Sawbones: Lethal Injection

Episode 596

6th October 2026

The United States public opinion on the death penalty has waxed and waned so much that its use is on a state-by-state basis, nearly dividing the country in half. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the history of capital punishment in the United States, the various methods and the varied involvements of the medical community, and share thoughts on what, considering recent events, should be in the future.

Episode notes

The United States public opinion on the death penalty has waxed and waned so much that its use is on a state-by-state basis, nearly dividing the country in half. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the history of capital punishment in the United States, the various methods and the varied involvements of the medical community, and share thoughts on what, considering recent events, should be in the future.

Music: “Medicines” by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Center for Reproductive Rights: https://reproductiverights.org/

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About the show

Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin welcome you to Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine. Every Friday, they dig through the annals of medical history to uncover all the odd, weird, wrong, dumb and just gross ways we’ve tried to fix people over the years. Educational? You bet! Fun? We hope!

Send topic suggestions to sawbones@maximumfun.org and follow @Sawbones on Twitter.

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