00:00:00
This is Exactly Right. of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:00:36
You know the famous author Roald Dahl. He thought up Willy Wonka and the BFG. But did you know he was a spy?
00:00:43
Neither did I. You can hear all about his wildlife story in the podcast The Secret World of Roald Dahl.
00:00:49
All episodes are out now. Was this before he wrote his stories? It must have been.
00:00:54
What? Okay, I don't think that's true. I'm telling you, I was a spy. Binge all 10 episodes of The Secret World of Roald Dahl.
00:01:01
Now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You think you're in control until you realize you're not.
00:01:10
As they're having this gun battle, thousands of feet up in the air, many of the bullets start to puncture the aircraft.
00:01:18
I thought we were going to die then. The Knife is a podcast about the moment ordinary lives take an unexpected turn.
00:01:25
Real people, real stories, and the split second that changes everything. New episodes drop every Thursday on the Exactly Right Network and the iHeart Podcast Network.
00:01:35
Listen to The Knife on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:01:55
Hello. Your arm went down, but you didn't start knocking. I know. I waited a beat. I don't know why.
00:02:04
You gave me a cue. I did. You were doing like a roll-off, like in cheerleading. And yet somehow I think we were perfectly in sync.
00:02:10
That's how good we are at this point. I really agree. And welcome. To my favorite murder.
00:02:18
That's Georgia Hartstar. That's Karen Kilgara. How's it going? Hey, it's all right.
00:02:24
World Mental Health Day is this week. So I'm checking in with my world mental health.
00:02:29
Nice. Might just sleep through that whole day just as a celebration. One of the best things you can do for yourself
00:02:35
is get a bunch of sleep. Absolutely. And water. So good for your brain. Some water, vitamin,
00:02:41
throw maybe some vitamin E in there. Yeah, a D, a B12. Let's just get them all in there.
00:02:49
Do magnesium. Oh. Have you ever accidentally taken too much magnesium? No, it happens.
00:02:54
You just fucking shit it. Do you shit your brains out? Like a baby, like a newborn baby.
00:03:01
I didn't know. And this, I can't, I think I thought it said take two, but I was looking at,
00:03:08
I was taking multiple bottles of vitamins. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was assuming that one meant two
00:03:13
and this one also was two. When in fact it was one big one. Wow. I'm just saying if you want a new start.
00:03:19
It's scary how easy it is to, if you want a new start, a new day. Yeah, you just want to refresh.
00:03:25
Yeah, all right, I'm in. I'm going to do it all for World Mental Health Day. Right?
00:03:30
It's also, actually, it's also Indigenous Peoples Day in America here. That's right.
00:03:37
That's great. I was looking at a map that basically people are posting and saying,
00:03:42
anyone that talks about immigrants coming here, like trying to, quote unquote, steal our land.
00:03:47
And it's like, here's the actual map of the United States. And it's just all the different tribes across the United States.
00:03:53
Yeah. Who was your first fellas? For real. Let's get this straight. Let's get it right.
00:03:58
For once. What's going on with you? How are you? I'm good. I actually did some socializing this weekend, which talk about World Mental Health Day.
00:04:08
Yeah. Really makes a difference. Just seeing people you know and like. Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:15
That sounds terrifying right now. It's not easy. I will say that there was a lot of...
00:04:21
Here's what I love. There's definitely, when I did it last night, actually, a small gathering, the people that I saw were all the kind of people I could talk about how weird it is when you're not good at socializing anymore.
00:04:33
Yeah. Which is a fun thing to discuss. Yeah. It's a good topic to have a conversation about.
00:04:38
I was, I went to CatCon to do the purrcast. I was Stephen Ray Morris and Sarah's guest.
00:04:46
Stephen Ray Morris. And I was on stage for the first time. That was new for me since you and I have toured.
00:04:54
And I kept cursing on accident. And there were children there. It's CatCon. It's not like it's a fucking PG-13 event.
00:05:01
And I apologized and was like, I haven't been this in public in so long. I was sweating and cursing.
00:05:08
It was so embarrassing. Sorry, Steven. No, it was so much fun. It felt good to be out there again.
00:05:15
Steven, did you curse? I think I did. I think I did you say a fuck at one point.
00:05:20
Okay. In solidarity. Thank you. Nice. That's very nice of you. That's the good kind of support.
00:05:26
Where it's just like, what? We're all doing it. Why is it? Maybe the baby's wrong.
00:05:30
Maybe we're not wrong. Maybe the children are wrong. The baby's always wrong. Everyone knows that.
00:05:36
If I may change the subject to a slightly, in fact, incredibly heavier topic. I don't know if you've been watching
00:05:42
what's been happening in Iran with the young women. The women of all ages, actually, I should say.
00:05:49
Women of every age. rising up against the political regime. It is so unbelievably inspiring and amazing It all over TikTok I just keep seeing it on TikTok And I just hope the young women of America are watching that bravery
00:06:07
Because it is life or death for the women of Iran. They're standing up to the moral police,
00:06:15
which I think is very ironic for us to be looking at that like, here's what this country could turn into.
00:06:20
This morality police of these old men walking around saying, do this, don't do that.
00:06:26
Right. Telling women what they can and can't do and what is okay for their bodies and their practices
00:06:33
and their lives. Yeah. Yeah. It's harrowing. And these incredible women are standing up for themselves with the threat of death, the
00:06:43
true threat of death and possibility. And it's inspiring and it's incredible and harrowing and terrifying.
00:06:49
and it is so inspiring. Yeah. It's amazing. It has to do with the death of Masa Amini.
00:06:56
There's protests all across the country. I mean, it's chilling and it's amazing and I just think it's so cool.
00:07:04
So if you don't know about it, learn more about it than what I just told you. Right.
00:07:09
But this is a movement that's like, it's so important. We need to keep our eyes on that.
00:07:13
That idea of standing up in the face of threat for our rights, human rights, Basic human rights.
00:07:20
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. Their hashtag is womenlifefreedom.
00:07:26
Okay. Amazing. Ugh, it gets me. Oh, I just really quickly saw a show on Stars with a Z,
00:07:36
which I don't think Stars gets enough credit. Yeah. They put out some hits for real.
00:07:41
They have been putting out hits lately. And they also do a lot of period pieces,
00:07:45
which is, you know, my passion. Sure. watching them, not producing them. Although you never know.
00:07:53
Yeah. But next career. There's get really into like really involved costumes and stuff that just takes hours.
00:08:02
There's a show on there called The Serpent Queen. Ooh. And it's about Catherine de' Medici
00:08:09
and it stars Samantha Morton, who she was kind of an it girl in the, would you say mid to late 2000s?
00:08:18
She was in like Minority Report and she was like, you know, around a lot. And she's done some like prestige TV,
00:08:28
but she is such a fucking unbelievably good actress. And this show is like, I just think it's a fascinating royals in the 1500s
00:08:38
getting up to their business. Costumes galore. Costumes galore. There's, yeah, the costumes are truly, can't be beat.
00:08:45
What are you going to be for Halloween, speaking of? Vince and I just put our Halloween decorations up today,
00:08:50
which was really fun and almost started a fight somehow, even though it's like the most fun.
00:08:56
Project, any project is going to have some opinions. We almost argued over tape and where to put it.
