America's Most Isolated Family: The Whittakers

Today, electroconvulsive therapy is still used to treat those struggling with severe depression, bipolar II, schizophrenia, and other treatment-resistant disorders. An estimated 100,000 people are treated annually across the U.S. Nevertheless, ECT carries stigmas due to its tarnished and sordid history, marred by inhumane and forced procedures, torture, and wild experimentation. We investigate ECT’s controversial past, how the practice has been abused, and how it’s evolved since. Go to http://earthbreeze.com/30mm to get 40% off when you subscribe. Go to http://babbel.com/30mm to get up to 55% off your subscription. Follow us on Social: https://twitter.com/elysewillems https://twitter.com/JessicaVasami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Feb 202339min

Our "biggest" episode yet, covering all things GIANTS. We learn how classical cultures and folklore embraced the myths and fantastical stories of giant, flesh-eating, humans; debunk archaeology's infamous giant skeleton hoaxes; and investigate real life gigantism as a medical anomaly. Go to http://bombas.com/30mm and use code 30mm to get 20% off your first purchase. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp - go to http://betterhelp.com/30MM to get 10% off your first month. Follow us on Social: https://twitter.com/elysewillems https://twitter.com/JessicaVasami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Feb 202339min

Some of England's worst criminals met their end at the Tyburn Gallows, an infamous site at which the public could purchase tickets to attend executions. This episode explores the origins of hanging-style executions, the different methods, how the act has evolved, the theatrics behind the practice, and how – at least in England – capital punishment has since come to be abolished. Go to http://lectricebikes.com to get out there and find adventure. Go to http://earthbreeze.com/30mm to get 40% off when you subscribe. Follow us on Social: https://twitter.com/elysewillems https://twitter.com/JessicaVasami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Feb 202334min

From dress fires to corrosive skin treatments, the women living during the nineteenth century subjected themselves to harmful and horrific procedures, all in the pursuit of a warped beauty influenced by the Tuberculosis-inspired "Consumptive Chic" look. We explore the fashion and beauty trends that were not only toxic, but sometimes deadly. Go to http://shadyrays.com and use code 30MM for 50% off 2 or more pairs of polarized sunglasses. Go to http://rothys.com/30mm to get $20 off your first purchase. Follow us on Social: https://twitter.com/elysewillems https://twitter.com/JessicaVasami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Jan 202338min

There are over 200 known cases where people have been found burned to death with no discernible cause. These cases have contributed to the theory of spontaneous human combustion, the idea that a person can catch fire and burn alive with no external ignition source. And, while it's regarded as a pseudoscience by the field at large, large enforcement and coroners around the world still use spontaneous human combustion as an official cause of death. We try to separate fact from fiction in this burning mystery, examining theories like the "wick effect." Go to http://bombas.com/30mm and use code 3mm for 20% off your first purchase. Go to http://babbel.com/30mm to get up to 55% off your subscription. Follow us on Social: https://twitter.com/elysewillems https://twitter.com/JessicaVasami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Jan 202337min

Bills of Mortality originated in the late sixteenth century as a way for parish networks to track weekly plague outbreaks. Eventually, over time, this medical journal evolved to become a standard practice, documenting annual mortality statistics. Much of the terminology and disease nomenclature used is now considered vastly outdated by today's medical standards. In this episode, Elyse and Jessica go through the list of causes of death, trying to explain and translate with historical context. Go to http://lectricebikes.com to make this your most adventurous year yet. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp - go to http://betterhelp.com/30MM to get 10% off your first month. Follow us on Social: https://twitter.com/elysewillems https://twitter.com/JessicaVasami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Jan 202346min

A sky burial is a funerary practice in which the body of a deceased person is prepared, placed, and left exposed in a place of high elevation so that vultures and other scavenging birds will consume it and carry the deceased's soul to the heavens. In this episode we explore the history and theological origins of sky burials, who practices it, and why this unique burial rite is in decline. Go to http://babbel.com/30MM to get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription. Go to http://dietsmoke.com and use code 30MM to get 20% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Jan 202335min

Jessica and Elyse return January 10th with even more morbid history and topics to make your head think and skin crawl! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Jan 20232min