1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey guys, the show's currently on break until 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: the new year, but we've got plenty of classic episodes 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: to tide you over. Enjoy this trip through the show's 5 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: own history, and I'll see you back here on January 6 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: second with a batch of brand new episodes. See you 7 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: in the new year. Welcome to This Day in History 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: Class from how Stuff Works dot com and from the 9 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: desk of Stuff You Missed in History Class. It's the 10 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:28,479 Speaker 1: show where we explore the past, one day at a 11 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: time with a quick look at what happened today in history. Hi, 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: this is Holly Fry. I am sitting in for Tracy V. 13 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: Wilson this week. It's December, and on this day in 14 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty four, the first successful living donor kidney transplantation 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: was completed. Twenty three year old Richard Herrick, freshly discharged 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: from the Coast Guard, was diagnosed with serious kidney inflammation 17 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: called chronic nephritis. On October nineteen fifty four. He was 18 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: for to Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 19 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: where a team led by surgeon and Professor Joseph Murray 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: and doctor John Merrill had been working on the idea 21 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: of kidney transplants. Medically, Richard Herrick was a very good 22 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: candidate for transplant because he had an identical twin brother 23 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: who had two healthy kidneys. Behaviorally, it was a slightly 24 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: different story. Richard was a difficult patient. There was concerned 25 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: that he might not be the right fit for this 26 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: kind of surgery. But a psychiatrist named Dr. E. M. 27 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: Kudaruskus evaluated Richard's behavior and he actually came to the 28 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: conclusion that the patient was exhibiting signs of toxic psychosis. Basically, 29 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: Richard's infection and the toxic agents in his body were 30 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: causing all of that bad behavior. So they decided that 31 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: they would go forward. And the team also had to 32 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: be very sensitive to the psychological ramifications of asking a 33 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: healthy man his brother to give up one of his kidneys. 34 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,279 Speaker 1: The chief of psychiatry at the hospital was very aware 35 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: that there was an ethical issue in the mix as well, 36 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: and he wrote in the patient record quote, I think 37 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: we have to be careful not to be too much 38 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: swayed by our eagerness to carry out a kidney transplant 39 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: successfully for the first time. I e. To succeed in 40 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: having it take permanently. It seems to me furthermore, that 41 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: the potential recipient's mental state is a subsidiary issue. The 42 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: important question would seem to be whether we as physicians 43 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: have the right to put the healthy twin under the 44 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: pressure of being asked whether he is willing to make 45 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: this sacrifice. I do not feel that we have this 46 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: right in view of the potential danger to the healthy twin, 47 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: as well as the uncertainty of the outcome for this patient. 48 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: But even as this issue of ethics was being really 49 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: carefully and thoughtfully examined during November of nine, time was 50 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: kind of ussuring things along because Richard's health was rapidly declining, 51 00:02:57,760 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: and so the longer the medical team wrestled with their 52 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: ideology and the philosophy behind asking a healthy man to 53 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: give up part of his body to save his brother, 54 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,679 Speaker 1: the worst Richard's chances got. Ronald, after thinking it through, 55 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: eventually decided that he was in fact willing to donate 56 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: one of his kidneys to his brother, and everything seemed 57 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: to be going along just fine. But at the last 58 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: minute it was actually Richard who tried to put a 59 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: stop to things. The night before the surgery was to 60 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: take place. He sent a note to his brother telling 61 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: him to go home, but Ronald replied with a note 62 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: of his own and said simply, I am here and 63 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: I am going to stay. Before the operation with the 64 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: Herrick brothers, there was a test run of the entire 65 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: procedure on December on a fresh canaver, and once this 66 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: rehearsal was completed, the live procedure was scheduled. So on 67 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: December fIF am the operation began. The donor team was 68 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: in one operating room and the recipient team was in 69 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: the adjacent operating room. The Brigham kidney transplant team was 70 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: comprised of doctor John P. Merrill, who was Head of Nephrology, 71 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: j Hartwell Harrison, Chief of Neurology, Gustav Dammon, Pathologist in chief, 72 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: and Joseph E. Murray. The severed, healthy kidney was transferred 73 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: from the donor operating room to the recipient operating room 74 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: at nine thirty five am. The operation was completed at 75 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: eleven fifteen as clamps were removed and blood flow was 76 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:27,599 Speaker 1: restored to the transplanted organ, and the urinary flow began immediately. 