00:09:04
Stay focused. Keep your eyes on the prize. We were both sweating and like bickering about tape
00:09:09
and where it belongs and doesn't belong. The stuff of life. Everything's fine now.
00:09:15
I don't know. I never really think about that. Yeah. You pulled Megan Fox out real quick last year,
00:09:23
and that was pretty epic. I was Megan Fox. Frank was Machine Gun Kelly. Yeah, I was.
00:09:28
We got it done. You did. That was just a wig. Oh, wait, what? What if I started crying when I found out it was a wig
00:09:34
and I thought it was really your hair? It was. When I walked in, Georgia saw me,
00:09:38
and the first thing she said was, oh, my God, you have to grow your hair out right now.
00:09:42
And I was like, it's not going to look like this if I grow it out. just so you know. It won't have glittery tinsel in it if I grow it out.
00:09:49
That's true. That's unfortunate. It looked great on you. Long ass hair. Hell yeah.
00:09:54
Thank you. I'll try my best, but mine gets all screwed up. Whereas the ones from,
00:09:58
you know, Party City, you got a nice big old long black wig. Those flammable plastic wigs. Those look beautiful. Every night. Not just the one night
00:10:07
you need them. Yeah. Every night. Why? What are you going to be? Are you thinking about it?
00:10:11
Not nothing at all. I'm going to, we haven't even, you know what I did buy? I bought a Peggy Bundy wig just in case.
00:10:17
Just in case. Because I'm like, this will sell out by the time I want it. Yeah, that's a great idea.
00:10:24
Then you get to wear pedal pushers and like a two-top. Right, like spandex pants and a giant belt.
00:10:29
And I could smoke cigarettes all night and it's part of the costume. Not weird. It's not weird.
00:10:34
Yep. Not any of those children can say shit to you when they come up to get their candy.
00:10:38
Come at me, children. Try it. Come here, my wig is splammable. I get to. I'm smoking near it.
00:10:45
Leave me alone. I mean, it's spooky season. All of a sudden, the phrase is, it's spooky season.
00:10:50
That's a new thing for this year. Yeah, it's stolen from us, for sure. From us? Yeah, spooky Halloween.
00:10:56
Come on. Think so? Yeah, definitely. But even the people over at, like, Michelob Light are saying it.
00:11:02
Yeah, stolen from us. I'm saying that thinking that we have no reach at all, and I'm totally making that up.
00:11:07
No one's stolen anything from us. I just think it's weird the way there are like language trends that pop up out of nowhere and
00:11:16
every, literally every person. It's like everyone's so afraid to be the one that isn't saying
00:11:21
the newest thing that they just immediately start all saying it like they've always said it.
00:11:26
Where it's like there's no cultural event that makes everyone go, oh, now we call it spooky season instead of Halloween. It just starts happening.
00:11:34
We did say spooky Halloween for years because it was your thing when you were young.
00:11:39
Like that has been said on this podcast. True. And not that I'm saying anyone from Michelob
00:11:45
or whatever listens to this podcast and took it. I'm just saying it's not fucking new to us
00:11:50
is all I'm saying. It's not new to us. It's also not new to Halloween. It been going on for like 200 years I think the word spooky has been in use I just saying that combination where it was like the same thing where all of a sudden social media decided like we love apple picking or whatever the fuck
00:12:08
Where you're like, oh, I didn't know. That's suddenly that is, it's being presented as if it's a years long tradition.
00:12:16
Yeah. Yeah. Come on. Get with it. Get with us. Get with our spooky season. Get with us.
00:12:25
Um, hey, speaking of spooky and seasons, should we do exactly right corner real quick?
00:12:30
Absolutely. Hey, we have a podcast network and we have podcasts on the network that we think you'll
00:12:36
like a lot. Handpicked just for you. We literally produce them talking about what we thought you would like.
00:12:43
Yeah. That is not a joke. Nope. There are meetings about us talking about you guys and how much we like you and
00:12:49
how much we think you'll like this. For example, this week, friend of the podcast,
00:12:54
none other than Patton Oswalt joins Karen Kilgareth. You've heard of her. That's me.
00:12:59
And Chris Fairbanks on the podcast, Do You Need a Ride? Can you believe it? I mean, get over there to the little podcast that could.
00:13:09
Rate, review, subscribe for Do You Need a Ride. Please. I mean, we really never,
00:13:13
we really let that one just kind of hang out as the chit chat podcast. But great stuff is happening over there.
00:13:19
If you're into it, if you feel like it. Of course you are. Now, if on the other hand,
00:13:25
you're into more of a, what has actually happened? I'd like to go over the stuff that's not in the news
00:13:31
because there's so much bad news in the news, but there are people who've got their eye out.
00:13:36
Those people are Scotty and Kurt over at the Bananas podcast. And this week, podcaster Alison Rosen
00:13:43
stops by Bananas to discuss the world's wacky news. That's right. And say you're not into comedy.
00:13:49
you're into true crime, we know. We're into that too. And that's why we have a podcast called Buried Bones.
00:13:55
It's brand new and none other than Kate Winkler-Dawson and Paul Holes host it. And they're back with episode six.
00:14:03
This week's episode is the first of a two-part series about the disappearance of a wealthy doctor's wife
00:14:08
in 1910s London. Spooky. Spooky season. The 1910s were the spookiest season of all.
00:14:16
We should actually say thank you so much for coming out and listening to Buried Bones.
00:14:21
It is a bona fide hit. The numbers are amazing. You guys turned out for, you know,
00:14:28
the two true crime college professors. I don't know how else to describe them, but they're so legit.
00:14:36
They're so legit. Even Frank is barking from the other room incessantly about it.
00:14:41
Frank knows. Frank knows Buried Bones is a hit and it's thanks to you guys and we really appreciate it.
00:14:45
Make sure you rate, review, and subscribe and listen. And just as a quick reminder,
00:14:51
over in the My Favorite Murder store, one of our favorite Murderino designs is now available on water bottles and tank tops.
00:14:58
So go look for that really cute, colorful Murderino design. And you can also shop the full collection
00:15:04
over at www.myfavoritemurder.com. I love that Murderino design. I'm not one for wearing your own band merch,
00:15:12
unless it's something you really love. And I really love this Murderino design. Yeah.
00:15:17
In 2023, a story gripped the UK, evoking horror and disbelief. The nurse who should have been in charge of caring for tiny babies is now the most prolific child killer in modern British history.
00:15:32
Everyone thought they knew how it ended. A verdict, a villain, a nurse named Lucy Letby.
00:15:39
Lucy Letby has been found guilty. But what if we didn't get the whole story? The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapses.
00:15:47
I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we follow the evidence and hear from the people that lived it
00:15:55
to ask what really happened when the world decided who Lucy Letby was. No voicing of any skepticism or doubt.
00:16:04
It'll cause so much harm at every single level if the British establishment of this is wrong.
