Okay so... you guys, we are counting down the ten worst medical procedures in history — the ones that were once completely standard, doctor-recommended, here-take-two-and-call-me-in-the-morning normal — and are now the stuff of absolute nightmares. This is Part 1: numbers 10 through 6, and we are not easing you in gently.

We're talking bloodletting and the golden age of leeches, lobotomies as a wellness trend, deliberately giving people malaria to cure syphilis (yes, on purpose), milk transfusions that went exactly as well as you'd think, and the kind of historical "innovation" that makes you deeply grateful for the modern waiting room. Along the way: the surprisingly dark origins of the nose job, the ancient art of drilling holes in skulls, and a few procedures so unhinged we had to stop and read the source twice.

It's gruesome, it's a little funny, it's a lot of "how did anyone survive the year 1700" — classic MACABRE.

But here's the thing. The top 5 — the genuinely worst of the worst, including a certain centrifugal childbirth contraption we're not even going to name out loud here — those live behind the curtain. To get the full countdown, including #5 through #1, join us on Patreon or become a paid Spotify subscriber. Same dark stories, zero ads, and you keep this whole macabre operation running. The light's on. Come find out what we left in the dark.

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Spotify Exclusive subscribers get ad-free episodes, early access, and bonus content you won’t hear anywhere else.

Want even more? Patreon members unlock additional bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early releases, and exclusive MACABRE perks.

Have a story you want us to tell?📩 Send it to thatssomacabre@gmail.com

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And don’t forget to grab your MACABRE merch at🖤 www.gothiccthreads.com

Your heart stops. You float above your own body. You watch doctors try to bring you back. Then you wake up and describe things you shouldn't have been able to see.

This has been reported for thousands of years. Ancient Greece. Battlefields. Modern ICU units. Same experience. Every culture. Every century.

Halley and Blaire cover the full history of out of body experiences — from the ancient world to the AWARE II study, a peer-reviewed resuscitation study that tested whether consciousness survives after the heart stops. We present both sides: the believers who say this is proof of something beyond the brain, and the skeptics who say the brain is just doing what brains do when they're dying.

Loving MACABRE?

If you think we’ve earned your 5 star review…we would “spoop” our pants if you share your raving review on your favorite podcast platform

Want More?

Spotify Exclusive subscribers get ad-free episodes, early access, and bonus content you won’t hear anywhere else.

Want even more? Patreon members unlock additional bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early releases, and exclusive MACABRE perks.

Have a story you want us to tell?📩 Send it to thatssomacabre@gmail.com

Want to connect with fellow listeners?Join our private Facebook group: Macabre Podcast

And don’t forget to grab your MACABRE merch at🖤 www.gothiccthreads.com

SOURCES :

• Journal of Near-Death Studies
• International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS)
• University of Virginia Division of Perceptual Studies
• Light and Death by Michael Sabom

Modern Near-Death / OBE Cases

• Maria's "Shoe on the Ledge" Case (Seattle, 1977)

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc798924/m2/1/high_res_d/vol25-no4-245.pdf

• Al Sullivan – "Surgeon Flapping His Arms Like Wings"

https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/wp-content/uploads/sites/360/2017/01/STE50-Omega-1999-2000-NDE-paper.pdf

• Pam Reynolds (Singer/Songwriter With Brain Aneurysm)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pam_Reynolds_case

We just did our FIRST LIVE SHOW and we're still not okay about it. 💀 Blaire and Halley traveled to haunted Jacksonville, Oregon for the Southern Oregon True Crime Summit and honestly...They left a piece of their souls there. Possibly literally, because that hotel was HAUNTED. The recap: 🎙️ We performed live on a stage in front of actual human beings who knew our names and laughed at our jokes. Three years ago we started this podcast and now people are showing up. IN PERSON. We're still processing. 🍷 Oregon wine country did not disappoint. We ate, we drank, we toured, we pretended to be sophisticated women who don't spend their weekends researching medieval cesspits for a living but we made sure people knew about it. 👻 Our hotel was genuinely haunted.

For all of you PATREON/ Macabba Hotties and Spotify Exclusive Feed Subscribers...watch for the live show recording to drop soon! We love you, we thank you and we see you!

You are the reason we do this. This won't be our last live show. Not even close. We're already planning what's next. If you were there — thank you. Genuinely. If you weren't — we're coming for your city next. New episodes back on our regular Monday drops starting next week. We've got some UNHINGED content coming and we cannot wait to share it with you.

☠️ Here's to fighting the morbs. ☠️

#macabrepodcast #darkhistory #liveshow #podcastlife #jacksonvilleoregon #truecrimesummit #hauntedhotel #oregonwine #meetingfans #podcastcommunity