MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

Episode: Fan Favorite | Blood Feast
Date: August 19, 2025
Host: MrBallen (Wondery | Ballen Studios)
Episode Theme:
A harrowing true story of mass poisoning at the Oregon State Hospital in 1942, exploring how a tragic mistake—born of chaos, confusion, and desperate understaffing during World War II—resulted in dozens of deaths and a medical mystery that would haunt all involved for decades.

Episode Overview

MrBallen recounts the events of a catastrophic night at a psychiatric hospital during WWII, when patients suddenly fell violently ill after dinner. What started as a tale of a routine meal rapidly unravels into a mystery involving accidental poisoning, panic among staff, a desperate hunt for answers, and the tragic fate of a patient unfairly blamed. The episode delves into themes of medical mismanagement, mental health stigma, wartime resource scarcity, and the chilling consequences of a fatal error.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: A Sudden Outbreak (00:17–04:00)

• In November 1942 at Oregon State Hospital, the hospital is severely understaffed due to the war. The kitchen relies on a handful of overworked staff and even trustworthy patients as helpers.
• On November 18, cook Mickey McKillop and patient-volunteer George Nosen prepare a dinner of egg yolks and toast for almost 500 patients.
• Food supplies are scarce, mostly provided by federal surplus; nurse-to-patient ratios dangerously low, especially at night.
• “More than four hundred patients had fallen violently ill in the past twelve hours, and dozens had died.” —Narrator (00:50)

The Chaos Unleashed: The Catastrophe Unfolds (04:45–13:45)

• Dinner begins as normal, but the scene rapidly descends into nightmare:
  • Patients begin vomiting blood, experiencing seizures, and losing feeling in their limbs. Some die almost immediately.
  • Nurses and staff are thrown into chaos, with one attempting to spoon-feed patients baking soda out of desperation.
  • Dr. William Lidbeck arrives to a “horrible scene”—patients writhing, blood everywhere, staff overwhelmed.
• “It sounded like every patient inside of the building was in agony.” —Narrator (10:33)
• The outbreak is isolated to wards that ate the eggs; one ward, where the head nurse found the eggs tasted spoiled and stopped her patients from eating, remains unaffected apart from her own mild illness.
• “She had taken one bite and they had tasted so spoiled that she ordered all her patients not to eat them, and so her patients were fine.” —Narrator (12:15)

The Mystery Deepens: Sabotage or Mistake? (16:30–20:00)

• The next day, the governor fears wartime sabotage—worried the eggs were intentionally poisoned as an Axis attack.
• FDA halts all shipments from the egg batch; similar outbreaks feared nationwide.
• “Governor Sprague shuddered at the thought of a spy for the Axis powers poisoning innocent Americans.” —Narrator (17:13)

Scientific Detective Work: Pinpointing the Cause (20:00–22:45)

• Hospital superintendent Dr. John Evans conducts a rat experiment:
  • One plate of eggs from dinner, one from the freezers.
  • Only rats eating dinner eggs die, confirming the poison was added locally, not before shipment.
  • “This wasn’t a case of mass contamination or widespread enemy conspiracy. The eggs were clearly just fine when they arrived at the hospital before something or someone poisoned them.” —Narrator (21:49)
• The poison is identified as sodium fluoride—cockroach poison.

The Truth Emerges: Tragic Human Error (25:37–29:18)

• After hours of police interrogation, cook Mickey confesses:

  • During prep, George Nosen, the patient/assistant, unwittingly went to the wrong storeroom and fetched a large tin of what he thought was powdered milk—but was sodium fluoride.
  • Five pounds of poison ended up in the eggs because George, confused and untroubled, unknowingly used the pest killer instead of milk.
  • Mickey and boss Mary O’Hare were initially charged, but charges were dropped: the real tragedy was institutional neglect and desperate conditions.

• “That fateful night, George had taken the keys to the storeroom and headed down to the basement, but he went into the wrong storeroom... he brought back a heaping scoop of white powder that he believed was powdered milk, but it wasn’t.” —Narrator (26:56)

• “Well George had accidentally spiked the eggs with five pounds of poison.” —Narrator (27:56)

Tragic Consequences and Legacy (28:00–End)

• The hospital was found responsible; systemic failures, not criminal intent, were the real culprit.
• George Nosen is devastated and never leaves the hospital—remaining institutionalized for 41 more years, bullied and traumatized, until his death from injuries sustained in an altercation in 1983.
• “The only person who suffered any real consequences for the mistake was George, who was unable to leave Oregon State Hospital for another 41 years.” —Narrator (28:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the outbreak’s horror:
  “The hallway was full of patients sitting on the floor with their backs up against the wall, coughing blood into their laps. One man had been strapped to a gurney in the hallway, spasming wildly, blood running down the front of his shirt…”
  —Narrator (11:07)

• On desperation and guesswork:
  “She didn't know how to reverse it, but she was just hoping that baking soda would help alleviate their stomach pain.”
  —Narrator (11:54)

• On wartime paranoia:
  “Sprague shuddered at the thought of a spy for the Axis powers poisoning innocent Americans.”
  —Narrator (17:13)

• On systemic failure:
  “The hospital was held liable since the real culprit was gross understaffing.”
  —Narrator (28:17)

• On George’s fate:
  “George was never the same after that night. He couldn't forgive himself for what he'd done, even if it was just a tragic mistake.”
  —Narrator (28:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:17–04:00: Setting—Oregon State Hospital, scene and staff shortages
• 04:45–13:45: Dinner service, poisoning event, chaos in the wards
• 16:30–20:00: State and federal response, fears of sabotage
• 20:00–22:45: Rat experiments, sodium fluoride discovered
• 25:37–29:18: Confession, explanation of events, institutional blame, aftermath for George
• 28:00–End: Consequences, George's fate, closing reflection

Takeaway

In a chilling, true medical tragedy, institutional neglect and human error in desperate times led to a mass poisoning. The case is a sobering reminder of the fragility of care systems under pressure, the vulnerability of the marginalized, and the lasting cost of honest mistakes. MrBallen weaves empathy, suspense, and horror into a story that is as heart-stopping as it is thought-provoking.

For more haunting tales or to listen to future episodes early, follow MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries on Wondery or your podcast app of choice.