00:16:09
Listen to Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby. You can binge all episodes now on iHeart Podcasts
00:16:15
podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is
00:16:21
not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Dani Shapiro,
00:16:27
and these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family
00:16:32
Secrets. And just then, we felt the plane turn in the air, so much so that the bags that were
00:16:40
under people's seats just kind of flew into the aisle. Each week, we dive headfirst into the
00:16:45
complex power of secrecy, how it shapes our identities and relationships, and how it ultimately
00:16:51
can reveal to us our truest selves. My daughter, she's pretending she doesn't know, but is trying
00:16:57
to cook and feed me and keep me alive because I wasn't eating anything. And me pretending like
00:17:02
everything was fine. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front
00:17:07
door and he jumped in a car and drove off and that was the last time I saw him. Listen to season 14
00:17:12
of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:17:18
Before NXIVM, Nancy Solzman wanted to help people. Being able to help somebody, it's probably the
00:17:24
biggest motivator of my entire life. She trained in something called neurolinguistic programming.
00:17:29
People loved our training. Then everything changed. Yeah, and they called it a cult.
00:17:35
How does a method designed to improve lives end up in a cult? A knife in the hands of a surgeon is an amazing tool.
00:17:43
A knife in the hands of a murderer is a weapon. Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app,
00:17:49
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay Karen Well this week it my turn to go So today we going to talk about drugs Yay More specifically I going to tell you about Dr Max Jacobson
00:18:08
the physician who was nicknamed Dr. Feelgood thanks to his lethal, quote, vitamin shots.
00:18:15
Is this from the 70s? 60s, 50s, 60s. You know this guy? I knew the later version, but I don't know any details.
00:18:22
Okay, great. I've just heard that name. Okay, well, we're going to talk about him. It's all kinds of fucked up. The sources I used in
00:18:28
today's episodes are the website AmericanAddictionCenters.org, two New York Times
00:18:33
articles, one by Boyce Rensberger, the other by Jane E. Brody, a History Net article by Peter
00:18:39
Carlson, a New York Magazine article by Peter Keating, et cetera, et cetera. You can find all
00:18:45
my sources in the show notes. Here we go. All right, so Max Jacobson, Dr. Max Jacobson,
00:18:50
He's born, not a doctor, in Germany on July 3rd, 1900. After working in hospitals during World War I,
00:18:59
he studies medicine at the Frederick Wilhelm University in Berlin. He graduates as a doctor.
00:19:04
He begins experimenting with tinctures and is interested in studying the positive health effects
00:19:09
of early forms of psychotropic drugs. Weren't we all in high school, right? Yeah.
00:19:16
Psychotropic, that's those ones that, what, change your brain chemistry? Yeah. Yeah. So Dr. Jacobson, he's living his life. He's fucking doing his career. However,
00:19:26
he's Jewish. And so by the mid-1930s, of course, anti-Semitism is sweeping Germany.
00:19:32
So in 1936, he flees the country and moves to New York City, where he opens his own consulting
00:19:37
rooms on the Upper East Side. In 1946, he marries, and the couple live in an apartment on East 86th
00:19:44
Street. In the 1950s, he starts experimenting with intravenous drug treatments. His specialty
00:19:50
is called a, quote, miracle tissue regenerator, a vitamin energy cocktail, or an IV special.
00:20:00
That tells you nothing about what's in it, right? Like, I'll have an IV special.
00:20:07
I don't know what's in that bag, but I want you to shoot it straight into my veins, doctor.
00:20:12
Into my veins with a needle. He prescribes this for all manner of ailments. Patients come to his office where he injects them
00:20:21
in either the hip, neck, jaw, abdomen, or knees. Pick one. Jaw? No. Oh, my God. Oh, sorry.
00:20:30
I thought you meant pick the worst one you could possibly imagine. Oh, no, then that's right.
00:20:35
I mean, I was just kidding. I just said the first thing that you said, the last thing I heard you say.
00:20:39
But what needle, like, it would have to be so short to go in your jaw, wouldn't it?
00:20:46
I don't know. I wonder if it's like, they mean like not in the jaw bone, but in the tissue.
00:20:51
And I also wonder if- Straight into the jugular. I also wonder if part of these are like, where are you in pain?
00:20:58
I can, like, if you have a tooth abscess or something, maybe he does it in the jaw for that reason.
00:21:03
Georgia, I know this is your story and we just started and I don't know anything about it, but this man is not a dentist.
00:21:08
So, no. But it sounds like he's a pain specialist. So he's like, you don't even have to go to the dentist.
00:21:16
Let me help you with that pain. Open your eyes. I've got a new place to get a shot.
00:21:21
Stop. Oh, my God. That's one thing I can't handle is eye things. Yeah. Okay, sorry.
00:21:26
Spread out your fingers and let's see the webs between them. I've got a new place to get a shot.
00:21:31
Steven, please edit that from my brain forever. Okay. He then provides them with vials of his concoction.
00:21:39
So this is a homemade concoction that he's created and disposable syringes so they can administer it to themselves at home.
00:21:45
So goodbye, good luck. Dr. Jacobson doesn't tell his patients what's in the shots,
00:21:51
but people trust him because he tells them he's involved in cutting edge clinical research.
00:21:55
That's all it takes. He reserves one day a week to solely treat patients with multiple sclerosis.
00:22:01
And initially he treats European immigrants and their quality of life improves and their feedback is all glowing.
00:22:07
They have more energy. They aren't as fatigued. Just a real quick aside. His appearance is described in the historynet.com article
00:22:16
as wearing, quote, a white coat that is frequently splattered with blood. His fingernails were filthy, stained by chemicals
00:22:25
he used to concoct his magic elixirs. He wore thick glasses and spoke in a thick German accent.
00:22:31
His office was messy, chaotic, crowded with patients who sometimes waited hours to see him.
00:22:36
So he was a very popular doctor. Word of Dr. Jacobson's innovative treatments spread amongst New York show business circles.
00:22:45
And soon he has a star-studded list of influential celebrity patients, many from the entertainment world,
00:22:51
including Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Truman Capote.
00:22:56
So he is becoming this famous doctor because who God knows what's in his fucking elixirs.
00:23:03
Yeah, but they're making people feel real good. Real good, doctor feel good. Dr. Jacobson isn't the only doctor in New York
00:23:10
using quote mood boosting shots as a treatment, but among the A-list, he's the most well-known.
00:23:16
He also treats sports stars with baseball legend Mickey Mantle, probably his most famous.
00:23:22
In late September 1961, 29-year-old Mickey is playing for the New York Yankees, but he's suffering from injuries.
00:23:29
And when he comes down with a bad case of the flu and an eye infection, he's introduced to Dr. Jacobson, who administers his treatment.
00:23:38
But when he injects Mickey in the hip, the needle accidentally hits bone. Wait. He is a doctor, though, right?
00:23:48
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I mean, all the way back in the fucking... Tens. Long time ago in Berlin.
00:23:56
I don't know what the difference is, but yeah. Thank you. So like quote doctor, I'm sure it was so much easier to be a doctor back then, right?
00:24:03
And then like, then you're a doctor of everything, probably. You can kind of do whatever you want, I would think.
00:24:08
You mean practice anything you want? Yeah. Oh, I don't know. Kind of. That'd be interesting to know.
00:24:13
I definitely know. I feel like we've heard enough stories where that was back when, if you were a doctor,
00:24:19
you had kind of like say over everyone's life because everyone was like, well, he's the smartest person.
00:24:24
Totally. Yeah. Doctor says so. Let's do it. Yeah. So the baseball star's condition deteriorates so badly,
00:24:31
he's admitted to the hospital where there's a septic infection and serious abscess in the injection site.
