1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: In Greek mythology, the fall of Icarus represents the dangers 7 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: of overconfidence, also known as hubris. As the legend goes, 8 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: Icarus and his father were imprisoned on the island of Crete. 9 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: In an attempt to escape, they built two sets of 10 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: wax wings, which would allow them to fly off the 11 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: island towards freedom. At first, their journey was going smoothly, 12 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: but Icarus got cocky. He rose higher and higher into 13 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: the sky, flying so close to the sun that his 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: wings melted. He fell into the ocean and drowned, a 15 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: victim of his own hubris. The lesson is clear, overconfidence 16 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: can lead to disaster. Unfortunately, it seems that Alexander Bogdanov, 17 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: sometimes called the Icarus of hematology, did not get the memo. 18 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: Alexander was born in Russia in eighteen seventy three. He 19 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: was prolific at well, almost everything. Actually, he was an 20 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: ardent socialist who rose through Russia's political ranks. He was 21 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: a science fiction writer who penned tales about utopian societies. 22 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: He was a poet, a philosopher, and a teacher. As 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: if all of that wasn't enough, he was also a physician. 24 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: During World War One, Alexander served as a doctor in 25 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: the Russian Army. Much of his job involved giving blood 26 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: transfusions to wounded soldiers. Now, it's important to point out 27 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: that at this point in history, hematology or the science 28 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: of blood, was fairly new. Scientists had just recently figured 29 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: out about blood types. You've probably heard of these before, 30 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: But to put a simple every human's blood falls into 31 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: certain categories. We label these with letters AB and O 32 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: and either a positive or a negative sign. Knowing a 33 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: person's blood type is integral to performing a safe and 34 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: effective transfusion. Alexander got a lot of practice doing transfusions 35 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: during World War One. When he returned home after the war, 36 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: he continued studying hematology, and he came up with some 37 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: ideas that were a bit well out there. You see, 38 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: Alexander believe that blood transfusions might be the key to immortality, 39 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: or at least they might be able to reverse aging. 40 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: This was a particular interest to Alexander because in the 41 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties he was around fifty years old. He was 42 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: going through all the normal things that fifty year olds do. 43 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: His hair was thinning, his vision was getting worse, and 44 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: he didn't quite feel as spry and energetic as he 45 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: did in decades past. He wanted to get back some 46 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: of his youthful spirit, and so he figured why not 47 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: do an experiment on himself. He managed to get eleven 48 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: of his younger students to voluntarily donate blood to him. 49 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: Then he transfused these donations into his own body, essentially 50 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: trying to replace his quote unquote older blood with newer blood. 51 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,119 Speaker 1: And just to be clear, nobody had ever really done 52 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: this before. Alexander was taking a huge risk assuming that 53 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 1: transfusing pints upon pints of blood wouldn't have any adverse effects, 54 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: and at first it didn't. Alexander actually thought that his 55 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: weird experiment was working. He reported that his hair was 56 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: coming back and thicker, his eyesight seemed to be improving, 57 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: and he felt happier and more energetic than he had 58 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: in years now. Clearly Alexander was not considering the placebo effect. 59 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: These supposed changes weren't quantifiable, they were just self reported. Nevertheless, 60 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: he was totally convinced, and so were many of his 61 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: friends and students. They told him the blood transfusions made 62 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: him look ten years younger. So Alexander kept up with 63 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: this vampiric routine, filling his veins with the blood of 64 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: younger men. You might say that he was wearing wax 65 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: wings and flying dangerously close to the sun. In April 66 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: of nineteen twenty eight, Alexander's hubris became his downfall. He 67 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: obtained a blood sample from a student and transfused it 68 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: into his own body. Little did he know that student 69 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: had malaria. Alexander had accidentally infected himself with one of 70 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: the most dangerous diseases in the world. The student who 71 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: gave the blood sample survived, but Alexander did not. He 72 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: passed away that same month, going down in history as 73 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: the Icarus of hematology. It was a tragic ending for 74 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: a truly impressive man, but at least he taught us 75 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: all a lesson. Aging is inevitable, so you might as 76 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:54,799 Speaker 1: well embrace that bald spot every superhero has an origin 77 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: story right. Spider Man got his powers when he was 78 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: bitten by a radioactive arachnid. The Hulk's transformation was triggered 79 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: by gamma rays, and the Flash gained super speed after 80 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: being struck by lightning. When it comes to strange beginnings, though, 81 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: James Harrison is different, that's because he's not a storybook character. 