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About This Podcast
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.
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Recent Episodes
S2E4 The Bladder Whisperer
Send a textIn today’s episode, we explore how an overlooked organ can reveal a neurologic emergency. We question whether every “mechanical fall” is truly mechanical. We trace the hierarchy of…
S2E3 Memory of Foul Smelling Urine
Send a textIn today’s episode, we explore one of the most common — and most misunderstood — diagnoses in medicine: urinary tract infection. Why does foul-smelling urine trigger antibiotics? What…
S2E2 Lactate Ringer's: Guilt by Name, Innocent by Physiology
Send a textSome time ago in a teaching hospital far, far away, a familiar IV bag sparked an unfamiliar question. Why does a fluid that contains lactate not worsen lactic acidosis? Why is it safe in…
S2E1 ABNORMAL Normal Saline
Send a textWelcome to Season 20.9% “Normal” Saline is one of the most commonly prescribed intravenous fluids in medicine, yet its name is one of the great misnomers of clinical practice.In this…
S1E17 Ode to Gettysburg
Send a textSome time ago in a teaching hospital far, far away… A new call shift had just been announced, and our clinical etymologist found himself preparing for another unpredictable day. It felt…
S1E16 The Pump The Pipe and The Product
Send a textOn a routine day call, two eager pre-clerks join the Clinical Etymologist in the ER, hoping to witness internal medicine in action.What we get instead is a cramped cast room, a patient…
S1E15 The Lord of Clerks : An Inferior Awakening
Send a textA group of soon-to-be clerks join Dr. Kim in a high-stakes simulation to unravel the physiology, history, and bedside reasoning behind acute myocardial infarction. Through dialogue, humor,…
S1E14 Knowledge Gap in Osmolar Gap
Send a textMr. Alexander Kole presents with alcohol intoxication. Odd lab value is noted thathides more than it reveals. In this episode, Dr. Kim and his Padawan Layla explorethe clinical mystery of…
S1E13 The Kissing Disease
Send a textInfectious mononucleosis reminds us that medicine often lives in the space between certainty and curiosity. The tests help, but the story — the pattern of fatigue, fever, and swollen nodes…
S1E12 Ninety Nine Toy Boat
Send a textIn this episode, Dr. Kim and his Padawan, Nina, rediscover the forgotten art of the respiratory exam—from tactile fremitus to percussion, from the German for 99 to toy boat. Through…
S1E11 Celebrate Lactate
Send a textThree days of call. Three dozen consults. Three cups of coffee barely holding the Clinical Etymologist together. This is the story of what happens when exhaustion meets imagination — and a…
S1E10 Pernicious Precision
Send a textThe momentous discovery of Cobalamin 77 years ago made a macrocytic impact on medicine, saving millions of lives from their pernicious fate. In celebration, we take a subacute and combined…
S1E9 Only A Second Year Student
Send a textThe previous episode Letting Go, Gently was a heartfelt reminder of the human side of medicine, a glimpse into one of those moments that shape us as not just health care providers but also…
S1E8 Special Episode : Letting Go, Gently
Send a textSo far, our beloved clinical etymologist, Dr. Kim, has explored the roots of medical language through history, etymology, and clinical reasoning. But today is different. Instead of…
S1E7 Cranial Nerves Were All "Normal"
Send a textToday, we venture beyond the usual clinical vignettes and into the art of examination itself. In honor of Dr. Heinrich Quincke—who, in August 1891, performed the world’s first lumbar…
S1E6 The Cortisol Strikes Back : Part 2
Send a text In this episode of The Clinical Etymologist, the saga of the adrenal glands continues. Join Dr. Kim and his Padawan William as they navigate Cold War cortisol curves, Addison’s…
S1E5 The Rise of Cortisol : Part 1
Send a textThis is Part 1 of a two-part podcast all about the adrenal glands. In this episode, we go back to the beginning — to anatomy, etymology, and the history behind cortisol. We'll follow a…
S1E4 Asterixis : The Liver Flap
Send a textAsterixis: If it's not a liver tremor, what is it then?In this episode, Dr. Kim unpacks the etymology, pathophysiology, and clinical relevance of this peculiar sign. From hepatic…
S1E3 Once Upon A Time In Philadelphia
Send a textIn this episode, Dr. Kim travels back to the summer of 1976 — when veterans gathered in Philadelphia and unknowingly faced a microscopic enemy hiding in the air. Join us for an…
S1E2 30/20/10 Rule of Orthostatic Hypotension
Send a textIn this episode, Dr. Simon Kim takes you on a head-spinning journey through the physiology, history, and humor behind orthostatic hypotension. What do a fainting patient, a Greek root…
Frequently Asked Questions
The Clinical Etymologist has published 21 episodes since July 2025, covering topics in Health & Fitness, Medicine.
The Clinical Etymologist is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 13m.
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