00:24:37
So already there's some shady shit going on. And it rules Mickey Mantle out of both the 1961 World Series
00:24:44
and competing for Babe Ruth's single season home run record. So it kind of fucks him over completely.
00:24:50
And so there's already issues. But Dr. Jacobson's role in Mickey's hospitalization
00:24:55
isn't investigated or even questioned by anyone. and even after his discharge from the hospital,
00:25:01
Mickey Mantle keeps seeing Dr. Jacobson. That's how good his miracle cure is. Uh-oh.
00:25:07
Two of Dr. Jacobson's most high-profile patients are President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie O.
00:25:14
Jackie O. Jackie O. Dr. Jacobson meets JFK through an existing patient in September 1960
00:25:21
while Kennedy is still a senator and at a critical time in his campaign for the presidency.
00:25:27
So JFK, as you know, we all know, has debilitating back pain. And he also lives-
00:25:32
Wait, why did you say this? We all know. I don't know. We know that though, right?
00:25:38
I did not know that. It's because I talked to my mom 10 minutes before recording and told her,
00:25:42
hey, I'm doing this story. Do you know him? And told her a little about it. And she goes, well, JFK had debilitating back pain, blah, blah, blah.
00:25:49
And I was like, I know. So I don't know why. I was just like, we all know. Everyone in the Heart Stark family.
00:25:56
I've never heard it, but I mean, like, it makes perfect sense. Yeah, I knew he was ill, as we all know.
00:26:02
I don't know why I said that. I guess I didn't want to be, like, condescending, but I knew he was sick
00:26:09
because he also had chronic Addison's disease. Oh. And there's a lot of videos of him with a cane,
00:26:14
and he looks really thin and emaciated. Oh, okay. And I think he broke his back, like, maybe in World War II
00:26:20
when he was fighting. Oh. I'm not making that part up, but I'm speculating. Speculating severely with a very unsure look on your face as you do it.
00:26:30
Yeah, that's right. And Addison's disease affects the endocrine system and reduces the body's ability to react to infections.
00:26:37
So he can get sick really easily. By 1960, Senator Kennedy comes to rely on Dr. Jacobson's shots
00:26:43
to help manage his pain and give him the energy to maintain the demands and pressure of the campaign trail.
00:26:49
So he kind of can thank his presidency for Dr. Jacobson. in some ways. I'm thinking, you know, because I'm going to want to make a real good guess on what's
00:27:00
in these things. But it feels like speed to me, right? It does, doesn't it? We'll get there.
00:27:06
Okay. So then he becomes president. He even invites Dr. Jacobson to the inauguration.
00:27:12
That's how much he's like, thanks, bro. I couldn't have done it without you. There's my guy. There's my hookup. Fist bump. What's up? Dirty needles, maybe. I don't know.
00:27:21
Do you have a light? At the same time, Jackie is experiencing postpartum depression
00:27:27
following the birth of John Jr. So Dr. Jacobson's like, gotcha, I got this. Starts to give her shots to, quote, boost her mood.
00:27:36
And the Secret Service starts calling Dr. Jacobson Miracle Max or Dr. Feelgood. In 1961, Dr. Jacobson treats the president again
00:27:46
after Kennedy injures his back in a tree planting ceremony. Can you imagine being the president of the United fucking States
00:27:55
and you're just like, tree planting ceremony, fucked my back up. Also, it's, as we know, I mean, not that I've like watched an entire tree planting ceremony,
00:28:06
but I imagine just by the context clues that it's purely ceremonial. Yeah. And the people that did the real tree planting work were there three hours before.
00:28:16
And he was probably just supposed to like push something into something. Right. Scoop a thing out of the earth.
00:28:23
Yep. Just like here, I'll just take the shovel and scoot this over. But he got in there and-
00:28:29
Who the fuck knows? It's so annoying when your body betrays you. And I guess especially when you get older,
00:28:34
but he was pretty young. But when you're like, I'm only 42 and I slept funny and now I can't walk for the rest of the week.
00:28:40
It's like, but I'm also the president of the United States. Yeah. That's gotta be annoying.
00:28:46
I know it was hard for me when I had my slip and fall into a death drop that knocked my toenail off.
00:28:51
That really was- That's right. That was difficult. I just scared the cat by grabbing my papers so hard.
00:28:58
Gasping at how gross it is. Yeah. The toenail doesn't look good. Luckily, we're moving into,
00:29:03
the temperature is actually dropping in Los Angeles right now. So I can wear, I must wear covered shoes.
00:29:09
And so it's, I don't have to worry about it anymore. Ooh, thank God. Okay, we've been holding our breaths collectively.
00:29:14
I will only talk about my kicked off toenail three more times during your story.
00:29:20
Okay. I wish she would. Death drop. Karen in a death drop is hilarious. Okay, so in May 1961,
00:29:32
Dr. Jacobson treats the president again after he enters his back in a tree planting ceremony.
00:29:37
We all heard it. Yeah. Dr. Jacobson then accompanies JFK to the president's first summit meeting in Vienna
00:29:44
for a crucial meeting with the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev. So this is a big fucking deal.
00:29:51
This is a very big deal. We in this you know Cold War He needs to look good And relations between the two countries are at the height of the Cold War They so volatile The president has to be at the top of his game for this meeting
00:30:06
You know, his back is hurting. He's in pain. And so he gets Dr. Jacobson to come and give him these
00:30:13
shots before he goes on to meet Nikita Khrushchev. So unfortunately, the summit doesn't go well for
00:30:19
the U.S. And some historians suggest Dr. Jacobson's shots hinder the president's concentration.
00:30:25
And this is where you saying is this fucking speed comes in. It seems like Khrushchev to me wants to engage JFK in a debate about war.
00:30:32
And ideally, if he was on his game, he would kind of know, JFK would no sell him and not engage with him and not have a back and forth,
00:30:40
which will inevitably make us look weak, right? But if he's on speed, let's say, what do you do when you're on speed?
00:30:47
You fucking debate war. Like that's what you do. You have all kinds of big ideas.
00:30:52
I can tell you from 1996 to 1995 to 1997. Yeah. I had all kinds of big ideas. You just think you're right.
00:31:03
Like you just think it's a good idea and there's really no question. You lose that kind of sense of,
00:31:09
which I think you would really need as the president in that situation, which is your full faculties and awarenesses.
00:31:17
There's no such thing as backing down when you're on uppers. Like there's no backing down.
00:31:23
There's no being stoic. That's not part of the game when you're on Eppers. And we're assuming for now that that's what he's on.
00:31:31
So it goes really poorly. But Kennedy keeps seeing Dr. Jacobson and they develop a code
00:31:36
when the doctor's services are required. The White House will call Dr. Jacobson's office
00:31:41
and say, Mrs. Dunn requires treatment, whatever that means. By May of 1962, Dr. Jacobson visits the White House
00:31:50
on 34 occasions to treat the president and makes trips to see him in Hyannisport or Palm Beach.
00:31:57
So he's like part of the circle now, inner circle. He doesn't charge the president,
00:32:02
but instead he files expense accounts. So that's kind of shady too. So he's kind of just got like this doctor
00:32:09
who has his own credit card. He was like a Amex White House card. I think he's just like,
00:32:15
here's how much it costs me to take an Uber to the White House or Hyannisport. whoop, just pay me, whoop, just pay me.
