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The Clinical Etymologist is a podcast devoted to curiosity, lifelong learning, and the quiet joy of medicine. Hosted by Dr. Kim—a general internist and self-appointed Clinical Etymologist—each episode explores the words we use in medicine to diagnose, to heal, and to make sense of the human condition. With a blend of language, history, clinical insight, and his unique sense of humor, Dr. Kim uncovers the hidden roots of medical terms—from the eponyms we invoke to the metaphors we overlook. This is a space for curious souls who still believe learning can be meaningful and fun.
30 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail A returning traveller with fever reminds us that malaria prophylaxis reduces risk—but never eliminates it. We explore why low platelets can signal malaria even when hemoglobin remains normal. “Thick finds, thin defines”—and tiny “headphones” inside a red blood cell offer a memorable diagnostic clue. Discover why malaria means “bad air,” and how our ancestors blamed the wrong thing coming out of the swamp.
Send us Fan Mail What do a Bolivian schoolboy, a few bitter green leaves, and a patient having a seizure have in common? More than you might think. Forty years ago, while attending middle school in Buenos Aires, my friend Pablo offered me my very first coca leaves. At the time, I had no idea that this ancient Andean plant would one day reappear at the bedside of a critically ill patient. In this episode, we'll trace the remarkable journey of coca—from sacred indigenous tradition to one of med...
Send us Fan Mail What do a Pacific bluefin tuna and clinical hematology have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, our beloved Clinical Etymologist, Dr. Simon Kim, takes his hardworking medical students to a Japanese sushi restaurant, where an ordinary lunch unexpectedly becomes a masterclass in transfusion medicine. As one magnificent tuna is transformed into increasingly selective sushi dishes, fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, PCC, and tranexamic acid suddenly become r...
Send us Fan Mail In this special bulletin episode of The Clinical Etymologist™ , Dr. Kim traces the haunting story of hantavirus from the battlefields of the Korean War to a childhood summer camp by the Hantan River. Through memory, etymology, and pathophysiology, he explores how a tiny rodent-borne virus came to shape global medical history. Along the way, listeners discover the origins of Hanta and Sin Nombre viruses, the mystery of capillary leak syndrome, and the deeply human stories hidd...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Clinical Etymologist™, Dr. Kim returns to the mystery of hyponatremia through the lens of soda, sodium, and the kidney’s inner logic. From the ancient chemistry of soda water to the modern lab value of serum sodium, Jennifer the Padawan learns that hyponatremia is usually less about salt and more about water. Together, they review how ADH explains urine osmolality, while aldosterone and effective circulating volume explain urine sodium. Along the way, t...
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