#44: Which Will Kill You Faster?
Hey, if it works, it works. The concept of treating syphilis with malaria, which won Julius Wagner-Jauregg a Nobel Prize, feels like a plot twist in a medical drama. This risky strategy hinged on the high fevers produced by malaria, potentially killing the syphilis bacteria.
It was less ‘brilliant’ and more ‘last resort,’ a desperate measure before the era of antibiotics. While it did see some success, calling it brilliant is indeed a stretch, reflecting a time when medicine was as much about experimentation as it was about treatment. It’s a stark reminder of how far we’ve come in medical science.