00:32:22
Yeah. That's a drug dealer. That's right. Hey, you want to come in and hang out for a minute?
00:32:29
Just hang out for a while. Yeah. Those close to JFK want the background on these miracle shots that give the president
00:32:38
his much-needed energy and pain relief because Kennedy's doctors have no idea what's,
00:32:43
his real doctors for his actual ailments have no idea what's exactly in the mystery shots.
00:32:48
But Robert Kennedy and the Secret Service are super suspicious. So in June 1962, Bobby sends a sample of a vial to the FBI for testing.
00:32:58
Smart. Uh-huh. The shots consist of multivitamins. Great. Painkillers. Steroids.
00:33:06
Bone marrow. Animal hormones. Enzymes. And human placenta. Uh-oh. But, uh-huh, already.
00:33:15
No, thank you. but they also contain an unauthorized combination of liquid amphetamines and steroids.
00:33:22
Holy shit. Amphetamine, I'm going to tell you real quick, Karen, just to catch you up, is a stimulant
00:33:28
which affects the central nervous system. It provides a burst of energy, increased focus and confidence.
00:33:34
And it's legal at the time. Dr. Jacobson admits he sometimes includes amphetamines
00:33:39
in the shots, but he's adamant that as long as the patients follow his instructions,
00:33:43
which you know, amphetamine addictions, totally make you follow the rules. The amount of drug is so negligible,
00:33:51
there's no way it could provide anyone with a high, let alone cause death. But he won't like prove it.
00:33:57
Well, and also what it can do, it might not get you like high old school style, but what it's gonna do is make you wanna keep
00:34:06
calling Dr. Jacobson. Right. I mean, that's the thing of it. It's like, it's that enough of an addiction
00:34:12
to be like, this guy's crucial to my life and well-being. Totally, totally. There are different types of amphetamines.
00:34:20
Doctors initially legitimately prescribed the drug to treat nasal congestion. Did you know that?
00:34:25
Well, that's what meth is made out of. That's why you can't get Sudafed off the counter
00:34:30
in certain areas. Damn it. It's also used to treat hyperactivity and narcolepsy,
00:34:36
which is like the opposite of things. So I don't understand how that works. but it becomes more widely used as a hangover remedy
00:34:43
and for housewives for weight loss back in that time. It's even used by the U.S. Air Force
00:34:48
to keep pilots alert during the Korean War. So, you know, we all know what meth is like.
00:34:55
It's pretty intense. We all lived through the 90s. Despite the clinical benefits of prescription amphetamine use,
00:35:02
the documented side effects are very serious. They include insomnia, hyperactivity,
00:35:06
increased heart rate and blood pressure, impaired judgment, anxiety, aggression,
00:35:10
dramatic mood swings, addiction, and psychosis. Depending on the dose and variant of the drug,
00:35:15
effects can last up to six fucking long-ass motherfucking hours. If amphetamines are used in large doses for an extended period,
00:35:24
paranoia can become so bad. It's similar to that experienced with schizophrenia.
00:35:30
Wow. And an overdose can be fatal, and amphetamines are highly addictive. Yeah. So despite there being mixed reports
00:35:37
about whether amphetamines are detected in the sample or not, Kennedy's doctors warned the president
00:35:43
to stop taking the shots. Kennedy's orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Hans Krauss, comments, quote,
00:35:49
no president with his finger on the red button has any business taking stuff like that.
00:35:54
So this is his like actual doctor And he like if you taking shit like this and you the leader of the free fucking world we got a big problem here Yeah I agree with that doctor for sure Yeah but the president doesn
00:36:06
He's very dismissive. And he says, I don't care if it's horse piss, it works. That's a quote.
00:36:13
I don't know if it's real, but that's a quote of that. That's pretty amazing. Well, and it's true in a way.
00:36:19
It's like, it works, but we're also not talking about what it does to you afterwards.
00:36:25
Right, right. I mean, for anyone who's had chronic pain, I feel like being that dismissive makes sense
00:36:33
because chronic pain makes you not able to function in the world, in your little world.
00:36:41
Like when I had sciatica and I had to just have a podcast, it was impossible. But to be the president of the United fucking States
00:36:48
and have chronic pain seems like a nightmare. So to be like, fuck it. I don't give a shit what's in it.
00:36:54
It's fucking working. Right, because he has to keep going. Right. And it is that thing of like, right,
00:37:00
there's no, the job that I have, that I have to keep going in, has a hand in the stress that I'm feeling
00:37:06
that's probably adding to my physical ailments. But like, there's no stopping now.
00:37:12
Yeah, but there's always someone out there who's willing to take advantage of that need for relief.
00:37:17
So in 2023, a story gripped the UK, evoking horror and disbelief. The nurse who should have been in charge of caring for tiny babies is now the most prolific child killer in modern British history.
00:37:34
Everyone thought they knew how it ended. A verdict, a villain, a nurse named Lucy Letby.
00:37:41
Lucy Letby has been found guilty. But what if we didn't get the whole story? The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapses.
00:37:49
I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we follow the evidence and hear from the people that lived it
00:37:56
to ask what really happened when the world decided who Lucy Letby was. No voicing of any skepticism or doubt.
00:38:06
It'll cause so much harm at every single level if the British establishment of this is wrong.
00:38:11
Listen to Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby. You can binge all episodes now on iHeart Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:38:20
Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was.
00:38:24
Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Dani Shapiro, and these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets.
00:38:35
And just then, we felt the plane turn in the air. So much so that the bags that were under people's seats just kind of flew into the aisle.
00:38:44
Each week, we dive headfirst into the complex power of secrecy, how it shapes our identities and relationships,
00:38:51
and how it ultimately can reveal to us our truest selves. My daughter, she's pretending she doesn't know,
00:38:58
but is trying to cook and feed me and keep me alive because I wasn't eating anything.
00:39:02
And me pretending like everything was fine. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move.
00:39:07
And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him.
00:39:12
Listen to season 14 of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:39:20
In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.
00:39:27
You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test once.
00:39:32
It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.
00:39:40
Greg Gillespie and Michael Marancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped.
00:39:46
Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.
00:39:53
Listen to the Love Trapped podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:40:00
So eventually JFK's medical team does fire Dr. Jacobson in an effort to treat the president's pain ethically
00:40:07
and responsibly. Things seem to start going well for the president following Dr. Jacobson's
00:40:12
departure. He diplomatically navigates the Cuban Missile Crisis, which strengthens his reputation,
00:40:18
and he forges ahead with progressive social reform. Meanwhile, at his office, Dr. Jacobson
00:40:24
has a whole team of nurses and technicians working hard at a makeshift lab off the consultation room,
00:40:30
but the whole place is in disarray. Anyone visiting the doctor at night catches glimpses
00:40:34
of concoctions bubbling away in beakers and big pots. I'm sure it was totally sanitary.
00:40:41
He uses fluorescent stones as essential ingredients for their, quote, energy properties.
00:40:47
So this is some fucking mercury and retrograde shit right here. Oh no. Uh-huh. Which he tests using magnets.
00:40:55
And he also starts mixing his own blood into the preparations before administering it to patients.
