Radiolab: "Staph Retreat" (November 3, 2015)
WNYC Studios
Hosts: Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich
Reported by Latif Nasser

Episode Overview

"Staph Retreat" explores the history and future of the fight against Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”) bacteria, focusing on the origins of antibiotics and the discovery of an ancient remedy that surprisingly works against MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The episode weaves storytelling and scientific inquiry to ask: Can revisiting forgotten past remedies offer hope against modern superbugs?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Part 1: The Miracle (and Limits) of Antibiotics

• The Discovery of Penicillin

  • Latif Nasser and science writer Maren McKenna recount Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery in 1928, when a spot of mold (Penicillium) killed staph bacteria in a neglected petri dish.
    • “He was a slob, basically, and he goes on a vacation…leaves his window open and something blows across his lab plates.” (Latif Nasser, 01:35)
  • Penicillin quickly becomes a "miracle drug," dramatically cutting deaths from infectious diseases.

• The Rise of Resistance

  • Almost simultaneously with penicillin’s glory, resistance is reported: “Virtually at the exact same time…a Stanford researcher publishes that he has found five different strains of staph that do not respond to penicillin.” (Latif Nasser, 04:08)
  • This kickstarts an ongoing “arms race”: drug after drug is introduced, and resistance follows—often within a year.
    • Timeline of drugs and resistance (see 05:16): streptomycin (1943/1948), methicillin (1960/1961), clindamycin (1969/1970), etc.

• Why Superbugs Are Winning

  • Since the early 2000s, new antibiotic approvals have “fallen off a cliff” (Maren McKenna, 06:11), driven by high costs and poor returns as drugs rapidly lose effectiveness.
  • Hospitals now face infections that “resist all of our drugs” (Latif Nasser, 06:43), leading to tragic outcomes for patients and doctors alike.

Part 2: Time Travel and "Bald's Leechbook" – Ancient Medicine for Modern Superbugs

• Meet the Unlikely Team

  • Dr. Freya Harrison (microbiologist & Viking reenactor) and Dr. Christina Lee (Viking studies professor & infectious disease enthusiast) form a friendship at the University of Nottingham (09:00–11:48).
    • “I’ve found my kindred spirit here.” (Christina Lee, 11:28)

• The Discovery of Bald's Leechbook

  • Together, they study an Old English medical manuscript, Bald’s Leechbook (~900 AD), a doctor’s compendium of remedies.
    • “It’s not about hair: ‘leech’ comes from the Old English word for healer or doctor.” (Christina Lee, 12:43)
  • The book contains bizarre-sounding treatments (devil possession, warts, marital issues) but also a recipe labeled “the best medicine” for “a lump in the eye”—likely a stye, usually caused by staph bacteria (14:44–15:31).

• Recreating the Ancient Remedy

  • Christina and Freya (and later the Radiolab team at home) recreate the recipe using equal parts garlic, another allium (onion or leek), ox bile, wine, and brass pot shavings (16:06–19:08).
    • They let it stand for nine days, then apply the liquid to fake wounds infected with staph.

• An Astonishing Result

  • They expect a small effect, but are stunned:
    • “It was a staph massacre... killing 99.9999% of these bacterial cells.” (Freya Harrison, 20:54)
  • Rigorous testing confirms the result—including against MRSA, a major “superbug” threat: “It killed 90% of them. This is beyond our wildest dreams.” (Freya Harrison, 22:14)

• Not a Miracle Cure (Yet)

  • Caution: No human trials or guarantees of safety. “Absolutely do not do this at home…It might be that if you don’t do it in exactly the way we did, nasty fungus could grow in it, give you a worse infection.” (Christina Lee & Freya Harrison, 22:30–22:43)

Memorable Quotes & Reflections

• On Scientific Discovery as Serendipity:
  • “It just seems like if that happened, let’s just open up a bunch more windows. Something ought to blow in.”
    — Soren Wheeler (06:56)
• On Time and Resistance:
  • “If you had enough different [old remedies]…the whole world of the past then becomes the fruit of your future, sort of.”
    — Robert Krulwich (26:38)
• On Learning From the Past:
  • “We need to learn the language of the doctors of that time...I learned a bit of humility this way.”
    — Christina Lee (25:15)
• Shock and Delight at Unexpected Results:
  • “I think she just simply said: ‘What the fook?’”
    — Freya Harrison relaying collaborator's response (22:06)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Antibiotics Timeline & Arms Race: 05:10–06:16
• Why Drug Approvals Have Plummeted: 06:09–06:21
• Rise of Superbugs / Doctor's Despair: 06:43–06:56
• Introducing Christina Lee & Freya Harrison: 09:00–11:12
• History and Context of Bald’s Leechbook: 12:26–13:16
• Recreating and Testing the Thousand-Year-Old Recipe: 16:02–21:24
• Results vs. MRSA (“What the fook!”): 22:00–22:14
• Theories on Resistance and Cyclical Use: 25:45–27:18
• The Language of Ancient Medicine: 24:09–25:29

Episode’s Takeaway

"Staph Retreat" asks listeners to reconsider the past as a source of solutions for the formidable problem of antibiotic resistance. It proposes that ancient knowledge—when interrogated with modern science—may yield unexpected weapons in our medical arsenal. The surprising effectiveness of Bald’s Leechbook remedy is both a call for humility and a challenge: what else is lurking in overlooked histories, waiting to help heal us again?

Summary by an expert podcast summarizer. For clarity, timestamps refer to the original audio in MM:SS format. Non-content and promotional sections have been omitted.