The Fight Against AIDS | The Epidemic Begins | S37-E1

American Innovations

Wondery

Steven Johnson, History, Kids & Family, Education For Kids, Science

4.6 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2020

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the early 1980s, a mysterious new disease spread like wildfire through the gay communities of major U.S. cities. Before it even had a name, AIDS had already killed over half its victims. Public response was hampered by ignorance, fear, and homophobia. This is the story of the doctors, scientists and activists who risked everything to lead the fight against AIDS.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an episode of a Wondery Plus exclusive series.
0:03.6	To continue listening, join Wondery Plus and enjoy Ad Free Listening to over 40,000 episodes,
0:08.9	early access to your favorite podcasts and more.
0:11.6	Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple
0:14.2	podcasts. A quick note that this episode contains some adult language and
0:18.7	content.
0:20.7	Wondery. If you please sit up here. It's May 1981 in Greenwich Village New York.
0:27.0	It's May 1981 in Greenwich Village, New York.
0:34.0	Dr Joseph Sonabend helps a patient onto his exam table.
0:37.8	How long have you had these lesions on your legs?
0:41.0	Well, the purple spots?
0:42.3	I don't know.
0:43.0	A few weeks, maybe?
0:45.0	Dr. Sonneben's practice is the go-to place for young gay man in the village.
0:49.7	They appreciate his calm air of authority, and the fact that as an out gay man himself he doesn't
0:55.5	lecture them on the alleged hazards of their homosexual lifestyle. Stick out your tongue
1:00.2	and say ah, ahh ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah you've got more lesions in your mouth anywhere else that you know of
1:07.2	well yeah my genitals I'd better have a look
1:16.0	sonoban thinks he's seen every S.D. under the sun. It's the era of sexual liberation, and condom use is rare among heterosexuals,
1:21.0	unheard of among gay men. But these bruise-colored bumps don't
1:25.8	look like any STD he's ever encountered. Sonneman scrapes a small tissue sample from one of the
1:31.6	patient's lesions, then jots down a prescription for antibiotics.
	...

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