Ep. 91 | The Mad Gasser

MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

Wondery | Ballen Studios

True Crime

4.7 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

During World War 2, the small town of Mattoon, Illinois erupts into a panic. Some of its residents are falling prey to what seem like random gas attacks from an unidentified assailant. But who is the man known as “the Mad Gasser”? And why is he doing this? Is he a local madman, conducting a twisted experiment? A Nazi saboteur? Or something else entirely?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime members. You can listen to new episodes of Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries early and ad-free.
0:05.3	Download the Amazon music app today.
0:11.9	This is a story about a town paralyzed by fear.
0:19.9	A quiet, peaceful place until one night something
0:23.2	so strange and terrifying happened that it left the entire community on edge.
0:28.5	People started getting sick, but no one could explain why.
0:32.2	Was it a deadly gas attack?
0:33.9	A madman lurking in the shadows?
0:36.3	Or something else entirely.
0:41.0	The truth, well, that's going to be a bit stranger than you might think.
0:46.3	Stay with me, because this one's going to make you question everything you think you know about fear and how it can shape our reality.
0:49.1	This is the story of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon.
1:02.6	What do I do? What do I do? What do I say?
1:03.8	What do I say?
1:10.6	In the Macmillan online community, we know what it's like to have cancer, because we have it too.
1:18.1	So, whatever you're thinking, whatever you're feeling, whatever you need to ask about cancer,
1:24.7	whatever the time of day or night, we'll do whatever it takes to help you.
1:28.7	To join us, search McMillan Online Community.
1:33.8	You've been through one diet after another, maybe for years.
1:39.2	You've counted calories, pushed through workouts, cut carbs, and still the weight came back.
1:40.5	It's exhausting.
1:47.4	You've been told it's about willpower, but really, it's about science. With Voie's weight loss program, we combine medication with expert support to help you reach your goals. We
	...

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