Humanity's journey to understanding the body has been a gory one; littered with unethical experiments, unintended consequences and unimaginable endurance. It's the story of catastrophic failures, at great human cost - but also successes which made history and saved countless lives.
In The Human Subject, Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw investigate the threads connecting modern day medicine to its often brutal origins. With every episode they explore some of that dark history and ask - is our present day knowledge worth the suffering it took to get us here?
Humanity's journey to understanding the body has been a gory one; littered with unethical experiments, unintended consequences and unimaginable endurance. It's the story of catastrophic failures, at great human cost - but also successes which made history and saved countless lives.
In The Human Subject, Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw investigate the threads connecting modern day medicine to its often brutal origins. With every episode they explore some of that dark history and ask - is our present day knowledge worth the suffering it took to get us here?
In The Human Subject, Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw tell the story of Andemariam Beyene, an engineering student from Eritrea studying in Iceland. In 2011 he was desperate for a cure to the large tumour discovered in his trachea. He had tried surgery and radiotherapy and nothing had worked.
Dr Paolo Macchiarini, Karolinska Institute's star surgeon presents himself as Andemarian's best and last option. He proposes an experimental treatment - but one that has never been done before on a human being. Andemariam would be the first. Unfortunately, he agrees to it.
Julia and Adam speak with Karl-Henrik Grinnemo, a professor in cardiothoracic surgery at Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden, who was at Karolinska Institute during Paolo Macchiarini's tenure.
Presenters: Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw Producer: Simona Rata Assistant Producer: Mansi Vithlani Executive Producer: Jo Meek Sound Design: Craig Edmondson Commissioner: Dan Clarke
An Audio Always production for BBC Radio 4