82 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: He's a real man who's credited with saving over two 83 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 1: point four million lives, and he got his superpower when 84 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: he was just fourteen years old. At the time, it 85 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: was nineteen fifty one and James had just fallen ill 86 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: with a severe respiratory condition. He was so sick that 87 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 1: his parents rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent 88 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 1: major chest surgery. He had to have one of his 89 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: lungs completely removed to make it through the operation, James 90 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: received multiple blood transfusions, totally about two gallons. After three 91 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: months of recovery, James was okay, but he never forgot 92 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: his near death experience. He knew that without those blood 93 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: transfusions he wouldn't have survived, and he wanted to pay 94 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 1: it forward. As soon as he turned eighteen, he approached 95 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 1: the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and asked to make 96 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: a donation. This was a big deal for James. Even 97 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: after the surgery that he'd been through, he was scared 98 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 1: of needles. He looked the other direction as the nurse 99 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: stuck the sharp tip into his vein. He kept his 100 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: eyes averted until a full pint of his blood had 101 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: dripped into the donation bag and the nurse replaced the 102 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: needle with a band aid. Shortly after, the Australian Red 103 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: Cross Blood Service tested James's blood. This was standard procedure 104 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 1: to make sure that the donation was safe to be 105 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: given to a patient. But when they looked at James's blood, 106 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: they realized something incredible. It was full of rare antibodies 107 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 1: known as reesus d immune globulin or anti D. Okay, 108 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: this is where it gets a little complicated, so just 109 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 1: stick with me here. You know how, when we talk 110 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: about blood types, we say that someone is positive or negative. 111 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: What we're really saying is that someone's blood either does 112 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: or does not contain a protein called reesus. Our blood 113 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,359 Speaker 1: type is determined before we're even born. Now, when a 114 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: person with Reese's negative blood is pregnant, the fetus might 115 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: have the same blood type. In that case, everything is fine. However, 116 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: sometimes the fetus can develop reesu's positive blood. This is 117 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: called reesis incompatibility. When it happens, the pregnant person's body 118 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: can have an immune reaction that creates the antibodies known 119 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: as anti D. These targets and attack the fetus's blood cells, 120 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: which can lead to birth effects or even miscarriage. For 121 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: most of human history, doctors didn't have any way to 122 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: treat reesus incompatibility. Tens of thousands of babies died from 123 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: the disorder every year, and then in the early nineteen sixties, 124 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: researchers learned that anti D can be used to create 125 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: a vaccine. It's kind of like how the flu shot works. 126 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: Scientists can take the antibody, alter it slightly and then 127 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: inject it into the pregnant person's body, and then this 128 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: stops the blood cells from attacking their babies. It's a 129 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: great solution. The problem is the only way to get 130 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: anti D is through blood donors and it's incredibly rare, 131 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: and that's where James Harrison comes in. James is one 132 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: of an estimated fifty people in Australia whose blood contains 133 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: anti D, and he has it in remarkable levels, like 134 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: his body is just overflowing with the stuff. It's believed 135 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: that during his lung surgery, James received a transfusion of 136 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: blood that was incompatible with his own, leading his body 137 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: to start producing anti d in record amounts. It's like 138 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: a superhero origin story. A medical mistake gave a man 139 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: life saving powers. Beginning at eighteen years old, James donated 140 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: blood or plasma once a week. He sat down and 141 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: turned his eyes away from the needle one one hundred 142 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: and seventy three times. He became known as the Man 143 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 1: with a Golden Arm. James retired from giving blood in 144 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, at eighty one years old. Doctors estimate that 145 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: over the course of his sixty three year career, he 146 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: saved the lives of at least two point four million children. 147 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 1: And if that isn't heroic, I don't know what is. 148 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's Guided to you were of 149 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 150 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 151 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey 152 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award 153 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 154 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: and television show and you can learn all about it 155 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, 156 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: stay curious.