00:41:01
Uh-oh. So this is just off the motherfucking, you're high in your own supply. Yes.
00:41:07
Rails. Yeah, you know he's testing that stuff out. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And also that thing where,
00:41:14
because there's, I've been listening to podcasts recently about doctors who, you know,
00:41:19
meddle and do things like that. It's just such a creepy other thing that is separate from,
00:41:26
like, it's like, it's one thing, oh, you're giving people amphetamines and you're not telling them about it,
00:41:32
but it's for their own good and you're being the vitamin doctor or whatever. Tell me, how do you justify your blood
00:41:40
being shot into someone else's body without them knowing? Yeah, yeah. There's no way around that being okay.
00:41:48
That's a boundary issue. It really is. It really is. That's a HIPAA violation right there.
00:41:54
That is an actual HIPAA violation That is why there rules and regulations right there During this time Dr Jacobson doesn prescribe the shots only to his patient He also administers them to
00:42:06
himself. And that actually gives his patients reassurance and confidence his treatments are
00:42:11
safe. When he's like, hey, look at me right now. I'm doing it to myself. That means you're fine,
00:42:16
too. Don't believe everything doctors say back in the 60s. Okay? In this situation.
00:42:24
Listen, if you get a fair time traveler, but in May 1964, his 49-year-old wife, Nina,
00:42:32
passes away under what some believe are suspicious circumstances, believing Dr. Jacobson may have administered
00:42:37
her an accidental overdose, but no one asks any questions. Things become concerning by the late 1960s.
00:42:46
Oh, those heady late 1960s. A lot of concerning elements of that time in America.
00:42:52
That's right. So he works 24 hours a day. That's another thing is like, don't trust people who work 24 hours a day.
00:42:59
Like don't trust people who are like, I just, I can't stop working. Yeah, he can't stop working
00:43:04
because he's too high to sleep. Like that's what it's like on speed. You'd never want to sleep.
00:43:09
Yeah, that's right. Sometimes he sees as many as 30 patients a day, too many, but his business is booming,
00:43:16
but his behavior is increasingly erratic, shockingly. Needle marks on his arms make it clear
00:43:22
he's not only sampling his own product, but is likely in the grip of an addiction
00:43:25
as he relies on amphetamines to deal with his heavy workload. Patients are in his office day and night
00:43:31
waiting to see him for hours with some visiting as frequently as every day. And other doctors on the floor,
00:43:38
their businesses started getting broken into because his patients would think it was his office
00:43:43
break in in the middle of the night to try to find his medication and couldn't find it.
00:43:47
So it was just pandemonium. I mean, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, most people don't do that for vitamins.
00:43:54
No. Yeah, right. You're like, vitamin C. Or magnesium, maybe magnesium. But that's about it.
00:44:02
In 1967, Dr. Jacobson comes to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
00:44:09
What a cool name. Over the next few years, the agency periodically scrutinizes Dr. Jacobson's
00:44:15
purchase of amphetamines, but the only infringement the Bureau finds during this time is record-keeping violations
00:44:21
resulting in a compliance order in March of 1968. So they don't find anything wrong,
00:44:28
but the laws are clearly very different back then. Then on January 26th, 1969, one of Jacobson's patients,
00:44:36
47-year-old former Kennedy presidential photographer, Mark Shaw, dies suddenly at his apartment in Kips Bay.
00:44:43
You know, there's the beautiful portraits of them at Hyannis Port of the Kennedy family.
00:44:47
Those are his exclusive photos of the family. So he's their photographer. He dies at 47 years old.
00:44:56
And Dr. Jacobson tells the medical examiner that Mark had a history of heart disease
00:45:00
and suffered a fatal heart attack. He's one of Dr. Jacobson's patients. But at Mark's autopsy, there's no signs of heart disease.
00:45:08
Instead, his system is full of amphetamine residue. And his body shows signs of frequent drug injection,
00:45:16
the cause of death is acute and chronic intravenous amphetamine poisoning. Dr. Jacobson changes his story and claims Mark died from asphyxiation
00:45:25
due to vomiting after hitting his head and vomiting and falling unconscious. How many tries does he get?
00:45:31
That's a great question. Investigators want to know how and why Mark would be injected
00:45:39
with such a high amount of amphetamine that it kills him. They interview Dr. Jacobson's practice staff
00:45:45
who claim they purchase 80 grams of amphetamines a month. Listen, I'm not great at math.
00:45:51
So I'm just saying like, it sounds like a lot, but I don't know. I mean, if you want to do metric like that,
00:45:59
then I am out of the conversation. No, no. If one, if medical people are going to only talk about it in grams,
00:46:08
to me, that doesn't sound like that much. Grams always seem small. I'm going to say it like it's a big number.
00:46:13
This is administered to patients in high doses, 80 grams makes around 100 strong daily doses
00:46:22
of 25 milligrams. Okay. So that makes more sense. I do get that. It's a lot. So he's just like,
00:46:30
despite him saying like, there might be trace doses, trace amounts of amphetamines in my drugs,
00:46:35
but not a lot. Like this all blows it out the window because it's not true. Yeah.
00:46:39
Dr. Jacobson completely rejects the idea that amphetamines are addictive. Oh. In October 1969,
00:46:47
the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs seizes all controlled drugs Dr. Jacobson has in his possession.
00:46:53
He launches a civil suit against the Bureau in the federal district court. So then in September 1970,
00:47:00
an inquiry is initiated into Dr. Jacobson's activities. And then meanwhile, you know,
00:47:05
the New York Times is investigating and Truman Capote tells the newspaper that he stopped seeing Dr. Jacobson
00:47:12
after being hospitalized on one occasion and is sure he's given amphetamines without his consent.
00:47:17
He explains, quote, you feel like Superman, you're flying. Ideas come at you at the speed of light.
00:47:23
You go 72 hours straight without so much as a coffee break. You don't need sleep.
00:47:29
You don't need nourishment. Then you crash. It's like falling down a well. And then he says about Dr. Jacobson,
00:47:35
you're looking for the German mosquito, the insect with the magic pinprick. He stings you and all at once you're soaring again.
00:47:42
So he's very poetic about it being fucking amphetamines. Yeah. So former patient and prominent fashion photographer
00:47:50
Bob Richardson has a psychotic episode after Jacobson injects him with the tranquilizer, Thorazine.
00:47:56
He's admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he's diagnosed with amphetamines and stays there for the next two fucking years.
00:48:04
Oh my God. Can you imagine having a breakdown so bad that you put yourself away for two years?
00:48:09
And also like the amount they must've been taking to get like poisoning level. Horrifying.
00:48:16
It's just like such the 60s and 70s to me in my mind. It's like, they weren't just drinking.
00:48:20
They were like fucking just doing a massive amounts of legal drugs that were just totally fucking with them.
