In this episode of Medical Media Mixer, we explore Girls & Their Monsters by Audrey Clare Farley — the haunting true story of the Dionne quintuplets and how science, society, and media collided to shape our understanding of mental illness. We unpack the ethics of human experimentation, the historical roots of psychiatry, and the ongoing debate of nature versus nurture, while examining how voices, behavior, and diagnosis are understood across time and culture. Paired with The Quad cocktail, this episode blends history, medicine, and media to question who defines “madness,” and at what cost.

Book & Background

• Girls and Their Monsters (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Their-Monsters-Quadruplets-Madness/dp/1538724472/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
• Wikipedia overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_and_Their_Monsters

Mental Health & Psychiatry

• Hearing Voices Network: https://www.hearing-voices.org/#content
• Nature vs. Nurture in mental illness (review article): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8702084/
• Family history and schizophrenia risk: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1181880/
• Creation of the NIMH (75-year history PDF): https://www.nimh.nih.gov/sites/default/files/documents/NIMH-Celebrating-75-Years-508_0.pdf

Cocktail

• The Quad cocktail recipe (Difford’s Guide): https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/2884/the-quad

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

Summary: This episode explores the tragic story of Patricia Stallings, wrongfully convicted for poisoning her son due to a misdiagnosis of methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). We discuss the medical background of MMA, the legal implications, and media portrayals—including podcasts, documentaries, and Lifetime movies—that brought this case to public attention. Learn how medical science corrected a grave miscarriage of justice and the ongoing lessons for rare disease awareness.

Resources & Links:

• Patricia Stallings – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Stallings
• Without a Kiss Goodbye (1993) – IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108581/
• Forensic Files – “Deadly Formula” Episode https://youtu.be/8AAM2Pi44v8?si=Pi-afyTb2knWVVB-
• Methylmalonic Acidemia – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylmalonic_acidemia
• NCBI – Misdiagnosis of MMA https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• JAMA Neurology Review https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology
• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – False-Positive MMA https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
• Unsolved Mysteries Wiki https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Patricia_Stallings#:~:text=Details%3A%20On%20July%209%2C%201989,suffered%20from%20chronic%20gastric%20distress.

Inspiration: Patricia Stallings’s story is one of misunderstanding, suspicion, and eventual truth. This cocktail is dark, mysterious, and layered, representing the tension and uncertainty of her case, with a subtle bright note at the finish to symbolize vindication and hope.

• 1.5 oz Dark Rum (deep, rich, symbolizes the shadow of suspicion)
• 0.5 oz Cherry Heering or Cherry Liqueur (hint of danger, red “warning” tone)
• 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (sharp clarity, representing truth cutting through deception)
• 0.25 oz Maple Syrup or Honey (soft sweetness, resilience and hope)
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters (complexity, the moral and legal undertones)
• Garnish: Lemon twist or cherry (symbolizing resolution and recognition)

1. Fill a shaker with ice and combine dark rum, cherry liqueur, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters.
2. Shake well until chilled.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a cherry or lemon twist.

Tasting Notes:

• Flavor: Dark, layered, slightly tart with a sweet finish
• Symbolism: Shadows of false accusation, tension of uncertainty, and a final note of truth

💡 Optional Twist:

• Serve smoky with a small mist of smoked rosemary or cinnamon to symbolize the murkiness of being wrongly accused.

• For a lighter variation, use spiced rum instead of dark rum.

New episodes every Monday → Hit that subscribe button! 🔔

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website

In this first-ever Refill episode of Medical Media Mixer, we revisit our original episode, “The Americano,” with fresh context from the current 2025–2026 flu season. We break down what’s driving this year’s influenza trends — including the rise of the Influenza A(H3N2) subclade K variant — what it means for vaccine effectiveness, who is most at risk, and why global flu patterns matter for U.S. health systems. It’s the same episode, the same drink — but with updated information to help you make sense of what’s happening now.

• Why Influenza A(H3N2) — specifically the subclade K variant — is dominating this season
• What mutation changes mean for vaccine match and protection
• How effective this year’s vaccine appears to be so far
• Why pediatric, elderly, and high-risk populations deserve special attention
• What global flu trends (Japan, the UK, Australia, Europe) can tell us about what’s coming next

Flu season is one of the clearest examples of how medicine, media, public perception, and health systems intersect in real time. Revisiting our first episode through the lens of the current season shows how infectious disease isn’t static — and why updated context is just as important as the original story.

• Schweitzer K. A New H3N2 Influenza Strain Is Raising Concerns About This Flu Season. JAMA. 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.25205
• Zambon M, Hayden FG. Influenza A(H3N2) Subclade K Virus. JAMA. 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.25903
• Committee on Infectious Diseases. Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2025–2026: Technical Report. Pediatrics. 2025. doi:10.1542/peds.2025-073622
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FluView and U.S. Influenza Surveillance Data, 2025–2026 season (preliminary estimates)

New episodes every Monday → Hit that subscribe button! 🔔

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🍸 Cocktail recipes drop on socials every weekend before the episode airs 🍹

If you love the podcast, please join our 💳 Patreon to support our continued success!

If you don't want to commit to a monthly contribution, you can always donate on ☕️Buy Me a Coffee

🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita For updates visit our 💻 Website