77 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: It is considered the first successful organ transplant. Richard lived 78 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: for eight years after this surgery, and in that time 79 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: he actually got married to one of the nurses that 80 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: he met in the recovery room, and the couple had 81 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: two children. His brother, Ronald, lived the age of seventy nine. 82 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 1: He died in fifty six years after donating his kidney 83 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: to his brother and making history in the process. Joseph E. 84 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: Murray was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 85 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: in nineteen He died in late twelve at the age 86 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: of Today, more than thirty thousand organ transplants are performed 87 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: in the United States each year, and more than half 88 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: of those are kidney transplants. Thanks for today's episode goes 89 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: to Eve's Jeff Cote who worked on research for this 90 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: casey Pegram and Chandler Mains for their work on the 91 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: audio for the episode. And uh, you should subscribe to 92 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, which you can do on 93 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: Apple Podcast, the I Heart Radio app, or wherever you 94 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. Tomorrow, we're going to delve into the 95 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: story behind one of these standard songs of Christmas. Hey, y'all, 96 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: I'm Eves and welcome to This Day in History Class, 97 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: where we uncover a new layer of history every day. 98 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: The day was December two, seventy two, days after Euroguaine 99 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: Air Force Flight five seventy one crashed into the Andes. 100 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: The final survivors were rescued. On October twelfth, nineteen seventy two, 101 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: a twin turboprop fair Child f H two seven left 102 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: Carrasco International Airport in monte Video and was headed to Santiago. 103 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: There were forty passengers and five crew members on the flight, 104 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,719 Speaker 1: which was carrying a Uruguay rugby team that was said 105 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: to play a match in the Chilean capital. Julio Ferradas 106 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: was the commander on the flight and Dante etre La 107 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: Garrada was the co pilot. The trip would take them 108 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: over the Andes Mountains, which could be a difficult area 109 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: to traverse, and that day the weather was pour over 110 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: the Andes, so the flight had to stop in Mendoza, Argentina. 111 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: The plane left Mendoza the next day, though the weather 112 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: was still not ideal. Ferradras had experienced flying over the Andes, 113 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: but the fair Child plane could only ascend so high. 114 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: The flight had to go over a passed with lower 115 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: peaks called the plancheon pass. Co pilot lag Dada was 116 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: flying the plane as Colonel Ferrara's trained him. Lag Dada 117 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: directed the plane toward Maladway on the way to plant 118 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: and Pass, but by the time the flight had reached 119 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: the pass, cloud cover had not lifted. At PM, lagur 120 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: Dada radio the Santiago Airport and told them he was 121 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: flying over Planton and would be at the land town 122 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: Currico Soon. Minutes later, they said they had reached Currico 123 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: and air traffic control authorized them to descend. The plane descended, 124 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: but as it went into the clouds, it started shaking 125 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: and soon hit a strong downward air current. The plane 126 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 1: dropped thousands of feet and soon the plane crashed into 127 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: the mountain, ripping off a wing and separating the tail 128 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: and a rear portion of the fuselage from the plane. 129 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: Several passengers died in the collision. Some people who survived 130 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: and crash landed began helping passing ers who were hurt. 131 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: Others had lost consciousness. Over the next several days, more 132 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: passengers died. Search and rescue teams were sent out to 133 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: the andies not long after the plane went missing, but 134 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: rescuers did not know exactly where the plane crashed and 135 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: it was hard to see the downed plane in the snow. 136 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: Eight days after it began, the official search was called off. 137 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: The passengers managed to find a radio and discovered that 138 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: the search had ended. They were discouraged, but passenger Gustavo 139 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: Nikolich told people that they would make it out on 140 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 1: their own. They did what they could to survive. They 141 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: used the fuselage as a shelter, and they made sun 142 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:46,319 Speaker 1: advisors from the plane into sunglasses to prevent snowblindness. All 143 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: the while, more passengers died. Food was scarce, so the 144 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: survivors decided to begin eating the dead to stay alive, 145 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: and on October nine, tragedy struck again when an avalanche 146 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: the fuselage and killed more people. So the survivors decided 147 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: they would hike out of the Andes to search for help. 148 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: Nando Perado and Roberto Carnessa eventually ran into a few men, 149 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: one of whom was Sergio Catalan. Catalan gave them food 150 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 1: and then told officials that survivors were still in the mountains. 151 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: The two of them were rescued by helicopter on December 152 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: twenty one, and by all the survivors were rescued sixteen 153 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: people survived the disaster. The press jumped on the story 154 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: of the crash, and in the following years, books, films, 155 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: and TV shows recounted the disaster. I'm Eve Steffcote and 156 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 157 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you've seen any good history means lately, 158 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 1: you can send them to us on social media at 159 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: t d I h C Podcast, or if you are 160 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,839 Speaker 1: so inclined, you can send us a message at this 161 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks again for listening. 