00:48:27
Yeah, and just that the experimentation experimentation, you know, all the like LSD stuff that people were doing at the time
00:48:33
became very common without anyone knowing anything about it. So there was the level of
00:48:40
experimentation and risk people were taking, but it was like, all they needed was one person
00:48:45
in a white coat with blood spatter on it to tell them this is okay. Yeah, because it's a doctor. Like they don't talk about the consequences because the doctor gave it
00:48:54
to you. Yeah. Yeah. So after the New York Times publishes its like negative investigation of
00:49:00
Dr. Jacobson, more former patients and their families speak out about the difficulties they're
00:49:05
having and trying to get the authorities to do something about Dr. Jacobson. Despite alerting
00:49:09
hospital administrators, other doctors and medical societies, they keep hitting brick walls. So no
00:49:14
one wants to fucking listen to them. Dr. Jacobson responds saying that patients who stop seeing him
00:49:20
do so because either they have a mental illness or they consume alcohol, which is one of his like,
00:49:25
you're not allowed to consume alcohol while this is happening. So yeah, it's totally their fault
00:49:30
that he's giving them tons of amphetamines. Yeah. And his own blood. And his own blood and some, what was it? Chicken bouillon? Like there was stuff in there. It was
00:49:39
like a little bit of stew, just a little bit of- His leftovers from that afternoon. Oh no.
00:49:46
It's so crazy. We all want just a simple solution to life's hardest problems. Wouldn't it be nice if just a doctor
00:49:57
in a white coat with blood spatter could just come to your house and be like, here, this is all you need.
00:50:03
V12, a little magnesium, some of my blood, like, and problem solved. And every, we all just want to go,
00:50:10
yeah, I want it to be that easy. I mean, the other day I had like a couple sips of a fucking Red Bull.
00:50:16
and my life was better, but I can't, but I know that I can't do that. You know what I mean?
00:50:22
Like, that's how, I guess that's how much smarter we are now is like, you can't just drink fucking energy drinks
00:50:28
all the time and think that you're going to be fine from it. But God, they fucking help.
00:50:32
And wouldn't my life be better if I could just have a couple sips of an energy drink
00:50:35
and be like, fine. Can I? I'm asking you if I can essentially right now. Well, you can.
00:50:41
Don't just, I don't want to be there at the downfall part Because isn't there a real, like, once you fall off any kind of energy drink cliff,
00:50:51
I think there's like the energy, you run out of energy at some point. And then you're just kind of lost.
00:50:57
Yeah. It's called adrenal fatigue, guys. They seize the remainder of his supply.
00:51:03
He claims that not all patients receive amphetamines. However, he refuses to disclose which patients he administers the drug to.
00:51:10
They don't all get it, but I'm not telling you anything. Because he doesn't know, right?
00:51:14
Right, because everyone fucking gets it probably. Also, he doesn't keep any of Kennedy's records.
00:51:22
He destroys them all after Kennedy dies. So nobody really knows what the truth is
00:51:27
about how much he was getting, about how much JFK was getting, which is really interesting.
00:51:32
But there's like certain little whistleblowers out there who have been writing memoirs about,
00:51:36
like that's how we know about all of this. Right. The New York Medical Board opens an investigation
00:51:42
into Dr. Jacobson. It discovers that in the previous five years, he's purchased at least 29.7 pounds of amphetamines.
00:51:49
Sounds like a lot. Which works out to be enough for more than 100,000 doses a year for one person.
00:51:56
Too many. Yeah. By early 1973, his practice is going through an average of 1,200 needles and more than 650 syringes per week.
00:52:07
And this was back before they recycled stuff like that. So they just went, they threw them out a side window
00:52:12
and into the East River directly It does tell you a lot that there were 650 syringes and 1200 needles which means they probably doubled up on syringes or people were getting two shots each
00:52:27
Yeah. Total, which is fucked up. You just know that something was being adjusted incorrectly or without the right thing in mind because it wasn't just what was in the IV.
00:52:40
Right. It was then the way it was administered. Oh, God. Okay, here's the grossest part.
00:52:45
When the authorities test the samples, they're found to contain, so they test what he had been giving people,
00:52:52
quote, filthy, putrid, and or decomposed substances. What? That's what was in the fucking syringes.
00:53:00
Filthy, putrid, and or decomposed substances. So, like, he wasn't even refrigerated in that shit.
00:53:08
I mean, he doesn't seem to be taking care in any meaningful way. precautions, none of them.
00:53:14
And that, I will repeat, is a HIPAA violation. The New York State Department of Education
00:53:21
and the Attorney General's Office allege 11 charges on professional conduct and fraud against Dr. Jacobson.
00:53:27
This includes failing to account for the drugs seized, illegal possession of amphetamines
00:53:31
and the distribution of misbranded and mislabeled drugs. Altogether, authorities seized enough amphetamines
00:53:37
for 44,000 doses at 15 milligrams per dose and a gallon of the sedative phenobarbital
00:53:43
around 800 doses. So like, what's up? Everyone's like, hey, we love your drug. I can't sleep.
00:53:51
Here's some phenobarbital or whatever. Good night. It's just uppers and downers.
00:53:56
They were doing that to Judy Garland since she was like 12 years old. She's on the list of patients,
00:54:01
which isn't surprising to people at all. So bad. This all makes me want to go vegan for some reason.
00:54:09
It makes me want to do drugs. I mean, vegans still do drugs, right? Oh, do they?
00:54:16
Oh, that's true. Don't they? By this time, Dr. Jacobson has remarried to a woman named Ruth
00:54:21
and their daughter is born in 1974. In April 1975, the state revokes Dr. Jacobson's medical license finally
00:54:28
and bans him from practicing. He tries to get his license back in 1979, but the medical board refuses.
00:54:35
They're like, this isn't the 60s anymore, friend. Yeah. Yeah. We know you were at the presidential inauguration.
00:54:41
but look. Enough of that. Enough. Jimmy Carter's in town and things are getting serious.
00:54:47
On December 17th of that year, 79-year-old Dr. Jacobson dies, leaving behind his widow, Ruth,
00:54:52
and their daughter and a questionable medical legacy. And actually, Dr. Jacobson
00:54:57
was the inspiration for a one-off character on the show Mad Men. He comes, this doctor comes into the ad agency
00:55:04
to give everyone energy shots when they're working on a deadline for a big account.
00:55:08
And I totally remember that. And it's based on a real character. Isn't that crazy?
00:55:12
It's amazing. That's your legacy. Sucks. One thing to come out of the publicity around Dr. Jacobson's unethical, dangerous, and addictive
00:55:19
treatments is the Controlled Substances Act. This federal law is enacted by Congress in 1970 and goes on to be enforced by the Drug
00:55:27
Enforcement Agency, which is established in 1973. So part of the reason drugs have laws around them is because Dr. Jacobson and doctors like
00:55:36
Kim, who were willy-nilly and free-nilly with drugs. Both willy and free-nilly. Free-nilly.
00:55:47
This is what I say. My favorite movie. The new law is designed to protect the public and ensure compliance of medical professionals
00:55:55
by regulating the manufacturing, importation, possession, and use and distribution of certain
00:56:02
substances. and that is all partly thanks to Dr. Feelgood, aka Dr. Max Jacobson and his lethal vitamin shots.
00:56:13
Wow. I didn't realize it was kind of down to, I mean, I'm sure it was like a trend
00:56:18
that other doctors picked up on and stuff, but like I didn't realize there was one main guy
00:56:22
that kind of was like the hookup for this super elite. Totally. I bet there's so many other doctors like that we can think.
