edu/boxes.html
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/95067129dbba4a5cb3c9661b7f806629
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-dark-chapter-in-medical-history-09-02-2005/#:~:text=Lederer%20read%20the%20study%20that,cerebral%20palsy%2C%22%20adds%20Lederer.&text=But%20some%20of%20the%20patients,Gas%2C%22%20says%20Karen.
https://www.sonomanews.com/2018/11/14/after-127-years-farewell-to-an-institution/
https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-document/file/1210196/dl?inline=
https://californiawatch.s3.amazonaws.com/files/CIR_WrongHands_ebook_Jan.pdf
https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2012/02/27/investigation-alledges-abuse-cover-calif-centers-d
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/csf-cerebrospinal-fluid
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/csf-leak/symptoms-causes/syc-20522246
https://cslea.com/affiliate/hospital-police-association-of-california/#:~:text=HPAC,were%20designated%20as%20Developmental%20Centers

How does a state funded school become a dark hiding place for society to store its differently abled with no classes, no care, and no hope?  Join us as we discuss one of the most disgusting institutions in American history made famous by Geraldo Rivera's investigative piece Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace.  Spoiler:  State funded institutions usually go bad because of state funding.
 
Sources used:
 
https://criticaldebateshsgj.scholasticahq.com/article/141852-willowbrook-state-school-institutional-abuse-medical-ethics-and-the-rise-of-disability-rights-in-the-united-states
https://kidstogether.org/institution-horrors-willowbrook/
https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialSciences/ppecorino/MEDICAL_ETHICS_TEXT/Chapter_7_Human_Experimentation/Case_Study_Willowbrook_Experiments.htm
https://research.uams.edu/irb/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/01/Willowbrook-study-summary.pdf
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7335725/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-b/symptoms-causes/syc-20366802
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-a/symptoms-causes/syc-20367007
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Krugman#:~:text=4%20References-,Early%20life,University%20of%20Richmond%20in%201934.&text=He%20did%20his%20undergraduate%20work,(7706)%3A966%2D7.&text=Richmond%20in%201934.-,Education%20and%20career,New%20York%20University%20(NYU).
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/90/1/iv/57690/INTRODUCTION?autologincheck=redirected

This institution had an incredibly long run and made a lot of people who needed help very miserable.  This facility which began as a place to care for those in need eventually became a prison and a hunting ground for the predators who drew a paycheck and those who became their preferred henchmen.  Join us as we delve as deeply as we can handle into such a dark topic.
 
Sources referenced:
 
https://neurologytoday.aan.com/doi/10.1212/00132985-200412000-00017
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.city.waltham.ma.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif12301/f/file/file/fernald_center_history.pdf
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25130086?seq=1
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/spoonful-sugar-helps-radioactive-oatmeal-go-down-180962424/
https://news.mit.edu/1994/fernald-0511
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2025-05-21/shocking-report-spotlights-mass-history-of-mistreating-disabled-people
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americas-deep-dark-secret/
https://www.amazon.com/State-Boys-Rebellion-Michael-DAntonio/dp/074324513X Book: The State Boys Rebellion by Michael D’Antonio
https://below-the-surface.github.io/main.html
https://fernaldstateschool.com/buildings- to see the list and pictures of the buildings on the campus
https://newlearningonline.com/new-learning/chapter-6/supporting-material/goddard-on-iq
https://www.verywellmind.com/history-of-intelligence-testing-2795581
https://faculty.uml.edu/darcus/47.269/MATERIALS/fernale_globe1993.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20battery%20of,harm%20blood%20and%20the%20spleen.
https://news.mit.edu/1994/concern-0112#:~:text=A%20third%20calcium%20study%2C%20also,0.75%20microcuries)%20of%20radioactive%20calcium)
https://archive.org/stream/humanradiationex00unit/humanradiationex00unit_djvu.txt