162 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: We'll see the same place tomorrow. Hello, and welcome to 163 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a show that strives to 164 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: know at least a little bit more about history every day. 165 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: I'm Gabelusier and in this episode we're talking about a 166 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: strange incident in the often tragic life of Impressionist painter 167 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: Vincent van Gogh. The topic hinges on an instance of 168 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: self harm, which some listeners may find disturbing. If that's you, 169 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: maybe give this episode a pass or circle back when 170 00:10:51,040 --> 00:11:04,079 Speaker 1: you feel better prepared. The day was just member. Dutch 171 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: painter Vincent van Gogh mutilated his own left ear with 172 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:13,439 Speaker 1: a razor blade while living in Oral, France. The most 173 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: widely accepted account is that Van Gogh experienced a manic 174 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: episode after getting in an argument with his fellow artist 175 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: and housemate, Paul go Gone. Historians have discussed the nature 176 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 1: of Van Gogh's unstable mental health for over a century, 177 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: but with little evidence to go on, they haven't come 178 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: to a firm conclusion. What we know for certain is 179 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: that the artist wrestled with severe depression, that he consumed 180 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: paint and other chemicals, and that he sometimes saw and 181 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: heard things that weren't really there. Today, Vincent Willem van 182 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 1: Gogh is one of the most popular artists of all time, 183 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: and his paintings, now worth millions, are on display at 184 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: the finest museums throughout the world. Unfortunately, as is often 185 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 1: the case, the artist never saw any of that success. 186 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: In his lifetime. He sold very few of his works 187 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:16,319 Speaker 1: and largely depended on his younger brother Theo for financial support. 188 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: Van Gogh decided to be an artist in eighteen eighty, 189 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: at the age of twenty seven. Prior to that, he 190 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 1: had worked as an art dealer for a gallery and 191 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: as a preacher ministering to impoverish miners in Belgium. In 192 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty one, he received painting and drawing lessons from 193 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: his uncle, an accomplished artist named Anton Mauve. Van Gogh's 194 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: early work drew inspiration from his experiences with the peasant 195 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: families he had met in the mining village. As a result, 196 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 1: the paintings from this period tend to be darker toned 197 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: and more somber than the bright, vivid scenes that appear 198 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 1: in his most famous works. In eighteen eighty six, Van 199 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 1: Gogh moved to Paris, where he began developing his well 200 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: known style. The hectic life of a modern city inspired 201 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: the artist to experiment with bright colors and short brush strokes, 202 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: as well as more upbeat subjects like cafes and floral 203 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: still lifes. Artistically, van Gogh was making great strides, but 204 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: financially he remained dependent on his brother Theo, who worked 205 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 1: in Paris as the manager of an art gallery. After 206 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: two years there, the bustle of city life and its 207 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 1: expense got to be too much for Van Gogh. He 208 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: longed for a change of scenery, so in February of 209 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty eight, he boarded a train and traveled to Arl, 210 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 1: a small town in the south of France. Van Gogh 211 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: rented several rooms in a big yellow house and quickly 212 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: fell in love with his new surroundings. He painted scenes 213 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: of the try Side, like blossoming orchards and field workers 214 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: gathering the harvest, as well as vibrant still lifes, including 215 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:13,359 Speaker 1: his famous sunflower series. His style became lighter and more expressive, 216 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: a drastic change from the somber tones of his early 217 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: work life and are all not only improved Van Gogh's productivity, 218 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 1: but his ambition as well. He wrote to THEO about 219 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: his desire to establish what he called a studio of 220 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: the South. The idea was basically to set up an 221 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 1: artist's colony in Arl, where he and others could live 222 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: and produce work for THEO to sell in Paris. THEO 223 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: was supportive of his brother's idea and even arranged for 224 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: Paul Gogan to travel to Orl as a kind of 225 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: test run for the colony. Gogan arrived in late October 226 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: of and things started out pretty well. He and Van 227 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: Gogh worked enthusiasts stically and even painted each other's portraits. Still, 228 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: the men had very different views on art, which often 229 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: led to heated arguments. The growing tension came to a 230 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: head on December twenty three, when Van Gogh threatened his 231 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: friend with a razor before ultimately turning it on himself. 