10 Medical Self Experiments That Actually Worked

Item: 10 Medical Self Experiments That Actually Worked
Rating: 4
Author: PostSingularity Institute

by Dr Ben Miles

Life & Natural Systems Medicine & Health MMedicine and Nursing MBMedicine

🎙 Dr Ben Miles 👥 2.5M 📅 February 23, 2024 ⏱ 21 min 👁 14K 📄 science communication 🧭 2026-08-23

Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

self-experimentationmedical historyscientific methodriskethics

Summary

This video explores ten historical cases of medical self-experimentation, ranging from the relatively benign to the extreme. It begins with Santorio Santorio, who spent 30 years weighing himself to quantify insensible perspiration. Next, Humphry Davy’s experiments with gases led to the discovery of nitrous oxide’s anesthetic properties. Barry Marshall famously ingested Helicobacter pylori to prove its role in gastritis, earning a Nobel Prize. Justin Schmidt developed a pain index by subjecting himself to over 150 insect stings. William Castle’s unconventional experiments with raw beef helped identify the intrinsic factor in pernicious anemia. John Stapp’s rocket sled tests advanced aviation safety, while Tim Friede’s self-immunization against snake venom aims to develop a universal antivenom. Daniel Carrión’s fatal experiment linked the two phases of Oroya fever. Jesse Lazear’s work on yellow fever transmission cost him his life but led to effective control measures. Finally, Claude Barlow transported schistosome parasites in his own body to study schistosomiasis. The video highlights the bravery and risks of these scientists, while emphasizing the ethical and scientific contributions of their work.

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Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video provides a compelling narrative that underscores the value of self-experimentation in advancing medical knowledge. It effectively argues that these acts, while risky and ethically questionable, have led to significant breakthroughs. The argumentation is structured around a ‘iceberg’ metaphor, suggesting a progression from relatively safe to extreme cases. The presenter supports each case with specific details and outcomes, making a strong case for the importance of these experiments. However, the video does not critically engage with the ethical implications beyond a surface level, and it occasionally glorifies the risk-taking without fully addressing the potential harm to the individuals involved.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The video demonstrates a reasonable level of scientific rigor, presenting well-known historical facts with accuracy. However, it lacks explicit citations or references to primary sources, relying on general historical knowledge. The title accurately reflects the content, and the video’s structure with chapters helps organize the information. The presenter’s background as a scientist adds credibility, but the absence of detailed sourcing limits the video’s use as a rigorous academic reference. The video is best suited for a general audience interested in the history of medicine.

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Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content: the video presents ten historical cases of medical self-experimentation that contributed to scientific knowledge.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The video presents well-known historical cases of self-experimentation, generally consistent with established scientific narratives. However, it lacks detailed citations and simplifies complex ethical and scientific contexts. The presenter's engaging style sometimes prioritizes entertainment over precision.

Chapters

Cited Sources

Dr Ben Miles Newsletter — Mentioned in the video description as a way to follow the channel.
Schrodinger Rockstar Tee — Merchandise link in the description.
Curie Rockstar Tee — Merchandise link in the description.
Einstein Rockstar Tee — Merchandise link in the description.

Concurring Sources

Self-experimentation — General context on the practice of self-experimentation.
Barry Marshall - Nobel Prize — Confirms Marshall's self-experiment and Nobel Prize.

Contribution & Novelties

The video offers a engaging compilation of historical self-experiments, providing a narrative that highlights the courage and sacrifice of these scientists. It serves as an accessible introduction to the topic, but does not present new research or original insights. The ‘iceberg’ framing is a creative way to structure the content, but the information itself is largely well-known.

Pour aller plus loin :

Self-experimentation in medicine — Wikipedia overview of the practice.
Helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcer disease — Nobel Prize summary for Marshall and Warren’s discovery.
Schmidt sting pain index — Wikipedia article on the index.
John Stapp and rocket sled tests — Wikipedia biography.
Schistosomiasis — WHO fact sheet on the disease.

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Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores in information quantity and quality, reflecting the video's rich content and accurate presentation. The technical level is moderate, suitable for a general audience. The overall reliability is good, though the lack of explicit citations prevents a perfect score.

Reliability 7/10

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