Synopsis

Michael Mosley looks at how doctors came to understand infectious diseases by deliberately infecting themselves with conditions such syphilis and yellow fever.

Further Information

More clips from Medical Mavericks

01: Anaesthesia | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 59'02''

Michael Mosley explores the work of the pioneering doctors who laid the foundations of modern medicine. He begins by charting the develop...

02: Discovering Vaccines | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 58'09''

Michael Mosley explores how pioneering doctors learnt to harness the immune system by exposing themselves to incurable diseases ...

03: Diet and Disease | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 59'02''

Dr Michael Mosley explores the lengths to which pioneering doctors have gone to uncover the connections between what we eat and what...

Developing a vaccine for Typhoid | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 4'39''

Dr Michael Mosley investigates typhoid and the development of a vaccine to prevent it.

James Simpson discovers chloroform | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 3'06''

Dr Michael Mosley investigates the discovery of chloroform.

John Hunter conducts the first study of disease in a controlled experiment | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 4'20''

John Hunter conducted the first study of disease in a controlled experiment, w...

Robert Koch & cholera | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 3'12''

Dr Michael Mosley discusses Robert Koch's cultivation of cholera bacteria.

The dangers of chloroform | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 2'50''

Dr Michael Mosley discusses the early deaths that exposed the dangers of chloroform.

The Story of Louis Pasteur vaccinating Joseph Meister against Rabies | Medical Mavericks

BBC Four | 2007 | 3'26''

Dr Michael Mosley discusses the Story of Louis Pasteur vaccinating Joseph Meister ag...

More from Michael Mosley

02: Bleeding Hearts | Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery

BBC Four | 2008 | 59'02''

The series about the history of surgery charts the development of heart surgery. Michael Mosley witnesses a breath...

Impact of nature on physical and mental health | Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

BBC Radio 4 | 2021 | 6'08''

Michael Mosley discusses the importance of spending time in nature and how this can imp...

The complexity of brain surgery | Inside the Human Body

BBC Two | 2021 | 5'31''

A little girl, Angelina, requires complex brain surgery in order to alleviate the systoms she is suffering as a resul...

Treating diabetes with an artificial pancreas | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

BBC Two | 2018 | 5'05''

In this clip we discover what diabetes is and a new way of treating the condition compared to the trad...

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria | Michael Mosley vs The Superbugs

BBC Four | 2017 | 1'12''

Michael Mosley introduces the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and Superbugs.

03: Food on the Brain | The Secrets of Your Food

BBC Two | 2017 | 58'23''

Michael Mosley and James Wong explore the effect that our food has on our most important and, in terms of energy consumption...

Sleep | The Truth About...

BBC One | 2017 | 58'00

We are one of the most sleep-deprived countries in the world. In The Truth About Sleep, insomniac Michael Mosley finds out what happens if we don'...

The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley

BBC Four | 2016 | 58'46''

Michael Mosley gives up a fifth of his own blood to perform six bold experiments. From starving it of oxygen to injecting ...

Inside Porton Down: Britain's Secret Weapons Research Facility

BBC Four | 2016 | 59'00''

Michael Mosley investigates Porton Down, Britain's most secretive and controversial military research base. He...

The 1860s | The Victorian Slum

BBC Two | 2016 | 58'57''

A group of 21st-century people move into a recreated Victorian slum. In this episode, the slum dwellers move into the 1860s, when London was t...

Brain areas and aggression | The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide

BBC Four | 2015 | 5'36''

Dr Raine's research into aggression showed the important role of different brain areas including the pre-...

03: The Final Push | Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You

BBC Two | 2015 | 58'57''

A look at the final months in the womb, when cartilage hardens to form the skeleton. Produced in part...

Is Your Brain Male or Female? | Horizon

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'00''

Dr Michael Mosley and Professor Alice Roberts investigate whether male and female brains really are wired differently.

Infested! Living with Parasites

BBC Four | 2014 | 59'04''

Dr Michael Mosley explores the bizarre and fascinating world of parasites by turning his body into a living laboratory and deliberately infes...

Fast Tales

BBC One | 2014 | 28'57''

During the most demanding Ramadan for over 30 years, Dr Saleyha Ahsan meets prominent British Muslims undertaking 16 hour fasting days throughout July and talks t...