00:56:29
Oh, absolutely. I mean I think they were all employed by the studio system from like the dawn of show business That right Yeah Comment if you a drug historian ooh is that a job Are there drug historians
00:56:42
Drug professors? That'd be fun. Comment and tell us what we got right and what we, what I got right and wrong about that.
00:56:50
And like, who else is there that we should look into? Well, the first thing people are going to let us know is that we're misusing the phrase
00:56:58
HIPAA violation. That's going to happen for sure. I don't think we are. You know what?
00:57:03
Them telling us that we are is a HIPAA violation. And I just want to say that. That's our HIPAA violation.
00:57:09
You're violating our HIPAAs by that kind of feedback. Yeah. That idea that like introducing like amphetamines
00:57:17
without people knowing it into their lives. Right. So you're getting, it is a little bit like inducing like a mental condition
00:57:27
because you're up, up, up, then you're down, down, down. Yeah. The whole cycle. and to not at least make people aware of like,
00:57:35
you don't just feel good because of vitamin B12 and zinc or whatever, you know. I mean, that feeling you get when you're up, up, up
00:57:43
is so addictive. That's exactly what it is. And so of course people are gonna, to wanna continue doing that to their own detriment.
00:57:52
That's the whole fucking point of drugs and what they do. And then to be getting them
00:57:56
from what's supposed to be a trusted source is just, is like just dark and fucked up.
00:58:02
It's horrible. And also because it's like for many people, I'm sure it was like,
00:58:06
I lost all this weight without even thinking about it. It's all that kind of thing of like the glamour.
00:58:11
Yeah. But it's so the other side of that. We say it all the time on this podcast.
00:58:16
There's no such thing as a free lunch. So if you're losing a bunch of weight that something else is going to happen,
00:58:22
there's always another side to things. There's so rarely is anything just like clean on the deal. And it's like, just because the doctor says it doesn't mean that's-
00:58:31
Second opinions. Real. Yes. Other doctors. Like, go find an angry doctor who's like, has something contrary to say
00:58:40
about it. Yeah. Jovial doctors, they'll tell you anything you want to fucking hear.
00:58:43
Get a nice old cranky doctor that knows this stuff and thinks it's bullshit. I had the best cranky doctor for a long time who would just like sit there and tell me why I was
00:58:51
wrong about something I wanted. I was just like, I like you. You're right. If you just like had said
00:58:56
yes to me about getting Xanax, I would have not trusted you anymore. So the fact that you're lecturing me
00:59:00
about why I can't have Xanax makes me like you more. Absolutely. That's the oath they take.
00:59:05
I'm pretty sure they take an oath about that. It's called a HIPAA oath, right? It's a HIPAA violation oath
00:59:10
where they promise to never violate your HIPAA and really just keep an eye out. Get your hands off my HIPAA.
00:59:16
Get out of here. All right. Should we do a couple of fucking hoorays just to end this beauty?
00:59:24
Sure. You want to go first? Do you want me to go first? I'll go first. Okay. You just talked for 40 minutes.
00:59:29
Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Let me. This is very sweet. It just says, my husband and I set up my cousin
00:59:37
and one of our good friends a couple years ago. And today, October 1st, 2022, we officiated their wedding.
00:59:45
Cheers to the newlyweds and shout out to the bride. She knows who she is if she ever catches up to this episode.
00:59:50
And then there's no name. So I guess whoever you are that got married on October 1st, 2022,
00:59:57
and you were set up by your cousin and one of your good friends, congratulations.
01:00:02
Congratulations. That's beautiful. Okay, this one says, yeah. Hello, MFM fam. Long-time listener, first-time writer.
01:00:12
I'll keep it short and sweet. After 21 years living as an undocumented American,
01:00:16
three as a resident alien, and thousands of dollars in applications, translations, and other shit,
01:00:22
I finally have my citizenship test an interview on October 25th. Fucking hooray.
01:00:28
Much love, Val. She, her. Wow, that's big. Yeah. Congratulations, Val. I didn't realize it took,
01:00:35
it takes so much. Yeah. That's really great. It's so much bigger than anyone realizes here.
01:00:42
So I think that's incredible. And what a fighter. It's awesome. Yeah. Okay, this one, it says,
01:00:50
my sister a veterinarian so too busy and too humble to share the story At her clinic a dog was brought in having an anaphylactic allergic reaction thus life breathing problems
01:01:01
The dog needed to be transported to an emergency clinic and wouldn't survive the trip.
01:01:07
So one of the vet techs, and then it says, grab your tissues, lent her oxygen tank to the dog for the trip.
01:01:14
The vet tech at the time was going through chemo and was using an oxygen tank from time to time,
01:01:20
but needed it with her in case of emergencies. So an emergency occurred and she saved the dog's life.
01:01:28
Good humans do exist. Stay sexy and I don't know, fuck cancer and save dogs. Jess.
01:01:33
Oh my God. Isn't that amazing? That's beautiful. Oh, giving. Incredible. All right, my last one.
01:01:44
Hello, my favorite people. This weekend as a 31 year old, I came out as gay for the first time
01:01:49
to my first person. I told my cousin, who was also gay, and she welcomed me with the most open arms
01:01:55
into my new life, aka the life I've been desperately wanting to live for all time.
01:02:00
I have many more people to inform, and that prospect terrifies me, but I've taken the first step,
01:02:06
and I am damn proud. Fucking hooray for being who you were meant to be. Love and appreciate you for everything, Kate.
01:02:14
Congratulations, Kate. Congratulations, Kate. What a beautiful thing, and how lucky, Kate, you are to have a cousin to go to.
01:02:22
That's right. That's right. That's beautiful. Good luck and congratulations. I love that all of our fucking hoorays are people who are like,
01:02:28
here's the strongest thing I've ever done in my life. And here's what a badass I am.
01:02:33
Those are like the best fucking hoorays we get. For real. There's so many great ones.
01:02:37
Thanks, you guys, for sending them in. And thanks for listening this week. Georgia did all the work.
01:02:41
I just got to riff and talk about, you know, HIPAA laws, which is my passion. That's right.
01:02:47
But we really appreciate you being here with us. You do. And, you know, stay sexy.
01:02:52
And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? This has been an Exactly Right production.
01:03:07
Our senior producer is Hannah Kyle Crichton. Our producer is Alejandra Keck. This episode was engineered and mixed by Stephen Ray Morris.
01:03:14
Our researchers are Maren McClashen and Gemma Harris. Email your hometowns and fucking hoorays to myfavoritemurder at gmail.com.
01:03:22
Follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at My Favorite Murder and Twitter at My Fave Murder.
01:03:27
Goodbye. Identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Dani Shapiro, and these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets.
01:03:55
He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off, and that was the last time I saw him.
01:04:02
Listen to season 14 of Family Secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
01:04:09
This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security,
01:04:20
one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world. The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS
01:04:26
and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
01:04:37
Before NXIVM, Nancy Solzman wanted to help people. Being able to help somebody, it's probably the biggest motivator of my entire life.
01:04:47
She trained in something called neuro-linguistic programming. People loved our training.
01:04:52
Then, everything changed. Yeah, and they called it a cult. How does a method designed to improve lives end up in a cult?
01:05:00
A knife in the hands of a surgeon is an amazing tool. A knife in the hands of a murderer is a weapon.
01:05:06
Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.