MAHA Moms, Measles and Medical History with Dr. Bethany Johnson

Making It Awkward

Jessica Wilson is joined by medical historian Dr. Bethany Johnson of University of South Carolina* to talk everything measles: their history, what we should know, what won’t treat them, and what happens after someone has them. Bethany gets deep into the medical history of measles and mumps outbreaks and the two talk about RFK’s claim that everyone got measles when he was a kid and it all worked out fine. Bethany also deconstructs RFK’s cocktail for treating the Texas outbreak. She invites RFK to put his immunity where his mouth is and will definitely be back on the show to talk more about medical history.

*Jessica said University of Southern California even though she read Bethany's bio word for word and listened to the intro like 5 times. Sorry Bethany!

Dr. Robert Lustig episode about eugenics

Bethany’s book!

Links from Bethany:

Building the Worlds that Kill Us, by David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz

Marketplace of the Marvelous, Erika Janik

Pale Rider by Laura Spinney

Good follows:

@sciencewhizliz [Who she mentioned]

@laurel_bristow

@raventhesciencemaven [A scientist who also had long COVID]

@epidemiologistkat

@unbiascedsciencepod

A quick look at the history of measles vaccine policy

Also, here's a great infographic series from @unbiascedsciencepod about how contracting measles is not, in fact, a good thing

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You can contact the show at [email protected]

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You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies