30 Morbid Minutes

A sky burial is a funerary practice in which the body of a deceased person is prepared, placed, and left exposed in a place of high elevation so that vultures and other scavenging birds will consume it and carry the deceased's soul to the heavens. In this episode we explore the history and theological origins of sky burials, who practices it, and why this unique burial rite is in decline.

Bills of Mortality originated in the late sixteenth century as a way for parish networks to track weekly plague outbreaks. Eventually, over time, this medical journal evolved to become a standard practice, documenting annual mortality statistics. Much of the terminology and disease nomenclature used is now considered vastly outdated by today's medical standards. In this episode, Elyse and Jessica go through the list of causes of death, trying to explain and translate with historical context.

There are over 200 known cases where people have been found burned to death with no discernible cause. These cases have contributed to the theory of spontaneous human combustion, the idea that a person can catch fire and burn alive with no external ignition source. And, while it's regarded as a pseudoscience by the field at large, large enforcement and coroners around the world still use spontaneous human combustion as an official cause of death. We try to separate fact from fiction in this burning mystery, examining theories like the "wick effect."

From dress fires to corrosive skin treatments, the women living during the nineteenth century subjected themselves to harmful and horrific procedures, all in the pursuit of a warped beauty influenced by the Tuberculosis-inspired "Consumptive Chic" look. We explore the fashion and beauty trends that were not only toxic, but sometimes deadly.

Some of England's worst criminals met their end at the Tyburn Gallows, an infamous site at which the public could purchase tickets to attend executions. This episode explores the origins of hanging-style executions, the different methods, how the act has evolved, the theatrics behind the practice, and how – at least in England – capital punishment has since come to be abolished.

Our "biggest" episode yet, covering all things GIANTS. We learn how classical cultures and folklore embraced the myths and fantastical stories of giant, flesh-eating, humans; debunk archaeology's infamous giant skeleton hoaxes; and investigate real life gigantism as a medical anomaly.

Today, electroconvulsive therapy is still used to treat those struggling with severe depression, bipolar II, schizophrenia, and other treatment-resistant disorders. An estimated 100,000 people are treated annually across the U.S. Nevertheless, ECT carries stigmas due to its tarnished and sordid history, marred by inhumane and forced procedures, torture, and wild experimentation. We investigate ECT’s controversial past, how the practice has been abused, and how it’s evolved since.

Investigating the dark meaning and macabre origins behind several classic children's nursery rhymes.