232 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: The facts of the ear incident have become muddled over time. 233 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: Alternate accounts exist for virtually every detail of the story, 234 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: including why Van go chopped off his ear in the 235 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: first place, how much of it he actually chopped off, 236 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: and what he did with it afterward. Let's take those 237 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: one at a time, starting with the artist's motive. Most 238 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 1: accounts suggest Van Gogh's mania was triggered by Paul Gogan 239 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: threatening to leave the house in Arl. However, some Van 240 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: go experts have recently suggested that the artist took a 241 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: razor to his ear after learning that his brother, Theo, 242 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,440 Speaker 1: had gotten engaged. The presumption is that Van Gogh would 243 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: have felt threatened by his brother's relationship, perhaps fearing that 244 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 1: marriage would leave Theo with less time, energy, and money 245 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 1: to devote to Van Gogh's projects. Historians previously thought that 246 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: the artist only learned of the marriage after he cut 247 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: his ear. However, new evidence suggests that he actually heard 248 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: the news on the same day that he fought with 249 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: Gogan and then mutilated his ear. According to author and 250 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: Van Gogh's specialist, Martin Bailey quote, it was fear that 251 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: pulled the trigger and led to the breakdown, fear of 252 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: being abandoned in both an emotional and financial way. As 253 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: for the severity of the wound, some say just the 254 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: lower ear lobe was severed, while others insisted was almost 255 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 1: the entire appendage. Van Gogh later documented the ordeal in 256 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: a pair of self portraits, but in both them his 257 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: ear is bandaged, so it's hard to tell how much 258 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: is missing. Other evidence is just as ambiguous. For instance, 259 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: a letter written by the doctor who first treated the 260 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:17,440 Speaker 1: wound contained a sketch showing the ear had been completely detached. However, 261 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: a different doctor who tended to Van go two years 262 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: later also made a sketch of the ear, and his 263 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 1: showed that just the ear lobe had been severed. Why 264 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: the medical drawings are so different is one of the 265 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,920 Speaker 1: many mysteries that still surrounds the event. Lastly, let's look 266 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,840 Speaker 1: at what happened to the ear itself. According to earlier reports, 267 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:44,120 Speaker 1: later that evening Van go wrapped his severed ear in newspaper, 268 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: walked to a brothel in the nearby red light district 269 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: and presented it to a sex worker named Rachel. Remarkably, 270 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 1: the only part of that story that's been questioned is 271 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: the name and occupation of the poor girl who got 272 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 1: stuck with the ear. According to research by Bernadette Murphy, 273 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: another author and van Gogh's scholar, the unlucky recipient was 274 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 1: actually an eighteen year old girl named Gabrielle Berleteer who 275 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,679 Speaker 1: worked at the brothel as a maid. Murphy also found 276 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: evidence that the girl worked a second job at a 277 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: cafe where Van Gogh frequently hung out. This suggests that 278 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: he didn't give her his ear by chance, though any 279 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: intended significance, as well as what she did with it, 280 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: remain unknown. The morning after the incident, Van Gogh was 281 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: admitted to the local hospital, where he remained for about 282 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: two weeks. When he was discharged in January of eighteen 283 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: eighty nine, the artist had little recollection. Of cutting his ear, 284 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,919 Speaker 1: he resumed painting, but in the months that followed his 285 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: mood fluctuated wildly. Fearing another mental crisis, van Gogh decided 286 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: to voluntarily admit himself to a psychiatric hospital in May. 287 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,880 Speaker 1: He continued painting throughout his one years stay, and despite 288 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,880 Speaker 1: his illness, he produced some of his most famous works 289 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: during this time, including Irises and Starry Night. In May 290 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 1: of eighteen ninety, Van Gogh left the mental hospital and 291 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: moved to an artist's village near Paris. He found peace 292 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: there for a time, but by mid July his illness 293 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: and concern for the future became too much for him 294 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:34,719 Speaker 1: to bear. On July, he shot himself in a wheat 295 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: field and died two days later at the age of 296 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: thirty seven. The artists left behind a large body of work, 297 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 1: more than eight hundred and fifty paintings and nearly thirteen 298 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: hundred drawings. His genius was recognized posthumously, and today he's 299 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: remembered not only as the troubled man who cut off 300 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,360 Speaker 1: his ear, but as one of the most gifted artists 301 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: the world has ever known. I'm Gay Bluesier and hopefully 302 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:08,640 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 303 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with 304 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and 305 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 1: Instagram at t d i HC Show. You can also 306 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and you can 307 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: write to us at this Day at I heart media 308 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays, for producing the show, 309 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,360 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 310 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in history class. For more 311 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 312 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.