617. Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin?

617. 你真的对青霉素过敏吗?

Freakonomics Radio

社会与文化

2025-01-10

1 小时 3 分钟
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Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? And how about all the other things we think we’re allergic to?
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  • They say that the new year is a good time to express gratitude.

  • So here's what I am most grateful for right now.

  • My health.

  • For much of last year, I was sick.

  • It started in the spring with a cough that turned into a respiratory infection and that turned into a whole other thing.

  • And for a few months, I was miserable.

  • It hurt to talk or swallow.

  • Every time I laughed, it would trigger a coughing fit, which is a problem because I like to laugh.

  • Thanks to the cough, I couldn't sleep through the night.

  • I also had some ferocious night sweats and crazy dreams.

  • During the day, my entire body ached like I'd been hit by a car.

  • Also, no appetite, no energy.

  • Physically, it was the worst few months of my life.

  • But at least I got a story out of it.

  • This one.

  • Today's episode is about penicillin.

  • You may remember the famous story of how penicillin was discovered accidentally nearly 100 years ago by Alexander Fleming.

  • This was at St.

  • Mary's Hospital in London.

  • Fleming was just returning from holiday in his lab.